Help me win an argument with my brother!

[gwynraven]

We've been arguing on the difference between a 'geek' and a 'nerd'. Please indicate your opinions in the poll below. And remember, this is for posterity so be honest.

Poll Geeks and Nerds

Comments

[harkalark]

My understanding of the word "geek" has always been primarily physical and negative, as characterized in the 1977 song "Pencil Neck Geek" by Fred Blassie. "Nerd" is more related to the social ineptitude which is often caused by being withdrawn from mainstream society due to one's obsession with unpopular subjects. In terms of etymology, nerd is also a much newer word than geek.

My dictionary defines the two words this way:
geek |gēk|
noun informal
1 an unfashionable or socially inept person.
• [with adj. ] a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest : a computer geek.
2 a carnival performer who does wild or disgusting acts.
DERIVATIVES
geeky adjective
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from the related English dialect geck ‘fool,’ of Germanic origin; related to Dutch gek ‘mad, silly.’

nerd |nərd|
noun informal
a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious : one of those nerds who never asked a girl to dance.
• an intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession : he single-handedly changed the Zero image of the computer nerd into one of savvy Hero.
DERIVATIVES
nerdish adjective
nerdishness noun
nerdy adjective
ORIGIN 1950s: of unknown origin.

That pretty much has the two words as interchangeable, though it still seems to put more of a negative connotation on "geek" than "nerd." I've always seen geeks as the contemptible, irredeemable variety, physically awkward and socially shunned. Nerds, on the other hand, may also be shunned, but they can be either "the good kind" (funny and likable despite their weirdness) or "the bad kind" (impossible to stand, arrogant).

And if you listened to the clip of Sarah Vowell's "The Nerd Voice" that I sent you the other night (see also http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/vowell/ ), you know my deeper opinions on the subject. (See also the icon on this comment.)

[harkalark]

And I forgot another important qualifier: intelligence. Note that the above definition of geek doesn't mention intelligence, but nerd does.

In high school, there was a guy I knew who looked like the typical stereotype: scrawny neck, big ears, bottle-thick glasses, goofy voice, etc. But he was also very stupid. Therefore he was too dumb to be a nerd, but he was a geek. The nerds were the smart ones, so they at least had that going for them.

[gwynraven]

That might have been true then, but I think perceptions of the two words have switched. Wonderful how language can change isn't it?

[gwynraven]

Ah, now, I feel that, in current usage, "geek" is the less offensive term. And do you really think that looking up the definitions wasn't the *first* thing I did when this discussion came up? :)

But in this particular case we're talking perception, not literal definition. And seems like most people in this poll agree that being a geek can be something to be proud of, being a nerd, not so much.

In light of the evidence from this highly scientific examination of a totally unbiased population - I WIN!!! Mwahahahaha!

[harkalark]

So you conducted a completely unscientific survey of a biased sample group using leading questions and then refuted any evidence that contradicted your original hypothesis. Have you considered a position at FOXNews?

P.S. You know I love you and that you shouldn't take anything I say seriously, right? RIGHT?

Tonight: Does Barack Obama's unwillingness to combat the Muslim liberal oil spill prove that he hates gay dolphins and is a terrorist who loves abortions and hates freedom? Where's the birf certificit? Yeehaw.

[gwynraven]

Hey, I resemble that remark!

And I didn't refute any evidence - I didn't have to. I appealed to a biased population and thus the results overwhelmingly confirm my initial hypothesis.

And I'm afraid FOXNews wouldn't take me - after all, I wasn't quite devious enough to launch a smear campaign against the handful of people who didn't agree with me. Guess I'm just not down to FOXNews's level yet. *sigh*

And yes, I know you love me anyway. Besides, I do have to point out that my brother's primary thesis - that the term "geek" only applies to computer people - hasn't gotten *any* votes yet.

[harkalark]

That's probably because he hates Amurica.