Geek, Nerd or Dork?
As far as I am concerned, there is a HUGE difference between what it means to be a Geek, a Nerd, and a Dork.
A Geek is a person who is way, totally, over-the-top, into something. You can be a Star Trek Geek (who isn’t?) or a Mac Geek or a Viking Quest Geek. (or an Entourage Geek. What?) Even maybe a G1 Geek, I suppose. But if you’ve only had said G1 for a week or so, then you’re not quite Geek, but more like, being geeky. Anyway. I’m pretty sure there is some other meaning to the term ‘Geek’, something about the circus freaks of lore, (ha! I said ‘lore‘.) but mostly, I think a Geek is a Geek is a Geek. So it has been, so it shall be… or some such crap.
Conversely, a Nerd used to be a person who was way, way too smart. The Nerd was an individual with black glasses held together in the middle with scotch tape, a pocket protector, no less than three calculators and a compass. The Nerd was thin, sallow, and unattractive. They enjoyed playing with these ridiculous contraptions called computers, and spoke a total different language. DOS, programming, mother board. Phhthththtpt. NEERRRRDDDSS! (OK, whatever, if you saw that frigging movie, you are TOTALLY hearing it in your head right now. If you aren’t, well… move along then.)
Sometime around the nineties, maybe earlier (I don’t know, I missed it), the Nerd stopped being the butt of jokes, and became a freaking status symbol. Nerds were cool. Nerds ARE cool. They know SHIT about freaking COMPUTERS and stuff. And! they’ve been doing it for YEARS, this blogging thing and computer thing and they are SO. FREAKING. COOL. Nerds are the new cool. The new ‘Socs’, if you’re a S. E. Hinton fan.
I, sadly enough, am not a Nerd.
I’m not even committed enough to any one thing to be called GEEKY.
Nope, I am the third, and possibly the saddest of the three; the Dork.
Being a Certified Dork, I am always the butt of the jokes. Of course, I am usually the one telling you a joke about my butt, but still – there I am, everyone laughing…at(with) me. I’m the one that will bang her (ridiculously long) legs into some sharp pointed object that NO ONE has EVER bumped into, but hey shin! Wowza that stings! There goes the Dork, running into shit and yelping for your amusement. I get stupid excited about silly things, and flail about like spaz. I have difficulty not snorting when I laugh and not farting when I’m nervous. I’m a class act, that’s for sure. But I’m really fun at parties.
I also figure cool stuff out waaay later than normal, geeky or nerdy people do. Like anything to do with technology and computers… I still call my DVD player a VCR. I shit you not. My dad is stabbing himself in the right eye right about now, being as how he IS the A, #1, SuperNerd. He knows everything about everything related to technology and utter coolness, and here I am. With my VCR.
But I’m a dork, I’m not stupid, so at least I’m catching on.
I’m totally into the Internet, this whole world wide web thing y’all have got going on. This shit is CAH-RAAAZY! I am currently the owner of a web cam AND my darling G1 phone. Plus, we have this crazy Wi-Fi thing going on, which I set up myself (mostly, thanks, JT!) and TWO desktop computers in the house! Wahoo!
Now, the issue at hand is this: being said Dorkus Supremus (that’s our Technical Insider Term), I have totally dorked out over one, specific blogger. I love her with every fiber of my being. Now how, Dear Beth, is that not GEEKY? Well, I’ll tell you… because a true Geek would be just fine with their obsession. They might even glory in it. I, on the other hand, know that I’m a total dork, and this embarrasses the bejeezus out of me. I know, intellectually, that this blogger is just another person, not that unlike me (although she and her husband are also SuperNerds and therefore the coolest people on the planet) (see? DORK. gah.) and that this is a huge part of WHY I love her like I do. I’m embarrassed and chagrined and yet I am powerless to stop my dorktitude. Powerless.
And the problem? The Really Big Problem? She’s coming to my area. I WILL meet her. And undoubtedly, I Will Freak Her The Fuck Out.
Because, you know… The Dork.
