# Are you a "nerd?"



## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 16, 2009)

Do you consider yourself a "nerd" (not necessarily negative!)?

Definition:
1. Often highly intelligent but socially rejected because of their obsession with a given subject/non-social hobby.
2. Person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests rather than engaging in more social or popular activities.


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## Rhyno47 (Dec 16, 2009)

Sounds like more of a Geek to me.


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## Stephanie Logan (Dec 16, 2009)

Jordan, suggesting I am a nerd is a personal attack, plain and simple... and right now I am chuckling because I was going to match your definition with my dictionary definition, only to find that my 1978 Random House paperback dictionary does not list "nerd" as a word!

If that's not laugh-out-loud funny, I don't know what is! I think it would be safe to say that many of us on this forum were bona fide nerds for decades before you were even born!

Nanner, nanner, nanner!


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 16, 2009)

* you don't have to fit the definitions exactly, its more what you consider yourself regardless of what definitions I gave btw


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## Redfoot NERD (Dec 16, 2009)

DoctorCosmonaut said:


> * you don't have to fit the definitions exactly, its more what you consider yourself regardless of what definitions I gave btw



You wrote this song.. now sing it!!!

NERD


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## Jacqui (Dec 16, 2009)

Nopers, but wish I were, because then I could be smart not just lacking in the ability to function sociably.


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## Madkins007 (Dec 16, 2009)

Do we now get to discuss the shades of difference between nerd, dork, and geek? I've been one or more forever, since playing with old computers at high school in the early 70's.


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 16, 2009)

On second thought I should have not included a definition.


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## Luvthemtorts (Dec 16, 2009)

Not a nerd but I am highly intelligent. Pretty durn good looking too LOL!!!!


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 16, 2009)

I regret the highly intelligent part (because I don't know what "highly intelligent" even is... Because some people here are highly knowledged at tort raising... doesn't that count?). I really didn't even want nerd to have any specific meaning. I was more interested in what people consider themselves to be... Should have left it for self interpretation. My survey has failed! lol


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## fhintz (Dec 16, 2009)

Anyone who's arguing the definition of "nerd" probably qualifies as one (and yes, I would belong in that category).


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## Shelly (Dec 16, 2009)

I overheard this conversation between two teens recently....

"Face it dude, we're nerds."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Although technically, I think we're "Gamers""


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## Meg90 (Dec 16, 2009)

I would say yes to that. In highschool I read constantly, mostly fantasy books. When I turned 18 I got JRR Tolkien's sig tattooed on my arm, and now I have a menagerie of over 20 seperate animals. People think I'm a reptile "nerd" but I do prefer the term geek. 

Personally, I would rather be what I am than some cookie cutter abercrombiezombie that loooooves Gossip Girl and smells like sweetpea body spray.


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## Weloveourtortoise (Dec 16, 2009)

We are both happy to say we are nerds or more fondly, Sci Fi Geeks!!!!


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## Kayti (Dec 16, 2009)

Meg90 said:


> Personally, I would rather be what I am than some cookie cutter abercrombiezombie that loooooves Gossip Girl and smells like sweetpea body spray.



Amen to this!


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## Stephanie Logan (Dec 16, 2009)

Jordan, I hope you know I was just being "mock" angry about the nerd label...my son was given a wind-up walking brain by the swim team seniors one year, and only one of my kids is having a "popular" social experience in high school. I have to say I am pleased that the vast majority of kids at Arapahoe high school find a comfortable niche, and this includes several categories of "nerd" (band, science, non-athletic, etc). Nerd is no longer a perjorative term, for the most part! 

I am sorry if I muddied the intention of your thread...it still seems to have elicited some thoughful responses.


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## dmmj (Dec 16, 2009)

I actually fit the geek part, I m not smart but love scifi and tech and stuff like that, so I would have to say no sir I am not a nerd.


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 17, 2009)

Oh not at all Stephanie. I figured you were joking


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## mctlong (Dec 17, 2009)

As Stephanie pointed out, "nerd" does not carry the same social stigma it once did. We travel in pacs now and are not social outcasts. I would define a nerd as a "Person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests," but not necessary at the cost of social activities. Nerdy events such as tech shows, comic books conventions, reptile shows.... they're all social events. 

So out of mom's basement and onto conventions.... 

The definition of "highly intelligent" is also vague and subjective. I'm a nerd because I enjoy learning about obscure topics. I'm not "highly intelligent," I'm just an average person who enjoys intellectual pursuits. I _chose_ to be a nerd because I enjoy being a nerd.


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## Isa (Dec 17, 2009)

Meg90 said:


> Personally, I would rather be what I am than some cookie cutter abercrombiezombie that loooooves Gossip Girl and smells like sweetpea body spray.



You are the best Meg 

It is true that nowadays, the term nerds is not as negative as it used to be. I do not know what is wrong with being a nerd, I think it is nice to be a nerds or a dork. People at work still do not understand why I love the Percy Jackson series (yes it is for the 9 to 12 years old)!


