People who get offended by not being included in parties, or teams or boy's nights out or mis-categorized as Nerd vs Geek are certainly neither Geek nor Nerd. Sorry. a need to be included in anything disqualifies you as a nerd or a geek. You are most likely a failed jock, a failed burn-out or a failed princess.

 

You are most likely a failed jock, a failed burn-out or a failed princess.

Failed princess here. I never got a tiara so now I debate with nerds and geeks online.

 

Well, in that case I better weigh in!

I consider geek a compliment and nerd a putdown. I never thought of geek as having the connotation of social ineptitude like nerd does.

Bob

I agree with Nsaspook. I have been called, and have considered myself a "Geek" ever since my mid teens. That's about 60 years in all! I would be deeply offended if I was accused of being a "Nerd". I think Max definedned them both pretty accurately.

Well gentlemen (geeks, I suppose) I think that I must have spent my whole life in some sort of isolated bubble where nerd = good and geek = bad. I only ever had confirmation of this and never anything to challenge it. This is rather hard for me to admit as it actually meant something to me, but I wasn't right. I won't say I was wrong as there are loads of people who see it my way, but I spoke with too much authority on something I apparently didn't know enough about. I've done enough reading now on the should-be-insignificant topic of nerd vs. geek that I am more leaning your direction.

I do think there is a generational element to it though. If one were to do a national poll and sort by age, I think younger people would favor nerd while older people would favor geek.

But seriously, who doesn't know the difference between a nerd and a geek?

Me, apparently!

 

It might very well be regional.

Bob

 

Well, in that case I better weigh in!

I consider geek a compliment and nerd a putdown. I never thought of geek as having the connotation of social ineptitude like nerd does.

Bob

You may advance to the next level.

 

https://www.wired.com/2012/03/mr-linux/
The license plate on Linus Torvalds' Mercedes SLK convertible says it all.

 

I have yet to bite the head off of any chickens... I did get pecked in the eye by one much to the astonishment and amusement of the emergency room staff and the ophthalmologist I was sent to for my torn cornea. Does that count?

 

I have yet to bite the head off of any chickens... I did get pecked in the eye by one much to the astonishment and amusement of the emergency room staff and the ophthalmologist I was sent to for my torn cornea. Does that count?

"It might very well be regional."
+1

 

Oxford English Dictionary has the definitions almost identical but considers "geek" to be "depreciative" but "nerd" only to be "mildly derogatory".
Interesting to note that the origin of "geek" is Northern English, which means it probably went to America with the Pilgrim Fathers, then went out of use here, only to return in its more modern meaning, and be though of as an American word.

geek, n.

Forms: 1800s– geek, 1900s geke (rare).
Frequency (in current use): Show frequency band information
Origin: Of uncertain origin.
Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps originally a variant of geck n.1... (Show More)
1. slang (chiefly U.S.).
Categories »

a. Originally English regional (northern). A person, a fellow, esp. one who is regarded as foolish, offensive, worthless, etc.
1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby Gawk, Geek, Gowk or Gowky, a fool; a person uncultivated; a dupe.
1908 H. C. Fisher in San Francisco Examiner 28 Apr. 13 (comic strip) A geek who spends his spare time making Czar removers was slammed into the city cooler.
1916 Wells Fargo Messenger Oct. 29/2 A new Wells agent struck our town the other week, and say—you never saw a more enthusiastic geek!
1951 N. Algren Chicago (2001) v. 59 The jungle hiders come softly forth: geeks and gargoyles, old blown winos, sour stewbums and grinning ginsoaks.
1971 H. S. Thompson Let. 1 June in Fear & Loathing in Amer. (2000) 393 The Aspen zip code is 81611. These hamwit geeks go crazy when they get something addressed to two different postal areas.
1986 C. Matheson & E. Solomon Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (film script, 5th draft) (O.E.D. Archive) 86 Freud. (to the girls) Hi, I'm Sigmund Freud. The girls giggle some more. Freud. (stroking his goatee) You both seem to be suffering from a mild form of hysteria. Girl #1. (to Freud) You geek.
2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents 173 The Elbow's heaving with bimboids and geeks who work in banks and stuff.
(Hide quotations)

Thesaurus »
Categories »

b. Frequently depreciative. An overly diligent, unsociable student; any unsociable person obsessively devoted to a particular pursuit (usually specified in a preceding attributive noun). Cf. nerd n.
1957 J. Kerouac Let. 1 Oct. in Sel. Lett. 1957–69 (1999) 66 Unbelievable number of events almost impossible to remember, including..Brooklyn College wanted me to lecture to eager students and big geek questions to answer.
1980 E. A. Folb Runnin' down some Lines 239 Geek, studious person.
1991 S. J. Gould Bully for Brontosaurus vi. 96 Any kid with a passionate interest in science was a wonk, a square, a dweeb, a doofus, or a geek.
1992 Sports Illustr. 14 Dec. 38/1 The article is a nine-page compilation of photos, diagrams and written arcana, which only a football geek could love.
2001 Heat 17 Nov. 83/1 The acerbic Enid starts hanging out with the middle-aged record-collecting geek Seymour.
(Hide quotations)

