Re: [SLUG] OT: Nerds and geeks

[Rachel Polanskis <r.polanskis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 6 Jul 2000, James Wilkinson wrote:

> On Fri, 07 Jul 2000, Cantanker generated:
> 
> >(G)eek is (G)ood
> >(N)erd is (N)ot good. :)
> 
> The funny thing is, in my experience, 'geek' is the derogatory term and
> 'nerd' is the term of praise.  I get called 'nerdy' by my non-computer
> literate friends, and amongst my comp-literate friends we call each
> other 'nerd'.  'Geek', I feel holds negative connotations; it sounds too
> much like 'freak'.
> 
> Nerd is Nice,
> Geek is Grotesque.

There's an old country and western song called "The Pencil Necked Geek".
Don't know how I know this but it's true.  Maybe you can find the lyrics 
on the web.

I think "geek" and "nerd" are probably just 70's and 80's versions of 
"boffin" or "propellor-head" which goes back a long time.  I think 
there's also "wingnuts" which I guess goes back a long way to 
WW2 or something.

One way or another the expressions all represent an archetype of someone 
who doesn't communicate very well, probably has poor social skills 
but has savant-like characteristics that allow them to perform tasks that 
"normal" people do not comprehend.   As nerds or geeks get older, 
they either fail to follow through on the things that sustained them 
through a rough adolescence or they excel in them.  They also get 
a little more confidence and probably have more interesting lives than people 
that follow a herd mentality (the herd or the nerd!).  
 
I read on slashdot that a few so called archetypal nerds actually suffered a 
minor form of autism as children. 

I do not know what the truth is.    I do know that anyone who is "bookish",
doesn't play sports and follows arcane or obscure hobbies and practice 
and who also have few social interests often get tagged as "nerds". 
They also get a hard time from their peers as children.

I guess it doesn't help much if said person also wears glasses which 
is just another stereotype.   It doesn't matter whether the person is 
male or female either.  I personally think that girls get as hard a time 
from their peers as boys do when they are young.  Of course with girls,
the signals of "geekiness" are rather different but they do have a lot 
of similarities.   Anyway, a few glasses of Tyrells makes anyone a 
psychologist so I'll stop now.....


rachel

-- 
Rachel Polanskis                 Kingswood, Greater Western Sydney, Australia 
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