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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 11 2012, 4:31pm
Post #1 of 59
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Which term do you prefer when applied to yourself?
(This post was edited by entmaiden on Oct 11 2012, 5:18pm)
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Patty
Immortal
Oct 11 2012, 4:33pm
Post #2 of 59
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I'm really neither. But I think geeks are awesome.
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That term implies "superior brainpower" to me, and I've always found that sexy. Nerds are just, well, nerds.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Oct 11 2012, 4:38pm
Post #3 of 59
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Both have their negative connotations...
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But, I think that most of us have come to terms with 'geek'. Especially once we realize that everyone has something that they can 'geek-out' about, whether it is sports, film, comics, etc.
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 11 2012, 4:44pm
Post #4 of 59
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Nerds are just annoying. Nobody likes a nerd.
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Patty
Immortal
Oct 11 2012, 4:59pm
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we had someone from the Best Buy geek squad come out to help us with our new TV and he did have a tendency to talk down to us. I find superior brainpower sexy, but when geeks talk down to you, it ain't sexy. It must be combined with people skills, and sometimes the two don't appear in the same brain together.
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Starling
Half-elven
Oct 11 2012, 6:49pm
Post #6 of 59
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How would you know which one you are?
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Do you have to have some kind of test or something?
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Alassëa Eruvande
Valinor
Oct 11 2012, 7:03pm
Post #7 of 59
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To me, a nerd is someone with poor social skills. Geeks are people who know a lot about a particular subject. So, Patty, I think your computer geek was also a nerd. The best kind of geek is one who is eager to share his knowledge, but knows when to back it off when the listener's eyes glaze over. A geek would never talk down to someone less knowledgeable because that would ruin the opportunity to talk about his geeky subject. The geek loves his subject so much he wants everyone to love it, too. Don't y'all feel that way about LOTR?
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Patty
Immortal
Oct 11 2012, 7:37pm
Post #8 of 59
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And my eyes did glaze over. It didn't help that I had not slept the night before. I never saw him do it, but his whole aspect was like he wanted to roll his eyes.
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Escapist
Gondor
Oct 11 2012, 9:09pm
Post #10 of 59
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and the truth is it's both
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 12 2012, 1:38am
Post #11 of 59
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It gives me the picture of a small curly-haired boy with glasses. I don't like that picture I much more prefer the term nerd.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 12 2012, 4:41pm
Post #12 of 59
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almost always as terms of endearment, for instance here. When applied to myself though I prefer geek, as this 2008 photo proudly proclaims: [original thread] eta: Now that you mention it, I guess my hair is a little curly.
(This post was edited by SirDennisC on Oct 12 2012, 4:43pm)
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 12 2012, 9:14pm
Post #13 of 59
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That's you in the ubergeek shirt?
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I've always pictured you as Liam Neeson, lol
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 12 2012, 9:48pm
Post #14 of 59
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I've always pictured you as twilight Arwen. Neither of us would be disappointed I'm sure...
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 12 2012, 10:14pm
Post #15 of 59
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I bet we all have weird perceptions of what everyone else looks like! /
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 12 2012, 10:15pm
Post #16 of 59
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Why do you say that old pipe smokin' dude?
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 12 2012, 10:24pm
Post #17 of 59
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I thought you were Liam Neeson too. Sword and all. TORn should launch a game using user submitted photos - guess the TORn user! Bit easy if you already know what someone looks like....
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Patty
Immortal
Oct 13 2012, 12:19am
Post #19 of 59
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Good to "meet" you, Sir Dennis!
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You're actually better looking than Liam.
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 13 2012, 12:44am
Post #20 of 59
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But I'm a dude so I'm sure that'll throw a wrench in your mental picture
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 13 2012, 12:47am
Post #21 of 59
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All the people with no avatars get no mental picture. They are all in the Void.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 13 2012, 1:35am
Post #23 of 59
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My avatar is in deference to the knight Neeson plays in KoH, more so than the actor. More in line with the thread, I obtained a replica of the sword he is holding, the Sword of Ibelin. I knighted my son with it, and then passed it on to him. In keeping with the ritual in the movie, I slapped him at the end of the oath... it was the only time I ever struck him (apart from when we were sword fighting). Then he knighted me in return and slapped me right back! Yep good geeky fun!
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 13 2012, 1:43am
Post #24 of 59
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That is scaaaary Don't think of me like that, lol.
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Donry
Tol Eressea
Oct 13 2012, 2:50am
Post #25 of 59
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Nerd to me still means the math-science-whizz-kinda-person. I would say super-smart, but there are some pretty super-smart folks wandering the halls around here. So, I think the term geek and nerd have wandered apart over the years, geek being what most of us in here are....that is a definition to call home about...
