Nerds and Geeks: Learn the difference

Let’s get one thing straight: there is a distinctive difference between a nerd and a geek. Many people go about their day never giving a thought to this distinction that basically makes the universe go round, but this ignorance will one day place these people at the mercy of a nerd-that-they-thought-was-a-geek. So, in order for these ignorant people to avoid their unfortunate end, they should learn the difference early on.

A geek is a person who is passionate about a game, show, or book/story. Keep in mind, a geek is not a fangirl/boy. A fangirl/boy is a person who is overly enthusiastic about a character, actor, etc. A geek, on the other hand, may by overly enthusiastic about something, but it is usually a wider spread than just a character.

For example, a geek could be very enthusiastic about Harry Potter or Legend of Zelda. Geeks can have different levels of geekiness in different areas. Some people are only a little geeky about one thing, others are very geeky about a lot of things. This is called the “Geekometer.” Yes, I just made that up.

A geek may also be very passionate about a certain topic, such as zombies or unicorns. A geek is very prone to get into arguments about which of these two fantastic creatures would win in a battle for world domination.

Now, a nerd is similar in that they are very enthusiastic about a certain topic, but nerds are more about academics. A true nerd, however, does not conform to the stereotypical image of a nerd with taped together glasses and pocket protectors.

A nerd is usually interested in a subject (or a few different subjects) and pursues these subjects. They are very intelligent people and likely to be very successful in their favored areas. However, a nerd does not necessarily need to be interested in a subject such as math or science. A nerd could be very passionate about a subject such as art or music.

A person is not necessarily defined into “geeks” and “nerds”. A person can just as easily be a combination of both of these areas, or they could be neither of these and just live on without being interested in anything at all. Most people have a little bit of one or both of these categories, even if they don’t know it yet. Once they do realize their potential, however, their lives will be forever consumed by the battle between zombies and unicorns.

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