Nerd or Geek: Which One Are You?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the definitions and distinctions between the terms "nerd" and "geek," exploring personal identities and experiences related to these labels. Participants share their views on whether they identify as nerds, geeks, or neither, and reflect on the social implications of these identities.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reference traditional definitions of "nerd" as being intelligent yet socially awkward, while others challenge or refine these definitions.
  • Several individuals express uncertainty about their own identities, with some claiming to be nerds or geeks based on various criteria, including intelligence and interests.
  • One participant humorously suggests that being a parent has made being a nerd an asset, while another contrasts nerds and geeks based on hygiene and behavior.
  • Some participants assert that they do not identify as nerds due to negative connotations associated with the term.
  • There are differing opinions on whether caffeine dependence is a criterion for being a nerd or a geek.
  • Multiple participants share their percentages from an online quiz to quantify their geekiness, leading to playful banter about the results.
  • Discussions about the term "Renaissance Man/Woman" arise, with some participants debating its appropriateness and meaning in relation to nerds and geeks.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views on the definitions and implications of being a nerd versus a geek. There is no consensus on the distinctions or personal identities, as participants express a range of opinions and experiences.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying interpretations of the terms "nerd" and "geek," and the discussion reflects personal experiences that may not align with traditional definitions. Some statements are based on humor or personal anecdotes, which may not be universally applicable.

  • #31
Ok, I got to say this. You're a geek if you actually took this whole test...it's got like what? 20k questions?
 
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  • #32
Why wouldn't take the whole test,even with 200 questions...?Would you risk severe damage to nerve cells...?:wink:

Daniel.
 
  • #33
I'm a nerd, for sure. In fact, I think the best thing about being a parent is that being a nerd was suddenly an asset. Parents are supposed to be nerds. :approve:

Or maybe I'm just a hick with above average intelligence. Or maybe being a hick with above average intelligence led me down the path to nerd-dom, since being a nerd is lots better than being a hick. :frown:

There's a huge difference between nerds and geeks. Nerds take showers, for one thing. Geeks bite the heads off of live chickens, for another.
 
  • #34
BobG said:
There's a huge difference between nerds and geeks. Nerds take showers, for one thing. Geeks bite the heads off of live chickens, for another.

Hmmm...I suspect there's a difference in meaning depending on where you live. I would have said it's nerds who don't shower and geeks who do. As for biting heads off chickens, I leave that to the lead singers of Metal bands, who are neither geeks nor nerds, they're just strange.
 
  • #35
MMMMMM... live chicken heads...

A message from the Society for the Advancement of Geek Youth (SAGY).

hehe
 
  • #36
38.46%-major geek, but with a little effort I know I can do better.
 
  • #37
Moonbear said:
Hmmm...I suspect there's a difference in meaning depending on where you live. I would have said it's nerds who don't shower and geeks who do. As for biting heads off chickens, I leave that to the lead singers of Metal bands, who are neither geeks nor nerds, they're just strange.

Well, MY meaning is backed by Merriam-Webster's. How about yours? :smile: (I needed 10 characters, not including the quotes - but it didn't say what base, so I decided to play it safe).

Merriam-Webster Online said:
Main Entry: geek
Pronunciation: 'gEk
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from English dialect geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
 
  • #38
Bob G is correct. Carnival geeks are famed for that particular heinous act.
 
  • #39
Math Is Hard said:
Bob G is correct. Carnival geeks are famed for that particular heinous act.


Can you blame us?

Them chickens is yummy.


Mmmmm, chicken. :-p
 
  • #40
I'm a pirate. Argh!
 
  • #41
I am so definitely a nerd, in my own special way. I was like pseudo popular in school, at least, i had pleanty of friends, and i knew about my whole class and they knew me. But i decided that i'd rather hang in the library and read feynman lectures or try to understand quantum theory. I also really enjoyed "the beauty of math" sort of books... but either way, i became totally awkward and caught up in intellectual pursuit, the sheer definition of a nerd. Go me
 
  • #42
Gale17 said:
I am so definitely a nerd, in my own special way. I was like pseudo popular in school, at least, i had pleanty of friends, and i knew about my whole class and they knew me. But i decided that i'd rather hang in the library and read feynman lectures or try to understand quantum theory. I also really enjoyed "the beauty of math" sort of books... but either way, i became totally awkward and caught up in intellectual pursuit, the sheer definition of a nerd. Go me

Same here... but I am not even psuedo-popular... hardly have any friends (only 1 or 2) and I hardly know the names of half of the people in my class, and the ones I do know I shrug off. As for the libraries and QT thing, yeah I do a lot of that :biggrin:. Its gotten to the point where intellectual pursuit is all that I do in my spare time, at least the stuff that I can figure out from the college textbooks at the local university.

