Nerds and Geeks

1713 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Defining nerd vs geek

The titles of nerd and geek could in some ways be considered objective but, looking deep enough one should be able to find a subjective and definite definition. These can be found by looking into some dictionaries the article as the author does in, “Nerd, Geek, Dweeb, Twerp — In Computer Lingo, Which One Are You?” in Community College Week by Reid Goldsborough. He finds that many of these definitions do not agree and looks to see if there is a definite answer and makes an attempt to find a modernized answer.

According to its first definition of the word, a nerd is a "foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious." That sounds about right. But Oxford's first definition of geek is synonymous: "An unfashionable or socially inept person." Oxford's second definitions of both words are also synonymous, nerd as "an intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession" and geek as "a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest. (Goldsborough, 2010)

This generally could be considered to mean that the terms of geeks and nerds are completely and utterly synonymous but, people in the modern nerd and geek culture may disagree. If one mentioned this definition to a person who considers themselves a geek or nerd they would highly disagree these people know that there is a great difference between a nerd and a geek. While they may not be able to give a distinct, concise definition they know full well that there is a big difference. This is expressed in the Goldsborough article as well.

The best distinction I've heard is that the word "nerd" connotes social awkwardness while "geek" conveys specialized expertise and devotion. The former is negative, the lat...

... middle of paper ...

... is in today, or attended something like the New York Comic-Con which is a large gathering of nerds in the Jacob Javits Convention Center held annually now.

Works Cited

Croal, N. (2008, August 18). You Don't Have to Be a Nerd. Newsweek, 152(7), p. 66.

Diaz, J. (2007). The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Riverhead Books.

Goldsborough, R. (2010, January 25). Nerd, Geek, Dweeb, Twerp — In Computer Lingo, Which One Are You? Community College Week, p. 16.

Grover, R. (2010, August 2). The Rise of Geek Chic. Bloomburg Businessweek, pp. 72-73.

Hannan, J. (2008, March-April). The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. World Literature Today, pp. 65-66.

Kim. (n.d.). The Annotated Oscar Wao: Notes and translations for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Retrieved 05 07, 2011, from The Annotated Oscar Wao: http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com/

Show More
Related

  • Junot Diaz's The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

    1952 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print. The. Raboteau, Emily.

    Read More

  • America Needs Its Nerds Rhetorical Analysis

    504 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leonid Fridman’s article,”America Need Its Nerds”, published in the New York Times, conveys American society’s unpleasant perception towards intellectuals. Fridman asserts the issues of American society's evaluation of people in order to convince readers of the New York Times to acknowledge educated individuals. He employs logos, ethos, and pathos to contribute to his goal if the readers of the New York Times recognizing the value of intellectuals.

    Read More

  • Larry Flynt

    1750 Words  | 4 Pages

    opinionated, and perverted. If there is one word to sum him up it would be, unapologetic.

    Read More

  • An Amateur’s Exploration of, “Because I could not stop for Death”

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    Puchner, Martin, et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. New York: W.

    Read More

  • Anti Intellectualism Why We Hate The Smart Kids Summary

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a world where high school dropout stories are prevalent, the public is beginning to shun intellectualism on a greater degree than ever before. Although top-performing athletes in high school get showered with recognition by their peers, students who equally flourish in the field of academics rarely get acknowledged as much as their athletic counterparts. In his essay, “Anti-Intellectualism: Why We Hate the Smart Kids,” Grant Penrod proves this assertion.

    Read More

  • The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Juinot Diaz

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to its first definition of the word, a nerd is a "foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious." That sounds about right. But Oxford's first definition of geek is synonymous: "An unfashionable or socially inept person." Oxford's second definitions of both words are also synonymous, nerd as "an intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession" and geek as "a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest. (Goldsborough, 2010)

    Read More

  • Comparing Star Trek and Homer's Odyssey

    1820 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... World Literature. Ed. Martin Puncher. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 441. Print.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Anti-Intellectusim: Why We Hate The Smart Kids By Grant Penrod

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Penrod says that intellectuals have a negative name associated with them that can also give them a bad reputation. The name “geek” or “nerd” is not a positive one for the intellectuals and makes them feel devalued. An online venter describes what he hears “A+ this and…got a 1600 on my SAT and got all AP classes next year woohoo. That’s all these people care about don’t they have lives damn nerds” (Penrod). Even though the venter seems to be angry towards the end his anger shows something bigger. He is somewhat envious of the grades, SAT scores, and classes these kids get because they’re intellectuals. All of those factors together that he

    Read More

  • Chris McCandless: Hero or Dumb Jerk?

