A lot of you who know me have probably heard me ranting the past few years about the difference between nerds and geeks. Often after making a disparaging remark about my nerdish cousins, I would be challenged by a member of my conversational audience to explain my position. I'd make some general comments but would lack proper depth and copp-out by saying there would be a rant on Geekman's World to deal with the subject in the future. Time passed. Now, after much deliberation, I bring you that rant:

The Species of Our Genus

There's a certain subculture within Western society which consists of several distinct sub-groups, often lumped together by outsiders. The broad distinguishing characteristics of this Genus include, but are not limited to the following:

- Above average intelligence
- Interest in science or fantasy genres
- Lessened social capability

(On a side note, let's stamp out a myth right now and assure ourselves that there are no such thing as "sports geeks". This fallacy has been popularized by jocks wishing to fit themselves into our genre due to their obsessively competitive nature. Giving up social activities to train on the track, at the diving board, or on the ski slopes does not make you a geek, it makes you a jock.)

There are plenty of other hallmarks one could assign, but they are numerous and not shared by every member or species of the Genus. To fairly give credit to all the second-tier characteristics of the Genus, a list of traits to numerous to be useful here would have to be compiled. Generally speaking, the Genus breaks down into specific sub-groups which can be more clearly-defined.

Geeks:

Geeks are one of two primary Species in the Genus, being characterized by their above-average IQs and having an interest in science and technology, arts and literature, or both classes of knowledge. They often come from the sub-cultural background which includes, but is not limited to the following: sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, role-playing games and video-games. They are aficionados of the society of Geekism, reveling in every part of the genre and passing judgement on what constitutes quality Geek culture.

Geekism constitutes a social movement which has gained momentum steadily since the rise of the internet, which has allowed people to see that, "Yes, there ARE other people like me out there!" Sites like Think Geek purvey goods to members of the Geek subculture. Geeks have discovered their nature and embraced it. This allows those who are inhibited by the general subculture of the Genus to still be social creatures. Geeks are always trying to seek out other Geeks to interact with. Social and cultural motives are what define people as Geeks.

Nerds:

Nerds are the other primary Species of the Genus. While Geeks develop socially, Nerds develop intellectually. Nerds have great skills in math or science at the expense of their social abilities. Nerds take memorizing the continuity of a sci-fi or fantasy genre to an encyclopedic level, not realizing that the fictional structure of reality only exists to serve the story, and not the other way around.

They are obsessed with systems, be they real or fictional. For the Nerd much time is spent browsing the articles on Slashdot. While a Geek uses computers as tools for creativity, gaming, or communication, for a Nerd the computer is an end unto itself. Nerds are the ones you will find running Linux on their personal computer. The fact that you might have to compile some software and write your own device drivers to get your system working isn't an inconvenience for the Nerd, it's FUN.

Nerds are a lot easier to pick out in a crowd. Because they lack the social abilities of the Geek, they have much more difficulty blending in. Nevertheless, geeks will never attain the intellectual heights that nerds can. Technical and intellectual motives define nerds.

Dorks:

The Species known as Dorks are the lowest form of life in the Genus. Typically, a Dork is a proto-geek or nerd. They lack social skills, and their intelligence has not yet evolved to a level which serves to elevate them in any useful manner. Most of us who are geeks or nerds today started out as dorks and grew into our current role around high school. Regrettably, that is not always the case. Some dorks never develop the social skills necessary to elevate them to geek status, nor the intellect to make useful nerds. Instead, they are shunned by both Species because, let's face it, when you're a geek or nerd, you need someone else to look down on socially.

Dorks like to think of themselves as nerds or geeks, but the truth of the matter is that nobody likes them because they lack any qualities (social or intellectual) which would endear them as either geek or nerd. Sadly, most of them never realize this fact. They're the type of people who spend more than a hundred dollars US on a replica Star Wars lightsaber. They're the type of people who will get into a heated debate on a website forum as to whether the Enterprise-D could take on an Imperial Star Destroyer. They attend sci-fi conventions wearing a less than impressive costumes representing characters with a body type totally incompatible with their own. They're members of the SCA. They secretly harbor the desire to become a Dwarf and slay an entire band of Orcs before returning to the local tavern, drinking ale, and attempting to pick up Elven chicks. They're the smelly, awkward, embarrassing tagalongs who make you ashamed to even be a member of the genus.

In Conclusion:

You can bridge the gap between Geek and Nerd. Applying my own definition strictly, I would fall almost in-between the two primary Species. As for being a Dork, you either are one, or you aren't. Good luck on the test, 'cause this isn't Dorkman's World, boy.

Supporting Material:

• Wikipedia Entry - Wikipedia entry for "Geek".
• Urban Dictionary Entry - Urban Dictionary entry for "Geek".
• Wikipedia Entry - Wikipedia entry for "Nerd".
• Urban Dictionary Entry - Urban Dictionary entry for "Nerd".
• Random Blogger's Article - Geek versus Nerd.
• Penny Arcade - In his newspost, Tycho refers to the fine line that exists between Geek and "full-on dork".