Geek, Nerd, Dork: Which is Good? Which is Bad?
By E. Christopher Clark | Monday, August 11, 2008
I’ve always found the word “geek” to be a term of endearment. A geek, to me, is someone who is passionate about something, to the point of ridiculousness, and who is totally willing to admit that. A “nerd,” to me, always signified someone who was a geek but tried to deny it. And a “dork” was just somebody who did something silly or stupid. You were only ever temporarily a “dork.”
But, this isn’t about me. This is about you! Tell the world, in the comments below, what the words geek, nerd, and dork mean to you.
Comments On This Article
John Herman says:
I agree with your assessment! If you call me a dork, then you better back it up. I certainly don’t mind being a geek or even a nerd.
ChrisClark says:
@John - I keep reading this and imagining John Herman “putting up his dukes,” so to speak, getting ready to throw down with someone who’s called him a dork. It’s a pretty funny image.
Still, people don’t give us geeks enough credit when it comes to fighting ability. We may not look dangerous, but call us dorks and we definitely can be.
Beth the Bassist says:
I think of “geeky” as sort of endearing but being a “geek” (well, without “beer” in front of it) to be negative. I’d rather be geeky than a geek. I am a Beer Geek. Nerd is negative, as is nerdy. A dork lacks any kind of social skills but it’s okay to be dorky...I’m okay with having most of these as temporarily or as traits, but not as defining who I am, I suppose.
ChrisClark says:
@Beth the Bassist - good point about “geeky” vs. “geek”. I still don’t think of geek as being negative, myself. But I totally see your point.
Andy978 says:
Dork - lovable goofball.
Geek - lovable goofball with strange obsessions.
Nerd - less loveable goofball with really strange obsessions and no social skills.
ChrisClark says:
Andy, I think I like your definitions best of all. They pretty much capture the essence of the issue for me. All three are goofballs. It’s just the nature of a particular goofball’s obsessions that further define him as a geek or a nerd. Good answer, sir!
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