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...he Soul Searcher: A person abandoning social conventions in an effort to seek truth and to discover the true self that remains hidden under social constraints. A person striving to stick to their deepest values and convictions no matter what the cost. 3. The Dumb Jerk: A person who is futilely questing for something meaningless or worthless. A person who is woefully unprepared for a trip, who clings to misguided, self-righteous principles, losing friends and hurting themselves and their family in the process."

    Read More

  • The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, he tells the story of a Dominican family but mainly about the son, Oscar de Leon. The book opens with the story of Oscar as a child and him having two girlfriends at the same time. The older people in town see him as a ladies man and encourage him. The boy and the two girls all broke up and his life seemed to be on a steady decline since then.

    Read More

  • The Thousand and One Nights

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Peter Simon. 3rd. ed. Vol. B. New York and London:

    Read More

  • Nerd Stereotypes: American Culture

    404 Words  | 1 Pages

    The nerd stereotype is well known throughout the American culture. We see it all over television, the internet, and occasionally our schools. The stereotypical “nerd” look is almost always the same. Although there are many qualities that make a nerd what they are there are only a few things that really stand out. When someone says the word “nerd,” I immediately imagine a person who is socially awkward, has thick glasses, and of course one who is very smart. I believe being socially awkward plays a huge part in the stereotype. The reason being is simply because they would rather be at home studying than taking the time to meet other people. Nerds tend to isolate themselves and begin to lack a social life, therefore meeting or talking to other

    Read More

  • The Multitasking Generation an Article by Claudia Wallis

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though being exposed to technologies like computers from an early age may have given us the ability to do things more efficiently, technology has also made us less dependent on ourselves. Claudia Wallis, editor for Time, in her article makes known in The Multitasking Generation, “That level of multiprocessing and interpersonal connectivity is now so commonplace that it’s easy to forget how quickly it came about. Fifteen years ago, most home computers weren’t even linked to the Internet” (63). There are many things that students are able to do on their computer that their parents aren't even aware of or that the parents couldn’t do themselves. My parents always tell of how looking through the library’s card catalog and searching for the books they needed only to find out that they have been taken out. Computers have allowed us to do many things faster for example, write much faster than a typewriter or pen and paper and correct typing errors without starting over. The computers and technology we now have makes it easier to almost anything and with technology so easily at your fingertips it o...

    Read More

  • The Concept Of Normality (ADD And ADHD?

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    The word normality, or normalcy, has records dating back to the 1850’s. In the twenty-first century, the word has a whole new meaning due to the changes in society and technology. Today Normalcy is defined as “the state of being normal, as opposed to deviant, eccentric or unusual. Behavior can be normal when it shows consistency with behavior that conforms to the most common behavior in society.” So what term do we call people that don’t fit into this category? Outliers, misfits, imperfections, the list could go on, but just because someone has a few differences, does that change the concept of normality?

    Read More

  • The Laptop Ate My Attention Span Analysis

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “The Laptop Ate My Attention span”, Abbey Ellin describes the advantages and disadvantages of the internet being used in the classroom. Although she does include different types of schools, the author focuses in on business school students. She explains to us that an increasing amount of college campuses are choosing what students can or cannot do with their laptop while in class. Ellin describes what students do use their computer for in school and while some students are starting their own business others are chatting away or just not spending their time wisely. With it being that these are the future leaders of america and the people with access to a higher education, Ellin would expect them to have some sense of manners when it comes to what they are using their computer for during class time. The author gives us an example that a student knows better than to walk out of a

    Read More

More about Nerds and Geeks

Open Document