The list of blog posts I want to write is getting longer and longer, and the free time I have to write them seems to be getting shorter and shorter. But since I don’t want to disappoint my avid *cough* fans, here’s a quick diagram (courtesy of Neatorama) to explain the difference between a geek and a nerd. Just in case you needed the clarification.
Jo Eberhardt is a writer of speculative fiction, mother to two adorable boys, and lover of words and stories. She lives in rural Queensland, Australia, and spends her non-writing time worrying that the neighbour's cows will one day succeed in sneaking into her yard and eating everything in her vegie garden.
This is perfect! I love it. Made me smile when all I seem to have the energy for today is frowning! Well done and thank you Jo.
You’re very welcome. 🙂 It made me smile too, so I felt the need to share.
You’re very welcome. 🙂 It made me smile too, so I felt the need to share.
hey Jo,
has someone been picking on you?
don’t let them drag you down.
I don’t want to be geek or nerd but we are what we are
(in my case very talented, very sporty very beautiful .. . in my dreams)
Nah, no one’s been picking on me. At least, not recently. I’m just a bit over-sensitive because I *was* picked on throughout school, from the age of 8 until I was 18, and one of the most common names people called me was “nerd”. These days, I’ve embraced my geekiness, and I love it. But when someone knows that I’m happy to be called a ‘geek’ and calls me a ‘nerd’ as though the words are interchangeable, it hits all those old wounds. Plus, I’m quite socially ept, thankyouverymuch.
I’m a nerd.
Good for you. Embrace your nerdiness. 🙂
(But I bet you’d get cringe-factor if someone called you a dweeb because they figured the words meant the same ting.)
I think I might be a dweeb. That can’t be good…
Haha. I seriously can’t imagine anyone has ever thought you were spcially inept… Maybe you’re just intelligent, and don’t fit into this diagram?
Hmm. I generally use the words “geek” and “nerd” interchangeably – in reference to myself. But I never refer to myself as a dork. For whatever reason, Geek and Nerd seem to me to be reclaimable terms – in the sense that I can be proud of that self-identification – but Dork is irredeemably pejorative.
Yeah, I don’t think there’s a lot that seems pleasant about being called a dork. But then, I know people who refer to themselves as dorks and are quite happy with it. I’ve always had the sense that the difference between a geek and a nerd is that a geek is happy in social situations, whereas a nerd prefers to sit behind a computer and avoid social interaction. But like I said earlier, I’m also scarred from being teased mercilessly for 10 years, so my opinion on this should come with a truckload of salt. 🙂
I’m not sure exactly where I fall on this diagram, but I’m saving it for future reference. Thanks for making me smile.
You’re welcome.Especially since your “(semi) professional geek” post inspired this one. 🙂
I’m a nerd. My husband’s a geek.