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Nerd Or Geek? Discuss.

Posted at 7:50 AM on December 3, 2010 by Steve Seel (16 Comments)
Filed under: Morning Show

Jill and I just got into a conversation about these words. Are you a nerd, or a geek? If you would call yourself either of these things, do either of the terms come with any sense of ownership or pride, or are they always disparaging? Howabout spaz or dweeb?

Comments (16)

As someone who has taken Theoretical Physics and Differential Equations, I would say that a Geek is a Nerd who is able to function in society.

A Geek can swap out your hard drive or hack into your iPhone.

A Nerd can speak Klingon.

Posted by loran | December 3, 2010 7:55 AM

I have to agree with loran to an extent. I consider myself a Star Wars geek, but I'm a stats nerd. Can you be both in different areas? I can have a conversation about "Han shot first" just fine, but it's a little different when you're trying to talk about linear statistical models based on matrix algebra...

Posted by lisa | December 3, 2010 8:08 AM

I was just thinking about this the other day. A nerd tends to mean a person who is smart, namely book smart, but may not have common sense. While a geek is a person who is knowledgeable about a particular area, but may not be smart about other things (i.e. band geek, drama geek, Star Wars geek, music, etc.). Now there can be an intermingling of the two. For example, I'm book smart, but also a Lord of The Rings geek. In addition, there are many levels of nerdiness and geekiness, and certain parameters. For example, a geek might have a sense of style, whereas a traditional nerd knows nothing about style. Also, a geek can be considered cool, whereas a straight out nerd cannot be. So Steve, I believe you are a geek, and not a nerd!

Michael
St. Paul

Posted by Michael | December 3, 2010 8:16 AM

I was always working under the thought that a nerd is someone who is actually smart and a geek is someone that is just an extreme fanatic of something. I say that I am a music geek all the time with flashes of nerd in my finest moments.

Posted by Adam | December 3, 2010 8:18 AM

I have to agree with Adam- I've always seen nerd as a more smart person term, but you "geek" out over something. As far as the book smart means you have no common sense? Who knows. While I am an excellent speller, know way too much about the Civil War and have read everything F. Scott Fitzgerald has written, I find myself to be a functioning member of society :)
But I also embrace the term nerd with pride- because who doesn't like a label that implies you're smart?

Posted by Kari | December 3, 2010 8:36 AM

I think the difference is what the person is passionate about. Both the geek and nerd are passionate about specific things, but I think the more socially accessible the item is, then it's being a geek (e.g. music). The less socially accessible (e.g. Magic the Gathering) the more nerd you are.

I consider myself both of these (see examples).

Posted by Shane | December 3, 2010 8:39 AM

The way I have always seen the difference is that a nerd is smart, and geeks usually are not. Nerds are good in academics, geeks play D&D.

Posted by Malcolm | December 3, 2010 8:53 AM

Geek to me invokes a bit a pride whereas nerd is condescending and is intended to create a sense of shame. For example, Star Wars geeks often think "Rings" enthusiasts are total nerds. A computer geek will fix your network and then go out and discuss other things with you. Computer nerds sit in their mom's basements and wonder secretly what talking to girls must be like IRL. (in real life)

Side note, Greedo shooting first is a completely week point that George Lucas should have thought a third time about.

Posted by Brad Karels | December 3, 2010 8:57 AM

I have discussed this with my sister a lot and I think that you are a nerd if you are very knowledgeable about a subject and geek is someone who likes something odd a lot. A geek would dress up for an anime convention or a Star Trek convention. A nerd could tell you about every episode of Star Trek. You can be both.

Posted by Kirstin | December 3, 2010 8:58 AM

Spaz is a derogatory term for somebody with cerebral palsy. A condition who's sufferers were once called spastics.

Posted by Dan B | December 3, 2010 8:59 AM

The Geeks Were Right - The Faint

Posted by ken | December 3, 2010 8:59 AM

A geek is a nerd with a social life.

That definition was handed down to me by my computer geek brother who was raised playing Sneakers on an Apple IIe, taught himself programming languages in high school and purchased his wife's engagement ring online.

Posted by Cat | December 3, 2010 9:02 AM

I agree with the commenters delineating a nerd as more academically inclined, and a geek being just a huge fan of something (typically pop culture related).

However, since the subject of dweebs and spazzes was brought up on the air, I contend that a dweeb is a more socially inept nerd and a spaz is a more energetic/zealous geek.

Example: a Star Wars geek is aware of and has an opinion on the "Greedo shot first" issue; a spaz will shout that opinion and argue at length with others about it.

Posted by Nick | December 3, 2010 9:07 AM

Hi guys,

With all the buzz about bullying right now, I think you need to be very careful with this conversation. While I don't consider myself a geek or a nerd, I happen to know and love many who are. And while many of them realize it's "hip to be square", I think there are still many people out there that are less confident in themselves. I'd hate for them to feel ostracized from something as special as the Current. Please just be careful!

Posted by Angela B | December 3, 2010 9:08 AM

I've always thought of a geek as someone who is smart, but also good at something useful. Such as fixing computers. Conversely, a nerd is someone who is obsessive about something that in the big picture doesn't matter, and will argue at length in a socially awkward way about it (Han vs. Greedo, Kirk vs. Picard, etc.)

However, there is a quite humorous video that uses the term geek to define what I consider a nerd. Presenting, The North American Geek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEpLvz9T8PU

Posted by Adam | December 3, 2010 9:30 AM

I think the definitions are more pecific than that. The terms to me seem interchangable when it comes to being a fan or interested in something. Where the breakdown comes is the level at which one is involved in said interest.

So to me the definitions are as follows;

Geek- a fan of something, generally non-mainstream, who participates in non-mainstream activities involved in the fan-dom of such.

Nerd- a fan who devotes more time to the relationships between the various aspects of interest. Someone who understands and is a student of these connections.

Also it should be said that the distinction can be forcibly drawn if said interest doesn't in involove the complicated information that brings one to true nerd-dom.

To borrow a sports metaphor, a geek is an amatuer while a nerd has gone pro.
So as examples;

I'm a Star Wars geek, but a X-Files nerd. I'm a film nerd, but only attain geek status when it comes to Asian martial arts films. I'd like to be a music nerd, but can only claim geek status at best.

This does expand into academics as well. Someone can be a math geek (i.e. enjoys math, its concepts and pratices) or a math nerd (i.e. someone who understands the complex relationships between not only math and it's relationships, but also its history and how it has progressed.)

I expect the book to be available for next Christmas...

Posted by Stephan Stomberg (english nerd) | December 3, 2010 9:31 AM

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