Geek; “an overly diligent, unsociable student; any unsociable person obsessively devoted to a particular pursuit” (Oxford English dictionary). In today’s dictionary the word geek can have both a positive, as well as a negative definition, neither of which is related to its original meaning. People have the tendency to alter these words and their connotation to accommodate their verbal slang. While many believe they have a clear understanding of the word geek, they lack the comprehension of its root
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
Evolution of the Geeks In the past 20th century, the word geek has evolved into many different meanings. The term branched off to create a person with low social skills, often with high intelligence, a person highly interested in computer technology, and a person with a devotion to something that places him or her outside of the mainstream. Geek usually has negative connotations within popular culture, where being a geek tends to be an insult. The term can also be a badge of honor among subcultures
The Computer Geek What defines a true computer geek? People have several different views on what a computer geek actually consists of. It is important to notice how society places certain people into this category automatically without even knowing much about them. Growing up with all sorts of television shows, most of the time there would be a nerdy character. That is how I believe my definition for a computer geek formed. Like all ideas in life, there was some kind of influence that shaped
continuously filmed, designed to be entertaining rather than informative” (Oxford dictionary). Beauty and the Geek pairs together "Geeks" (socially inelegant nerd breeds) and "Beauties" (beautiful women handpicked for portraying bimbos), who then take on challenges to win $250,000 in prizes. Along the way the geeks are given make overs, and the beauties learn a few things about geek culture. Beauty and the geek amplifies negative a stereotype of men and women enforced by pairing smart, nerdy men with women focused
media portrays adolescents in television shows as being rebellious, sex crazed, and unreasonable people. Freaks and Geeks, created by Paul Feig and produced by Feig, himself, and Judd Apatow, is a one hour TV show that aired on NBC from 1999-2000. The show centers around the siblings, Sam and Lindsay Weir, and their friends while they all attend McKinley High School. Freaks and Geeks is a show that portray adolescents in a way that the media doesn’t because of the lessons the characters have to learn
what if this same person is characterized as a geek? Most people generally hold a negative connotation with one of these titles, some see it as the geek and some see it as the nerds. Oscar De Leon and Yunior from Juinot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao can be classified as members of either of these groups in some ways. There are ways that they fit in and ways that they don’t but first, in order to see how Oscar and Yunior fit into the geek or nerd classifications or not the criteria must
— what is colloquially known as — nerds and geeks. Recently, the world lost one of the greatest nerds, Stephen Hawking, even though he is greatly respected, there is still a negative stigma surrounding the intellectual community. In Leonid Fridman’s passage, he asserts that the derogatory branding towards the “nerdy” community needs to end. He supports hhis claim by first describing the negative implications the come with the labels of “nerd” and “geek,” then he compares and contrasts, how different
Most nerds and geeks have struggled socially since elementary school, feeling like outcasts and losers. In the literary piece “America Needs Its Nerds” the author, Leonid Fridman, conveys the message that nerds and geeks have a positive impact on society and therefore should be viewed as extraordinary and as valuable as athletes. She believes that nerds are “ostracized”, “social outcasts”, but are also needed for “America to remain a world class powerhouse”. In the school setting, many people that
entertainment to watch strange creatures that are much different from you. The creatures can be seen as being “other”, thus creating a sense of alienation for the nerd and other species. Geek is a word seen as being interchangeable with nerd, while slightly different in meaning and geek has an actual origin. The word geek is derived from the German word gek, the equivalent of a fool. This negative connotation behind nerd was once possibly very harmful in perhaps the 80’s, but the word has since been
from The New York Times entitled, “America Needs its Nerds”, by Leonid Fridman, the author delves deep into the ideas of the constant cruelty displayed towards nerds and geeks. Throughout the article, Fridman utilizes rhetorical questions, colloquialisms and even anecdotes in order to directly respond to the fact that nerds and geeks should be celebrated for their contributions to the advancements in the world instead of criticized for not fitting into society’s expectations. To begin with, the author
names like nerd and geek. Leonid Fridman believes that these anti- intellectual values that pervade our society must be fought and should stop for the sake of America. The author supports this position in the passage “America Needs It’s Nerds” through the use of rhetoric by giving definitions of terms such as geek, offering comparisons through juxtaposition, adding a tone shift, and posing rhetorical questions to the reader. The author begins by giving the definition of a geek and how it has been
The term “gamer” tends to be synonymous with “geek” in many people’s minds. They see gaming as a device that absorbs the majority of the time of the user, leaving them as mindless empty, pale husks with no ambitions other than beating that next boss or shooting the enemy in the face. However, few gamers waste their life away. On the contrary, many of these so-called geeks tend to be more social than the average person, and farther down the technological curve than most. For the truth is that gaming
The Labeling Theory is the view that labels people are given affect their own and others’ perception of them, thus channeling their behavior either into deviance or into conformity. Labels can be positive and/or negative, but I’ll focus on the negative aspects of labeling in high school. Everybody has a label in high school whether it is the “slut”, “pothead”, “freak” or the “jock”; it is one of the most apparent time periods in which individuals get labeled. Students have the mentality that whatever
Dork, dweeb, geek, techie, or trekkie? What is a nerd? Dr. Suess first used the word “nerd” in 1950 it described a “small, unkempt, humanoid creature with a large head and a comically disapproving expression”. Newsweek, just a year later, reported the word beginning to take on a derogatory meaning as someone who is dull, and rigidly conventional. Over the next two decades, the meaning of the word did not improve. In 1971, The Observer called nerds, “people who don't live meaningful lives,” and The
Monday, the one thing even Folgers can’t make better. Things always seem to be hectic on Mondays, the precinct is busy, and the weirdest cases come through for Detective Magaidh. Reflecting upon herself in the mirror this 21 year old female grunts. When did I get old? Is that a wrinkle? Should I even bother with my makeup and hair? She ponders while examining her face in the mirror. You’ve been old Bronte, no that’s not a wrinkle that’s you’re "hung over look", well do you want to scare little children
I am a nerd. Usually people think that means “bookish”, “antisocial”, or “know-it-all”, preferring to label a fact-wielding teenager rather than understand the person beneath the stereotype. My version of a “nerd” is someone who has a true love for learning, who tries to understand everything around her, from Higgs-Boson particles to the Marvel Universe, from oligopolistic game theory to complicated board games. Thus, it should go without saying that the place where I am most content is somewhere
world of geek culture conventions. Between the two of them, the knowledge of the culture was split between the two. Being from a generation where geek culture has had a bigger influence on younger generation for a little over ten
Everyone has their own different interests and hobbies. That is what makes us who we are. Certain hobbies or interests that you have are things that we know just about everything about. You know them so well that you might even consider yourself an expert. Would you classify yourself if as a nerd for that interest or hobby? Wait, before you answer that question, what does is a “nerd” anyways? Nerd is a slang term that is most commonly recognized as, “someone who is considered to be socially awkward
In the United States, “nerds are ostracized while athletes are idolized.” To provide an example: the intellectually gifted are called derogatory names by society, yet fans would not be able to watch their favorite athletes if it wasn’t for the invention of the television by a “nerd.” As the author establishes, “enough is enough.” Writer, Leonid Fridman, in his argumentative essay, “America Needs Its Nerds,” asserts that Americans must eliminate the anti-intellectual values in order to prosper as