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 13 2012, 9:38am
Post #26 of 59
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When I first started posting I thought gramma and Magpie were male. Absolutely no reason why! Strange, isn't it?
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 13 2012, 9:39am
Post #27 of 59
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I should have guessed it had been done before. Those were very tough though ... I think I got one right overall.
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 13 2012, 9:42am
Post #28 of 59
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It's a BBC programme. You'll never look at Boromir the same again......: Link
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Oct 14 2012, 4:58am
Post #29 of 59
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Good, bad, or indifferent - I'm probably both
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I usually use them interchangeably, but I think other posters are on to something when they say that geek has come to mean super-smart or super enthusiastic about something usually not quite mainstream; and nerd is someone (smart or not) with poor social skills. I'd like to think I'm smart, but there's too much proof otherwise . However, I get really excited about things that many "mainstream" types don't. I used to play that down as something to be embarrassed about, but I now let my geek flag fly high and proud I still try to downplay the nerdier aspects of my personality though (Like waaay overusing "quotes" )
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 14 2012, 9:13am
Post #30 of 59
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I heard dork on TV this morning.
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To me, that's more derogatory than geek and nerd combined. It just doesn't sound very nice!
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Magpie
Immortal
Oct 14 2012, 3:18pm
Post #31 of 59
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A thought provoking book on labels like Nerd and Geek
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is: Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them by David Anderegg I didn't read this all the way through. At first, it annoyed me. But the more I read, the more I agreed and the more angry I got at the observations he was making. I went back through some emails and found a sort of synopsis I wrote to someone: The author is making the point that American culture/society (through movies, tv, books, comics, etc.) stereotypes the NERD as someone who is smart and values education but is socially awkward and sexually unattractive. This is, perhaps, easily seen as a stereotype by adults who know it's not entirely accurate. But, he contends, the message it sends to children is more insidious. He thinks it turns them off anything 'intellectual' at a time when they need to be learning. By time they figure out that the stereotype of a NERD isn't accurate, it's too late. They're too behind in things like math and science and can't keep up. He's also tying this into the view American culture takes on the 'intellectual'. It looks like the book is out of print now: http://www.amazon.com/...e-Them/dp/1585425907 but he's done another book: Nerds: How Dorks, Dweebs, Techies, and Trekkies Can Save America and Why They Might Be Our Last Hope http://www.amazon.com/...erica/dp/B006CDL97C/ I think Anderegg is coming at this from someone who works with kids. So he's not talking about how labels, the way we use them and the way we define them affect adults. He's talking about how they affect kids. I don't think what he's trying to say affects discussions we have here on TORn about whether we're nerds or geeks and I will use the term geek to apply to my self without shame. But it is interesting to see how children may be internalizing a slightly different message from popular culture's view of 'geeks' that guides their choices.
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Alassëa Eruvande
Valinor
Oct 14 2012, 4:03pm
Post #32 of 59
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Dude, I thought you were a girl! I guess I should have read your profile. Do you think I'm a little baby?
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Ardamírë
Valinor
Oct 15 2012, 12:32am
Post #34 of 59
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You mean you're not a super intelligent genius child!?
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Lol, it's all good. I just think Liv is gorgeous and especially that shot of her
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Ring-Bearer
Rivendell
Oct 15 2012, 4:04am
Post #35 of 59
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I prefer 'Great Admirer of Tolkien'
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But either one works too
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Oct 15 2012, 5:57am
Post #36 of 59
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Yeah, there's no nice spin you can put on dork :P //
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Oct 15 2012, 6:11am
Post #37 of 59
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Isaac Asimov wrote several essays on this
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Though he didn't use the terms geek or nerd, he wrote about the anti-intellectual slant of American pop culture. He cited many examples of heroes who are known more for their brawn than their brains. And scientists are always mild-mannered at best, down right wimpy at worst. Either that or twisted and evil - "the Mad Scientist." Asimov had the same attitude as Anderegg: we need to embrace and encourage young people who are into math and science instead of making them feel inferior. (I don't remember all the details, I read these long ago when I was a kid. A kid who adored Isaac Asimov. I was, and still am, a geek/nerd )
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Kelvarhin
Half-elven
Oct 15 2012, 12:39pm
Post #38 of 59
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So, do you think I look like one of my kitties?//
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Kelvarhin
Half-elven
Oct 15 2012, 12:41pm
Post #39 of 59
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manage to pick the cute little Magpie?
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Alassëa Eruvande
Valinor
Oct 15 2012, 1:19pm
Post #41 of 59
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I also pictured you as LIam Neeson. Is that your boy? What game are you playing?
