Some posters in this thread seem to think that just being obsessed by anything gives you the right to call yourself a nerd.
Nope. Sorry. IMHO, you have to have an obsession with some “hard” science and/or computers, an interest in science fiction or fantasy, plus a marked lack of social skills. Who ever heard of a “Hemmingway nerd” or a “Schubert geek”?
What say you?
I say anyone who obsesses about what geek label goes where is a nerd.
–Cliffy
This one time…at band camp…
I did score a 59% on the test. Second highest score so far. I am at peace with my nerdiness.
Here’s how I always broke it down. Imagine there’s going to be a big, fun party. Music, drinking (if you’re into that), dancing, even food.
The NERD will hear about the party, but rather than go, he will be up all night in his lab, working on a lifelike robot of the perfect woman, and have a perfectly fine time.
The GEEK will actually go to the party, attempt to change the music to Frank Zappa or Ween or Danny Elfman (pissing off all the dancers in the process), critique the host’s music and movie collections, and end up slumped in the corner, bitterly watching the dancers, or raiding the refreshments.
The DORK will sneak into the party (uninvited), take a colossal dump after butting to the head of the bathroom line, and end up overflowing the toilet in the process. In the sewagy panic that ensues, he will be chased out, but trip over the prettiest girl there on his way out, copping a feel if he can, and knock the entire refreshment table over onto the GEEK.
What about the DWEEB? And the SPAZ? No, this breakdown won’t do at all!
What it always meant to me was that I wasn’t one, until I took that test (46.4% 232/500 closet nerd).
In my experience, a “nerd” was anyone obsessively preoccupied with book learning to the detriment of his/her social skills. Nerds need not be math- or science-based. You can easily have a literature nerd, or a classical music nerd.
But, I would call myself a nerd and I have wicked social skills. If someone is into book learning (math, physics, other hard sciences) and it doesn’t change their social skills, what do you call them? Geek?
To me Nerd is more associated with Tech & Science & High IQ. Nerds are the Trekkies, Tekkers, FanBoys (Star Wars & Comics) Minimal Social skills, D&D players.
Jason Foxtrot is an excellent example of a young Nerd.
Geek is more General and includes all nerds. A larger set. Example is the Band Geek. My niece was a band geek but otherwise normal and outgoing.
The DORK can be but is not required to be a Nerd or Geek. He is usually someone that is tolerated by friends and hated by the cool kids. Usually dumber than the Nerd. I would call Booger of Revenge of the Nerds a good example of the Dork and Millhouse will grow up to be one. “But I’m not smart enough to be a nerd”
DWEEB & SPAZ. Are these truly separate or just descriptive of the above categories.
Dweeb is a Nerd or Geek who allows others to pick on them consistently.
A Good nerd will concoct an excellent revenge.
A Spaz: Just the prototypical non-coordinate Nerd or Geek I think.
I believe I was a social Nerd who has grown up to be an Alpha Geek.
I was never the Dork or Dweeb. I had my Spaz moments.
My scale:
Wonk: anybody obsessed with (and good at) particular intellectual topics.
Geek: A wonk whose obsession concerns science/tech.
Nerd: A wonk with bad social skills.
[Milhous]
I’m not a nerd. Nerds are smart.
[/Milhous]
I never considered nerds to be smart. In fact, they were average or below, with no social skills. I think geeks are a bit smarter.
Urbandictionary.com’s definitions seem to mostly agree that nerds are pretty smart. I’ve never encountered the word “nerd” in reference to somebody who was not of above-average intelligence.
The web defintions seem to also say that geeks are second-rate nerds. Apparently, nerd is higher up in the hierarchy.
Eh? I always thought nerds and geeks were both smart, but dorks were average or below.
Demented and sad, but social.
Didn’t a geek used to be a term for a sideshow act? I thought that a geek was an old homeless alcoholic who they would let get good and scruffy, put a bit of costume on, and call a wolfman or somesuch.
Sideshow geeks would bite the heads off live chickens and snakes as part of their act.
Cool. How did the term come to its current meaning?
A pretty good attempt to classify the Modern Geek.
My understanding is that the sideshow term started being used as a derogatory term by Alpha’s & Jocks.
But then those damn Geeks starting taking pride in being Geeks when we realized we end up eventually out earning the average normal and our numbers are growing.