I think I realized that a dork was the untouchable of the geek caste system, but the subtle differences in status between geek and nerd are beyond me. Militant Geek explains that geeks are in fact superior to nerds, and provides a handy table for spotting the one type from the other. Disagree? The comments are open.
The difference between a geek and a nerd
I think I realized that a dork was the untouchable of the geek caste system, but the subtle differences in status between geek and nerd are beyond me. Militant Geek explains that geeks are in fact superior to nerds, and provides a handy table for spotting the one type from the other. Disagree? The comments are open.
9:40 AM on Fri Dec 22 2006
By Nick Denton
1,912 views
6 comments












Comments
Dorks take screengrabs of html tables. (j/k)
There is a quiz to identify which one you are. I think the table above has nerd and geek switched. Dorks are socially awkward, geeks are obsessed with the arcane things they love, nerds are just good at what they do (which usually involves the brain).
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=99350309900467388...
They seem to be implying that geeks are actually techies, while nerds are just high-functioning participants in nerd culture (i.e sci-fi, D&D).
My take of how the terms are generally used in conversation is that a geek is someone who is really interested to the point of obession about one subject, a nerd is someone who is likes to learn stuff (esp. science/tech stuff and ancillary cultural ephemera) for its own sake, and a dork is someone who is socially awkward. The categories are not mutually exclusive.
To paraphrase Fear of the Black Hat:
"A nerd, well, a nerd has sex with everybody, but a geek, a geek has sex with everybody but you."
I think there's an easier way to separate the group.
Geek - tech smart, socially adept
Nerd - tech smart, socially inept
Dork - tech inept, socially inept
Anyone want to take a crack at what dweeb means?
Bluetooth? Tech smart? In the same sentence? Seriosly?!
Dweeb - the person that came up with that list.
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