Monday, July 19, 2010

A short conversation about the difference between geeks and nerds

"Hey, what's up, Nerd? What kind of Nerd-tastic activities are you into today?"

"Okay, I know my fascination with gadgets and technology is somewhat obsessive and in today's society, certain terms that used to be considered insults or slurs towards people like me are now embraced affectionately as terms of endearment. I'm fine with that. But as I keep telling you, I'm a Geek. Get it right. Not a Nerd, a Geek. Got it?"

"Same thing, Nerd."

"No, they are not the same thing. In fact, I have a Venn Diagram that will illustrate the difference for you. Once and for all, hopefully."

"Oh, this ought to be good.""Now, as you can see, the graph represents three basic elements: Intelligence, Obsession and Social Ineptitude. At the intersection of Intelligence and Obsession is where you find Geeks, like me. In order to be labeled a Nerd, you would also have to add Social Ineptitude. I am not socially inept. Therefor, I am a Geek, not a Nerd."

"Okay, I see now..."

"Good. Thank you."

"...that I've been right all along. Because if possessing a Venn Diagram that illustrates how you are not a Nerd isn't the most socially inept behavior imaginable, then actually whipping it out to show people clearly is. Thank you for proving that beyond a shadow of any reasonable doubt for me, you Ultra-Nerd."

1 comment:

C Bailey said...

I don't know. I think we need more data and possibly a testing method to determine A, B, and C in ratio.

I have a neighbor who shows very little of any of those three characteristics, but I call him all four of the those names all the time. Is that wrong? No, it can't be.