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## Redfoot NERD (Dec 17, 2009)

Again you guys are using words that are not in my dictionary.. so maybe I need to change my moniker?

Sooooooo.. the definition of nerd is in the soul of definer?

NERD


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## alfiethetortoise (Dec 17, 2009)

Interesting topic. I suppose that American Culture is different to the rest of the world (or perhaps a little disssimilar). My oppinion on social crowds in school is that the 'popular' group tend to be mimics of eachother having none of their own beliefs and who would rat eachother off at any oppertunity, the next group tend to be bright and a little more individual, while the last group tend to be really 'into' one thing or another and so are the 'geek' group or whatever. Oh and of course there is the group who sneak off to smoke round the back of the bike sheds, who mostly now all work in asda and have 3 plus kids. Now look who is being steryotypical!

I think since Harry Potter, there has been a fine line between 'cool' and 'geeky' here in England. I started on Potter when i was 15, and at the time (10 years ago) it wasen't that popular. I used to sit by a boy in my English Lit class and we would hypothesise about HP, would go and que up at midnight for the books, and we were constantly saying things like 'if only we had a time turner' or something similar. I guess most people thought we were odd or geeky, but we were both very bright and had a wide circle of friends. As Potter became more followed we eventually just became part of a bigger following.

So i guess it depends on the definition. I am still a Potter geek or whatever you like to call it, but i have other interests (though i did manage to sneak Harry Potter into one of my university dissertations  , which got a 1st) and yes, i am bright. But that doesn't mean that i should fall into this catergory. I think the real question here is how do you measure intelligence on a qualative scale? And if your intelligence is above that of someone else does that put you into a catergory in which you should be defined a geek? And if so, then surely all the greats out there including Einstein, Dawin, Plato, Tolle, Hawking, Freud, Marx (i think you get the idea) are nerds too...


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 17, 2009)

I personally never considered being "really smart" a must for being nerdy (mostly because I hate the idea of gauging intelligence because it is impossible and discriminatory)... I should have paid more attention to the qualifiers in the definitions I posted. I think that Shelly put the definition best.


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## dmmj (Dec 17, 2009)

In recent years I have associated "nerd" usually more with an obsession with something ie: "redfoot nerd" but he could probably be called also redfoot geek.


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 17, 2009)

I think of a geek of being more of a computer guy/gal. Funny how we all interpret this differently.


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## Kadaan (Dec 17, 2009)

I was searching around for definitions and found this test you can take:

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=9935030990046738815

In the results, it says:


> A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
> A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
> A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.




And for the record, my results are: "Joe Normal" 48 % Nerd, 26% Geek, 17% Dork


Although this question made me laugh:
*"Do you have any themed decoration in your home/office other than color/material coordination? (Disney, frogs, unicorns, Star Wars, etc.)"* (if you take a look at my desk at work you'll see why .)


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 17, 2009)

Haha I was a "modern, cool nerd"


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## galvinkaos (Dec 17, 2009)

Redfoot NERD said:


> Again you guys are using words that are not in my dictionary.. so maybe I need to change my moniker?
> 
> Sooooooo.. the definition of nerd is in the soul of definer?
> 
> NERD



No I think it's time to hit the store and update the dictionary.

And yes like beauty, nerdism or dorkism is in the eye of the beholder.
I call my husband a dork almost daily.

Dawna


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## dreadyA (Dec 17, 2009)

Kadaan said:


> Although this question made me laugh:
> *"Do you have any themed decoration in your home/office other than color/material coordination? (Disney, frogs, unicorns, Star Wars, etc.)"* (if you take a look at my desk at work you'll see why .)


I'm more of a soccer geek
Haha. You're lucky.Gaming company? There was a blizzard job openig months ago.I shoulda went.


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## mctlong (Dec 17, 2009)

Kadaan said:


> I was searching around for definitions and found this test you can take:
> 
> http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=9935030990046738815





DoctorCosmonaut said:


> Haha I was a "modern, cool nerd"



Me too!! A modern, cool nerd. LOL! 87 % Nerd, 61% Geek, 26% Dork

This is a fun topic thread. Brings out some interesting answers. 

My bf just took the quiz and he's a "pure nerd".


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## tortoisenerd (Dec 17, 2009)

Yup! Username says it all.


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## Jacqui (Dec 17, 2009)

Hmmm the test says I am a pure nerd....musta cheated or sumthin


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## bikerchicspain (Dec 20, 2009)

Im not sure if im a nerd or not i am very passionater about reptile and tend to bore people when the subject arises and i certainly am not that intelligent but neither am i stupid (well mybe some would argue with that,LOL) ive put nerd anyway in England we call thedm "johnny know it all"


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## DoctorCosmonaut (Dec 20, 2009)

I think if you bore someone with something you are so passionate about--and its something that is more unsual to be so passionate about--you are probably a nerd (or geek depending on the definition)  .. Welcome to the club!


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