“nerd” vs “geek” vs “dork”
I got thinking about these terms today and decided nothing I’d read realy covered it that well (sorry Wikipedia). They get thrown around a lot and consequently misused. I wanted to toss in my take on the three.
At the one end you have nerds: people I’d describe as “excessively schooled” – in that they’re far smarter than average, they know it, and they revel in it. They might go so far as to enjoy pointing out how much smarter they are and can come off as pompous. That’s not to say all nerds are jerks, some can be quite polite about it. They’re also not the pasty inept clichés you’re accustomed to seeing… in fact they can be quite socially adept. The defining feature of a nerd is their mind.
On the other end you’ve got dorks: people who aren’t necessarily smarter than average though they may think they are, and are defined by their obvious lack of social skills. Be it a lack of hygiene, personality, or any other number of typical unattractive traits, they just aren’t highly sought after friends. Calling someone a dork is pretty universally an insult.
That leaves you on a third end, with geeks: anyone with an unusual interest or two they excel in, even to the point of obsession. They’re typically above average intelligence and often experts in their chosen subjects, often times forgoing other more mainstream ideals in favor of the obscure. There are infinite different kinds of geeks, many whom you wouldn’t even consider. Top chefs and food critics are food geeks, those guys who can name the starting lineup for their favorite NFL team for the last six decades are sports geeks, and the kid you call whenever your internet crashed because he can tell you if it’s your settings that got screwed up or if your 56k modem finally died is a computer geek. Being a geek just means that you’re passionate about something a little off key.
Now, the thing is, very few people are ever just one of these, even fewer fit none at all. It’s kind of a three sided scale. Regrettably I’m about as much of a dork as I am a nerd because of my introverted nature, but my defining trait is solidly geekdom due to my fascination with toys, the internet, science fiction and movies to name a few. Give it a shot and see where you’d fit… but remember, not owning up to your true self will earn you some dork points.
