What do we mean by nerd?
There’s same ambiguity, I’m sure you’ll agree, in the application of the term in this diverse and culturally mashed-up era. The word is slung around like corn in a chicken pen, with little discipline applied to its application. We see this on television, in social media memes, and in our day-to-day experience.
From where does this ambiguity arise? A number of places, but primarily from the practice of using the terms nerd, geek, and dork more or less interchangeably. Well, let’s address that one right up front, and spare ourselves a lot of confusion.
Turning to Wikipedia,
Nerd: A person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract or relating to topics of science fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being shy, quirky, pedantic, and unattractive.
Geek: A slang term used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a generally pejorative meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, boring, or socially awkward". In the 21st century, it was reclaimed rand used by many people, especially members of some fandom, as a positive term.
Dork: A quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends. Often confused with nerd and geek, but does not imply the same level of intelligence.
Razib Khan of Discover magazine offers another take:
“A nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.”
As we can plainly see, the distinctions are taking us into nuance: there is, after all, considerable overlap, which Khan seeks to dispel - but we all know it’s not that easy. Dorks have difficulty with common social interactions, but so do nerds; geeks are passionate about particular subjects, but – again – so are nerds. We need more clarity still, so let’s turn to...
The Internet!
This popular meme sheds some light:
Okay, this is fair, more or less. It stresses that the three types are cognitively distinct, not just behaviorally. That cognitive component is certainly important: geeks, nerds and dorks all think differently, and understanding this is essential.
But the definitions above are too narrow, don’t you think? Nerds are not great fixers, as a rule, but most creators – of art and music and all manner of invention – are nerds. Nerds are not just understanders and collectors, they are creators. And dorks? They may not know very much or schmooze with real distinction, but they can collect as well as any nerd: know anybody who’s into rare coins and stamps? Don’t they qualify as dork?
And do geek, nerd, and dork really form a hierarchy? Certainly different; but are geeks above nerds, and nerds above dorks? It seems that each serves an essential purpose in human society, and we can’t do without any of the three.
More from the Internet:
Now we're getting somewhere!
Per this illustration, a geek is a person who is intelligent and obsessive, but not socially inept; a dork is a person who is obsessive and socially inept, but not particularly intelligent.
Only a nerd is all three: intelligent, obsessive, and socially inept. (There’s the additional designation of dweeb given here, of course – someone who is intelligent and socially inept, but not obsessive – but I think we can rule such people out as simply dull.)
And still more from the Internet! The chart below brings a touch of color and texture to our distinctions. We can easily peruse these columns and think of people we know:
Where are we headed with all this?
We’re seeking to build a case for folks like you and me, my fellow nerds, to choose to perpetuate our glorious attributes in our offspring. We want to assure ourselves that we’re on the best possible footing as we mold the young nerds of tomorrow!
To that end, let’s think about the company kept within each group.
In the geek bucket, we can place persons who are intelligent and obsessive, but socially proficient. Such people tend to be charming, inspiring, ingenious – think Steve Jobs, Elon Musk.
In the dork bucket, we see people who are socially inept and obsessive, but not very bright. Such people are amusing, but don’t contribute much – and invariably convince themselves they are much smarter than the evidence suggests. Dwight Shrute on The Office. Stephen Colbert, in character on his old show The Colbert Report.
But in the nerd bucket – wow. This is a list you want to be on!
Hawking.
Einstein.
Da Vinci.
Sean Connery.
Egon in Ghostbusters.
Hermione in Harry Potter.
Tina Fey.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
Rosario Dawson.
John Krasinski.
Colin Firth.
Jimmy Fallon.
Almost the entire cast of The Big Bang Theory.
Spock!
The point is as clear as a mountain stream: there is great merit in being a nerd, and we are able to articulate with great precision what makes a nerd. As we move forward into our grand nerd-rearing adventure, we have a clear understanding of our parameters.
We are seeking to raise our child to be as intelligent, obsessive, and socially inept as humanly possible...
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