April 4th marks the anniversary of the formation of GeekForce.Ca, cousin companion site to GeekForce.co.uk.
The geeks, nerds, dweebs, square pegs, losers (the list of derogatory names goes on ad infinitum,
ad nauseum) have always been a marginalised collective of socially awkward, introverted individuals who have been summarily dismissed for their passion for science, fantasy, fiction and other related interests.
Quick definitions
The definition of nerd on Wikipedia
A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being shy, quirky, pedantic, and unattractive, and may have difficulty participating in, or even following, sports.
The origin of this term quite possibly attributed to some rhyming slang from the amazing Theo Geisel, aka Doctor Seuss!
The definition of geek on Wikipedia
The word geek is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast or a person obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit, with a general pejorative meaning of a “peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, or socially awkward”.
Really one in the same!
Back in the 70s, “The Fonz”, through pop culture made nerds the lowest of the low in the hit series “Happy Days”. Nerd is the pejorative term I have lived my life by, and now I have claimed it as my own!
