Geeks vs Nerds
Are you a geek or a nerd? I've spent most of my life believing I was a geek, but have just been told that I am, in fact, a nerd.
You can imagine my shock.
What's the difference? The jury's still out on whether there is a big one, and the definitions of what exactly a geek is or nerd is seem to vary a lot from person to person (and dictionary to dictionary).
But the consensus around the Stuff newsroom (see? we're not working either) is that I am definitely a nerd. A geek, according to my fellow Stuffers, is someone interested in a particular thing, to the point of being boring and obsessive about it, particularly stuff like sci-fi movies or music. So you can be a Star Trek geek or a hard rock geek or whatever.
A nerd is someone who is interested in and knows a lot of stuff about the real world, or one part of it, like history or quantum mechanics.
So while a space geek might know all about Star Trek and the Klingon for "Today is a good day to die!", a space nerd would know about real-life space travel - how rockets work, why the curvature of space might rule out the existence of dark matter, or what wormholes actually are.
A beer geek can tell you which obscure Czech brewery makes the best pilsner, while a beer nerd can tell you how yeast actually makes ethanol from sugar.
By these definitions, I'm squarely in the nerd category. I think I used to be a geek, because I've certainly watched enough bad sci-fi movies in my time. But somewhere I lost my geeky way and stumbled into nerd territory.
I know that a lot of people out there probably wouldn't think of themselves as either, and the whole debate to them seems a bit, well, geeky (or nerdy). And they're probably right. Whether you call yourself a geek or a nerd, it's still just a label. Most people are probably a mix of both.
But that's the easy, middle-ground, Buddhist way out. Now that I've been unknowingly recruited into the nerds I say we stop at nothing more than total world domination. Revenge of the Nerds on a global scale. The geeks won't stand a chance. While they're sitting around arguing whether Picard was better than Kirk, we'll be building robot armies or, more likely, large particle accelerators to answer esoteric questions about subatomic physics.
What do you think? Would you call yourself a nerd or a geek or what? And who would you rather hang out with?
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I think you're all egocentric show offs.
I'm a movie geek and proud - I may not know all the facts/actors/directors about every movie ever made, but if you want a buddy to watch all 6 Star Wars in a row, or to swap You Tube upcoming movie trailers with, then I'm your girl.
I think the difference is geeks are always keen to be involved with and have a broad knowledge of a subject, nerds are more into the specifics and details.
It used to be quite cool to be able to say the geek shall inherit the earth, but that saying simply doesnt sound right using the word nerd...
Anyhow, geek or nerd if you're a sci-fi fan drop into the bring the sci-fi petition to NZ and add your signature to the list!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/bring-on-the-sci-fi-channel
Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age inappropriate rather than engaging in more social or popular activities. Therefore, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and considered a loner by peers.
The word geek is a slang term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, gaming, etc.
WIKIPEDIA KNOWS ALL!
If you've watched Beat the Geek, and laughed at the ineptness of the contestants as they fail to answer the obvious question of which episode of Friends Jason Alexander guest-starred in, you are most definitely a geek.
But you're still sexy, which nerds will never be.
I never considered myself to be a nerd or a geek, however I have been assured that an obsession with Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels makes me a geek. I'm not a nerd, because I have little more than a passing interest in how things actually work.
PS Freya - Rueben's allowed to be egocentric, he's a hottie.
@Melissa A: My justification for the insult is that I'm even worse. I take every possible opportunity to quote Shakespeare, Eliot, Wilde, Plath and any other poet that comes to mind. I'm not sure if I'm a geek, because I obsess over Shakespeare, or a nerd, because I analyze his work to the nines. I like to think I'm a geek, because I also indulge in 'geeky' activities. So ha. And no one is allowed to be egocentric, regardless of how attractive they may be. Which doesn't excuse me, so I'll go bang my head against a wall until it wears off.
You're all forgetting an important characteristic. Nerd (qua Nerd) implies a kind of social/fashion oriented disability. Perhaps a mild form of autism (aspergers perhaps). I expect the disability ranges across a spectrum. So, you'll have your typical nerds that wear high waisted slacks with shirts tucked in, socks and roman sandals type thing, right through to nerds that nervously fiddle with pens, shuffling from foot to foot staring at the ground while you talk to them. Not real great with relationships - particular with the opp sex. A nerd tends towards heavy metal.
Geeks on the other hand are usually "indier than thou" (I just wanted to throw that phrase in there cos I love it :), often sexy as, rarely socially inept, love all forms of techno/gagetry, often quite extroverted. A geek tends towards electronica.
Such compliments, really, you're making me blush.
One question though: Regardless of whether I'm allowed to be egocentric, how is anyone going to stop me doing it? Unless you've got a robot clown army (in which case I bow in your lordly direction and offer to polish your shoes with my hair), I don't see it happening.
And @Beki - if you can sit through Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in one sitting, you can out Star Wars geek anyone. I'd rather be kicked in my most sensitive area than have to sit through either again.
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