Sunday, June 19, 2005

the dork/geek question

The whole dork/geek thing in The Hundred baffled a few people. but now i'm starting to think that the definitions i was working off of are probably not widely accepted outside of a booth in murphy's pub. so i figure i'd try to clear it up.

long ago, over some beers far away, a friend and i discussed the difference at length. although the details are now kind of fuzzy, what i can remember are the very basics:

dorks are pretty well-rounded people who won't bother with pretending to be what they aren't. they have a genuine love for their own interests (i.e. knitting, chess, lacrosse, kites) and don't give a crap if other people think it's cheesy or lame or played out. they are open to learning about new things.

geeks tend to be overly obsessed with their genre of choice, showing off their expertise almost to the point of being annoying. they have little tolerance for those who aren't in the know and often speak to them condescendingly. many could care less about learning about the world. while they may be nice people, they often need to get out more.

most people who aren't trying to impress everyone they meet fall in the dork category (A-ok in my book). however, recently i've met some self-proclaimed geeks who are absolutely charming.

yeah, maybe i'm the confused one.

9 comments:

Pepper said...

I'm a dork AND a geek for according to those definitions.

Great.

Unknown said...

Geeks are sexy, and dorks are... just dorks-

M @ LiveLikeYoureTraveling.com said...

heh dorks don't know that their interests are dorky to know to "give a crap" about what other people think.

geeks can be open to learning about new things as well, a thirsty sponge eager to discover new horizons, tackle the next challenge, which could include physical sports, creativity or love making.

yes the geeks are good lovers and the one you want should be the geeky sporty type which YES, they are out there... they try harder because they tend to be perfectionists...and want to outdo everyone else.

having expertise & a sharp mind is sexy
well its no question which side you or I lean towards. i mean dorks can be funny...

and then sometimes you have the dork geek combo... not sure what to say about them...

Jon said...

There seems to be a lot of debate surrounding these definitions. I think it’s a subjective word, not objective, so we’re screwed. No one’s ever going to agree completely on it. Me, I’m a dork, a nerd and a geek, or, as I like to call myself, a georkerd. I think the fact that I have that name for myself pretty much says it all…

omar said...

Yeah, I think I still fit the geek category. Though I guess I don't try to impress everyone, so maybe I'm in the gray area in between?

In any case, as long as we're not on the outs, then it's cool.

Anonymous said...

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the dor vs. geek debate. Dorks definitely have an endearing quality to them, while geeks, not so much. Here's a few examples: Peter Parker - science-loving, school-newspaper-photo-snappin' dork who is endearing in Spider-Man 2, especially when he's tripping over the sidewalk in the "Raindrops are Falling on my Head" sequence. Screech Powers - weirdo geek in Saved by the Bell who is not endearing at all, just bizarre.

cadiz12 said...

it's a fuzzy line, indeed.

i may have been trying to play the dorks better because i invested $3.65 cents in an embroidered wristband that says, 'i [heart] dorks.' because i do.

but i think geeks may be growing on me a little. like a furry green fungus in the fridge.

Jon said...

I guess it just goes to show… money talks.

cadiz12 said...

money definitely does say something, but i'm pretty sure i can rustle up more than 3 people who will back me up when i say that i've always had a pro-dork policy and have been very vocal on my stance. the wristband was just so appropriate, i had to buy it.