The Geekiness of Sue Waters
This tweet caught my eye a little earlier.
Sue Waters has always protested her low geek quotient, and that in fact she is not really a geek. This has been a bit of an ongoing argument with us for a number of years.
In order to establish whether or not she is a geek, we first need to explore what characteristics actually constitute a geek.
Defining the Geek
Wikipedia defines a geek as “a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, gaming, etc.”
Historically geek refers to carnival workers who used to bite the heads off all manner of creepy crawlies including chicken heads (obviously Ozzie Osbourne got his ideas from here!). However we will work with the more contemporary use of the word.
Other working definitions of geek also include
- A derogatory reference to a person obsessed with intellectual pursuits for their own sake, who is also deficient in most other human attributes so as to impair the person’s operation within society.
- A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media. Geeks are adept with computers, and use the term hacker in a positive way, though not all are hackers themselves.
- A person who relates academic subjects to the real world outside of academic studies; for example, using multivariate calculus to determine how they should correctly optimize the dimensions of a pan to bake a cake.
- A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.
- A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest. This definition is very broad but because many of these interests have mainstream endorsement and acceptance, the inclusion of some genres as “geeky” is heavily debated. Persons have been labeled as or chosen to identify as physics geeks, mathematics geeks, engineering geeks, sci-fi geeks, computer geeks, various science geeks, movie and film geeks (cinephile), comic book geeks, theatre geeks, history geeks, music geeks, art geeks, philosophy geeks, literature geeks, historical reenactment geeks and roleplay geeks.
Geek v Nerd on the internet
Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age inappropriate rather than engaging in more social or popular activities. Therefore, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and considered a loner by peers, or will tend to associate with like-minded people.
Nerds typically appear either to lack confidence or to be indifferent or oblivious to the negative perceptions held of them by others, with the result that they become frequent objects of scorn, ridicule, bullying, and social isolation. Some nerds show a pronounced interest in subjects which others tend to find dull or complex and difficult to comprehend, or overly mature for their age, especially topics related to science, mathematics and technology. On the opposite end of the spectrum, nerds may show an interest in activities that are viewed by their peers as immature for their age, such as trading cards, comic books, or role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and other things relating to fantasy and science fiction. They are also stereotyped for being obsessed with Star Trek, Star Wars, and other science fiction shows or movies. Nerds are often portrayed as unfit and either obese or very thin. Nerds are also sometimes portrayed as having symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, such as by showing an extreme devotion to following rules.
This youtube clip has an interesting take on the differences between geeks and nerds as well
There seems to be a fair amount of contradiction then, as to what characteristics actually make a Geek v Nerd. There is a 3rd one too, Dork – although this is bottom of the pecking order and quite an undesirable label from all accounts.
So, is Sue Waters a Geek?
I think there is a strong streak of Geek / Nerd (or is that Gerd or Neek?) running throught Sue Waters.
Take a vote and tell us what you think! Feel free to comment and add your thoughts on what makes a Geek or a Nerd.
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By: jennywood on January 6, 2009 
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