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Magpie
Immortal
Oct 15 2012, 1:57pm
Post #42 of 59
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in the 2009 and 2011 editions. I might have looked cute in the 2009 photo but in the 2011, I looked bossy. And I was. First child... what can I say. :-)
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 15 2012, 2:59pm
Post #44 of 59
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is the name of one of my favourite Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes songs. I always picture you as this super-cute, spunky Texas girl. I bet I'm pretty close on all counts. The game we are playing is called HeroScape. I ran a thread about it here about 4 years ago. (You can see more pictures of the game in all its geeky glory in there!) And yes, that is my son Sir Malcolm, whom I love and admire... he's grown a bit since then.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 15 2012, 3:10pm
Post #45 of 59
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and its origins quite harsh. IIRC it is derived from Dorcus which was the name of a committee, usually attached to a church, that would take up collections of clothes, food, and unwanted household items for the poor. Now this is going back quite a ways, to a time when helping the poor was often done by people who were poor themselves (as careers go, there is no money in it obviously). So basically we have a scenario where the name for a person asking others to help the poor came to be used in a derogatory manner. Very strange.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 15 2012, 3:34pm
Post #46 of 59
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Things you can't unsee. Thanks Daniel :p //
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DanielLB
Immortal
Oct 15 2012, 5:17pm
Post #47 of 59
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It's a very good programme. I'd recommend it. All I could see was Boromir, mind.
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Alassëa Eruvande
Valinor
Oct 15 2012, 6:24pm
Post #48 of 59
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Wow, it's as though you can see me through the monitor!
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Quote: "I always picture you as this super-cute, spunky Texas girl." HeroScape looks like it would be a good game for the Eruvandes in a few years. We're still on Castle Panic and its expansion pack at the moment. But it's perfect for our 6 and 11 year old boys.
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Kelvarhin
Half-elven
Oct 16 2012, 1:11am
Post #49 of 59
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But I wasn't about to give any pointers Aw but you were a cute bossy too
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Oct 16 2012, 1:54am
Post #50 of 59
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a very sad commentary on attitudes towards the poor.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 16 2012, 2:38am
Post #51 of 59
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I couldn't find an answer key to the (2011) game... and I agree, that's a cute picture of Magpie.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 16 2012, 2:42am
Post #52 of 59
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(See, I derail my own threads too.)
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Kelvarhin
Half-elven
Oct 16 2012, 2:44am
Post #53 of 59
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I think the game that year ran foul of one of my illness attacks The baby one of you isn't too bad on the cute scale either
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 16 2012, 3:10am
Post #54 of 59
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That picture looks ancient because, well, it is... but also because it was printed by me about 20 years ago in a black & white darkroom, from a 20 year old (at the time) 126 colour negative. (ETA: I actually dodged out the shadow of the picture taker -- which you can still sort of see -- with my hand during the print exposure lol.) The b&w image of you in the 2011 thread is all kinds of cute as well.
(This post was edited by SirDennisC on Oct 16 2012, 3:18am)
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sador
Half-elven
Oct 16 2012, 12:38pm
Post #55 of 59
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But it probably applies to me far more than either of the others. //
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Oct 16 2012, 6:32pm
Post #56 of 59
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Aw Sador, I have great difficulty believing that...
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perhaps not so much based on the origins of the term, but definitely based on its current usage. And isn't that what this thread is really about? The current usage of terms? It's cool to be a geek, and to a lesser extent, a nerd (depending on inflection) right now. And many of us can honestly say that "we were geeks before it was cool" -- which makes us hipsters I guess
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imin
Valinor
Oct 23 2012, 11:41pm
Post #57 of 59
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I think it depends who you are with. At high school compared to some i was geeky, not at uni i am not geeky at all even though i havent changed the level of studying i do etc. At heart i think i am a geek and i genuinely dont care, lol.
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DraugEilianiel
Registered User
Dec 8 2012, 5:49pm
Post #58 of 59
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It doesn't really matter to me....
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Based on my memories of childhood (early 90s), at least in my area: Geek and nerd were used more or less synonymously, but the latter was more common. Common 'preference' of geek evolved because the word nerd hit too close to home, in my opinion. Now that it's actually starting to be cool to be geeky, I am hearing more actual profanity or body-related criticisms coming from children who wish to insult each other. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Aethelwyne Bolger
Bree
Feb 13 2013, 2:28am
Post #59 of 59
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In the 80's, I called myself a nerd once, and the mean girls looked down their noses at me and said, no, nerds were cool and there was nothing cool about me. They told me I was nothing but a huge geek So I guess I'm a geek, but I need to find a nice way to look at it, not as a self-put-down. Note: the mean girls tried to dress "nerd chic" by wearing big clown like shoes and high waisted pants and suspenders and ties and fake broken glasses. I just thought they looked goofy! I preferred my true friends: the band and drama geeks, heavy metal loving, blue jean wearing, some of them rebellious tough attitude in leather and smoking cigarettes...but gentle and kind to all, tough kid or weirdo like me, once you got to know them.
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