It sucks that there aren't more people who have the same mindset as my own, it gets real lonely sometimes. Even my classmates who are also in the top of the class aren't much for conversation, anything I bring up intellectually doesn't work, and it seems like most of their conversations are extremely banal and lacking direction. For instance, whenever I try to elaborate by bringing up calculus, physics, or humor of both, I get a lackluster and unsatisfactory response. I usually end up eating lunch alone or without saying a word.
 
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  • #43
Physics_wiz said:
Ok, I got to say this. You're a geek if you actually took this whole test...it's got like what? 20k questions?
Your kidding right? Oh come on... look, for all you lot who are still in denial, I'm going to show you something.
Now, I know it'll be really hard for you to take, but try to be understanding.
..
..
..
..
Ready for it?
..
..
Ok
Look up at the top of your screen, it's blue and white with letters all over.
Physics Help and Math Help - Physics Forums -
 
  • #44
motai said:
Same here... but I am not even psuedo-popular... hardly have any friends (only 1 or 2) and I hardly know the names of half of the people in my class, and the ones I do know I shrug off. As for the libraries and QT thing, yeah I do a lot of that :biggrin:. Its gotten to the point where intellectual pursuit is all that I do in my spare time, at least the stuff that I can figure out from the college textbooks at the local university.

It sucks that there aren't more people who have the same mindset as my own, it gets real lonely sometimes. Even my classmates who are also in the top of the class aren't much for conversation, anything I bring up intellectually doesn't work, and it seems like most of their conversations are extremely banal and lacking direction. For instance, whenever I try to elaborate by bringing up calculus, physics, or humor of both, I get a lackluster and unsatisfactory response. I usually end up eating lunch alone or without saying a word.

You're a man after my own heart motai.

I feel your pain.
 
  • #45
Smurf said:
Your kidding right? Oh come on... look, for all you lot who are still in denial, I'm going to show you something.
Now, I know it'll be really hard for you to take, but try to be understanding.
..
..
..
..
Ready for it?
..
..
Ok
Look up at the top of your screen, it's blue and white with letters all over.

:smile: Yep, it's geek and nerd central here. The question isn't "Are you a geek or a nerd?" It's, "Which are you, a geek or a nerd?" :smile:

I opt for being a geek. Do I really have to bite the heads off chickens though, or can I just cut their heads off? I guess the vegetarians have to be nerds. :biggrin:
 
  • #46
I liked Entropy's idea. I want to be a pirate! That's way more fun than being a geek or a nerd.
ARRGGGHH MATEYS!
 
  • #47
Math Is Hard said:
I want to be a pirate!
ARRGGGHH MATEYS!

Ah ha...I see the quest to "experience sin" has been taken to the next level... :devil:

Sister MIH, aka "Nobeard"...scourge of the seven seas!...
 
  • #48
cepheid said:
Ah ha...I see the quest to "experience sin" has been taken to the next level... :devil:

Sister MIH, aka "Nobeard"...scourge of the seven seas!...


More like scourge of the seven sailors :wink:
 
  • #49
unfortunately, I only scored a 23 on the pirate test ("pirate-ish tendencies"). *sigh*
 
  • #50
Why would u say that...?23 is FAR better than 7:wink:...On any scale...(except Mercali & Richter :-p)...

Daniel.
 
  • #51
Math Is Hard said:
unfortunately, I only scored a 23 on the pirate test ("pirate-ish tendencies"). *sigh*
That doesn't even make you scourge of your bathtub.
 
  • #52
Artman said:
That doesn't even make you scourge of your bathtub.
yarrhh...right he is! *sigh* :frown:
 
  • #53
Math Is Hard said:
yarrhh...right he is! *sigh* :frown:


Sorry, you're a failure.


Where's the pirate test?
 
  • #54
I got 18.3% despite being on track for a top degree in Physics...where am I going wrong?
 
  • #55
Cut computer knowledge/involvement from the list and u'll drop to <10% which is better than 18%...

Daniel.
 
  • #56
dextercioby said:
Cut computer knowledge/involvement from the list and u'll drop to <10% which is better than 18%...

Daniel.

^I thought he was aiming for a higher score! :smile:
 
  • #57
dextercioby said:
Cut computer knowledge/involvement from the list and u'll drop to <10% which is better than 18%...

Daniel.


You can't be a good physicist if you're not good with computers. Sorry, doesn't work.
 
  • #58
cepheid said:
^I thought he was aiming for a higher score! :smile:

I'm angry, motai beat me, i only got 40.83%, I'm going to have to work on that.
 
  • #59
42.80079% this time. It's been at roughly 41-43% over the last year. (Do I get extra points for doing the test multiple times a year? :biggrin:)
 
  • #60
abhishek said:
42.80079% this time. It's been at roughly 41-43% over the last year. (Do I get extra points for doing the test multiple times a year? :biggrin:)
1) Dag nabbit, that's two people. I'm going to have to go brush up on my Star Trek now.

2) Of course.
 

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