Nerds vs. Geeks

Names matter. They focus the mind, provide clarity and denote intent. Yes, Juliet, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but “Gumbus Weed” would not be nearly as popular on Valentine’s Day. Just ask any advertising executive.

So we come to the etymology of the modern “geek” and “nerd”. These terms seem to be mostly interchangeable in modern American usage. Best Buy’s got its Geek Squad and the NBC show “Chuck” has its ersatz “Nerd Herd”. The term “Geek Out” is common amongst computer-types. I even use it myself (see Kermit Geeks Out). The 80’s movie “Revenge of the Nerds” is a classic account of the intellectually superior but socially underperforming “getting theirs”.

Sure, we know all this. Geeks, nerds, dweebs… why waste a perfectly good blog entry about this? Simply put, I just don’t like “geek”. Call it affectation, call it narcissism (it’s a blog after all), call it a nerd-ly desire for strictly defined terms, but it just sounds “eewy”.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “geek” (see here) as:

1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake

2: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked

3: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity (as in computer geek)

Right, so there we have it. My fellow brethren of the computer bent get lumped in with disliked, creepy poultry decapitators. No wonder it’s tough for kids to convince their parents they want to study computer science – “but honey, what about the salmonella?!?”

The good people at Merriam-Webster define “nerd” (see here) as:

: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person ; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits (as in computer nerds)

Well, that’s still not a glowing description, but at least there isn’t any animal mutilation involved.

This is one of those debates that goes on and on in the nerding/geeking world. You can find a ton of references to this discussion by googling. For a good cultural description of the evolution of “nerd” and “geek”, and why their difference doesn’t matter, go here.

There’s a book on the subject of nerds and why we need more of them. I haven’t read it yet myself, but it’s on the list. Find it here on Amazon.

Nerds are smart, yes. They focus on details, sure. And they are tenacious, and tenacity is what it takes to create something new in a world that fights you every step of the way.

So my vote in this debate is that “nerd” is where I want to be. Just remember, geeks bite the heads off of chickens, nerds change the world.


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