Thesaurus »
Categories »

c. spec. A person who is extremely devoted to and knowledgeable about computers or related technology.In this sense, esp. when as a self-designation, not necessarily depreciative.
1983 Re: Temporary file names in net.misc (Usenet newsgroup) 16 Feb. I eschew the use of ‘foo’ ‘bar’ and other dill-beak geek dull unimaginative temporary filenames!
1984 Bye in net.jokes (Usenet newsgroup) 20 Feb. I was a lonely young computer geek With a program due 'most every week.
1989 C. Stoll Cuckoo's Egg xlvi. 242 Why are you trying to catch some poor computer geek who's just fooling around?
1993 R. Rucker et al. Mondo 2000 (U.K. ed.) 122/1 Geek is the proud, insider term for nerd. If you are not a dedicated techie, don't use this word.
2001 Independent 4 June ii. 9/1 We're the nerds, the geeks, the dweebs: the men and women who can spend 20 hours straight contemplating 600 bytes of obscure, arcane, impenetrable computer code.

nerd, n.
Forms: 1900s– gnurd, 1900s– nard, 1900s– nerd, 1900s– nurd.
Frequency (in current use): Show frequency band information
Origin: Of uncertain origin.
Etymology: Origin uncertain and disputed (see below).... (Show More)
slang (originally U.S.). Mildly derogatory.
Thesaurus »
Categories »

An insignificant, foolish, or socially inept person; a person who is boringly conventional or studious. Now also: spec. a person who pursues an unfashionable or highly technical interest with obsessive or exclusive dedication.
1951 Newsweek 8 Oct. 28 In Detroit, someone who once would be called a drip or a square is now, regrettably, a nerd.
1957 Sunday Mail (Glasgow) 10 Feb. 11 Nerd—a square.
1971 Observer 23 May 36/3 Nerds are people who don't live meaningful lives.
1983 Truck & Bus Transportation July 129/1 When loose-brained nurds crack up the top arrangements of a man o' my calibre, I got no union t' thump them nurds with.
1993 Sci. Amer. Apr. 96/1 ‘Nerd’..is movie shorthand for scientists, engineers and assorted technical types who play chess, perhaps, or the violin.
2002 Chicago Tribune 20 Jan. iv. 7/1 Among Silicon Valley nerds, chip engineers..are the geekiest of all.

 

In in this world,by ignoring scientism,one thing remains in power equations that is ...capitalism.
so, which one'd make more wealth for capitalist?! :/

 

What's in a name?
I remeber when Sam Malone got offended when someone called him a Droit!

 

From a few years back but likely still pretty accurate.

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/geeks-jocks-geeks-winning-war-public-opinion/story?id=13684761

Fifty-seven percent of Americans believe being called a geek is a compliment.

"People have gone from the vision of the movies 'Revenge of the Nerds' and that was what geeks would be associated with being, to Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, considered pretty cool people," said Jack Cullen, president of Modis, a provider of information technology staffing. "I point a lot of it towards the coolness of Apple and what they've done to bring everybody into the forefront of the digital world."

The survey also reveals that Americans closely associate the word "geek" with positive attributes such as intelligence and an expertise in technology.

But whatever you do, don't get geeks and nerds confused. The survey showed that people do not see the words synonymously. Self-identified geeks make up 17 percent of Americans and 87 percent of those who self-identified as a geek prefer the term over nerd.

"Being geek signifies intelligence and coolness," Cullen told ABC News. "In the old days it always stood for intelligence, but intelligence wasn't always that important and I think there's also a different level here of intelligence. The expectation isn't that your this Mensa. The expectation is that you understand, embrace and use technology everyday.

 

From now on I'll just identify as an autodidactic polymath.

 

From now on I'll just identify as an autodidactic polymath.

I think there's a skin cream for that condition.

 

Not to disrupt this conversation ... but I've never been called a geek (nor a nerd) before ... although I consider both terms to be sorta "tough love" compliments ... I used to be called, however, "computer freak" by a former boss of mine ... not that I cared too much about said term either

 

Not to disrupt this conversation ... but I've never been called a geek (nor a nerd) before ... although I consider both terms to be sorta "tough love" compliments ... I used to be called, however, "computer freak" by a former boss of mine ... not that I cared too much about said term either

Doesn't that roughly translate to enthusiastic?

 

And knowledgeable!

 

Doesn't that roughly translate to enthusiastic?

"freak" is related to "enthusiastic"? ... first time I've heard such relation between those words ... I've always thought "freak" to apply more to people that are somewhat disconnected from reality... a weirdo or eccentric of sorts

 

"freak" is related to "enthusiastic"? ... first time I've heard such relation between those words ... I've always thought "freak" to apply more to people that are somewhat disconnected from reality... a weirdo or eccentric of sorts

The term computer 'freak' (slang) IMO means computer 'fanatic'. "a person who is extremely enthusiastic about and devoted to some interest or activity"

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english-thesaurus/freak

1 (noun) in the sense of enthusiast
Definition
a person who is very enthusiastic about something specified
(informal)
He's a self-confessed computer freak.

 

Then there is "Get yer Freak ON!" But let's not go there...