Over the past six
months or so I have come across some alarmingly heated discussions
about 'real' nerds and 'fake' nerds. Being a nerd or a geek used to
be something to be ashamed of, at least it seemed to be when I was
younger, if television and my personal experience was anything to go
by. But over time something wonderful happened; it became first okay,
then acceptable, and then cool, to be a nerd and to express it
openly, especially on the internet, but eventually in public too. It
was a time of liberation, of freedom of expression for the things one
holds close to their heart but previously felt too embarrassed to
admit it.
Nobody has the
authority to judge who is a real nerd and who is not, just as nobody
has the authority to judge who is a real person. This is the
simple truth of the matter; there is no scale, no meter, no true way
to measure what makes a nerd 'true' or 'fake'. This is because there
is no such thing as a geek or a nerd. At least, I don't think there
is, not anymore. I would say there is no longer any definition of
'nerd' or 'geek', but really, there never was a wholly undisputed
definition at all. Wikipedia defines a nerd as:
a person [who is] intellectual, obsessive, or socially impaired. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, obscure, or non-mainstream activities, [...] generally either highly technical or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy [...] many nerds are described as being shy, quirky, and unattractive, and may have difficulty participating in, or even following, sports.1
And it defines geeks
as:
odd or non-mainstream people, with different connotations ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a person heavily interested in a hobby", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to be overly intellectual".2
TV Tropes defines a
nerd as:
someone who... actually, it is easier to describe a nerd as what they are not. Not smooth, not handsome, and not [...] 'attractive'. Not, above all else, popular outside a very narrow grouping of fellow-nerds3
And
it cannot define geek, instead giving
us the original meaning of the word:
an old Carny term for a species of sideshow performer: a specialist in the art of eating disgusting things [...] Biting off the heads of live chickens was the classic play.4
Oxford
Dictionaries Online defines a nerd as:
[1] a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious
[2] a single-minded expert in a particular technical field5
And
it defines a geek as:
[1] an unfashionable or socially inept person.
[2] [usually with modifier] a knowledgeable and obsessive enthusiast6
While the Oxford
Essential English Dictionary (the only non-digital dictionary to
hand) has no definition of 'nerd' or 'geek' at all, which only helps
to further illustrate the point. Although the definitions are all
different, certain words and phrases keep coming up when defining
both nerds and geeks: 'intellectual', 'obsessive', 'non-mainstream',
'unlikeable', 'socially inept', 'specialist'. This all makes for a
very vague concept. By this combined definition you could use the
word 'nerd' to describe almost anybody. Suppose a man watches a lot
of football. He will stay at home or record every game his team
plays, and will become violently angry should one spoil the game by
telling him the score. He follows specific players, knows how many
goals they scored last year, and has very strong opinions about how
his team is managed. He might be called a football fan, or one may be
so bold as to use the word fanatic, but most would not consider him a
nerd, despite the fact that the only thing separating him from nerds
in the traditional sense is the object of his obsession.
So
tradition plays a big role in what one considers a 'true' nerd.
However this argument falls flat, because
if someone wears a T-shirt without knowing anything about the fandom
said T-shirt is referencing, they are still technically a 'nerd' in
the traditional sense providing they are socially inept, intelligent,
or some kind of specialist. Then, consider
the word that came up for both 'nerd' and 'geek': 'non-mainstream'.
With the dramatic rise in superhero movies based on comics, the
insanely popular sitcom The
Big Bang Theory, and
the Star Wars
films being almost universally adored, can one really call comics,
science fiction, and fantasy non-mainstream? Now, in the twenty-first
century, the non-mainstream has become the mainstream. So by these
traditional definitions of 'geek' and 'nerd' everybody is a geek, and
at the same time, nobody is. Nobody is a 'fake' nerd because there is
no such thing as a 'true' nerd anymore. Is this not an exciting time?
Society is beginning to see a more varied mainstream, filled to
bursting with intellectual comedy, guilty pleasures, comics and comic
adaptations, science fiction, fantasy, and many more varied and
bizarre forms of entertainment. When a person enjoys something it is
no longer a source of shame, because you
know that no matter how dreadful or 'specialised' it is there will be
throngs of fans posting gifs of it on Tumblr for evermore.
It is liberating and exhilarating to be able to stand up and declare
one's love for something without feeling embarrassed or fearful of
judgement.
With
any luck, those out there who declare themselves 'true' nerds will
cease their judgement of others, as they are no more true in their
nerdiness than anybody else. Everybody is simply a person, with their
own special interests and obsessions, in a world that is beginning to
accept them for it, and that is beautiful. That's
my take on it, anyway.
1
Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerd>
[accessed 15th November 2012]
2
Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek>
[accessed 15th November 2012]
3
TV Tropes
<http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Nerd> [accessed
15th November 2012]
4
TV Tropes
<http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Geek> [accessed
15th November 2012]
5
Oxford Dictionaries
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/nerd?q=nerd>
[accessed 15th November 2012]
6
Oxford Dictionaries
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/geek?q=geek>
[accessed 15th November 2012]
