Hurrah for Geeks and Nerds

Whilst ruminating on the subject of today’s post I was reflecting on the names that I have been called in the past and occasionally still do although that  I am well into my middle age. 

The first that has followed me around through the years is of a cartoon character; the sidekick of one of the 80’s British cartoon superheroes. The superhero in question is Dangermouse, a cool, sophisticated cowardly crime fighter who was supported in his exciting escapades by his nerdy sidekick Penfold. Penfold was a spectacle and suit wearing hamster. He is particularly known for his catchphrase of ‘crumbs’ whenever trouble reared its head. 
I must have looked like Penfold when I was younger because when I met people for the first time and the conversation started flowing they often were reminded of Penfold!! I knew it was coming when they would say, ‘who do you remind me of?’. I would then wait for the penny to drop. 

I am pleased to say that this has not happened in recent years, perhaps that is because as I have aged my face had become less chubby and my hair has started to grey?  I suspect though that it is more to do with the fact that Dangermouse is not regularly aired on terrestrial TV anymore. 


You may have noticed that I myself referred to Penfold as ‘nerdy’. This and other related monikers have been attributed to me over the years. Being studious, good at maths, knowing a bit about lots of things and liking science has probably contributed to this phenomenon. As I guess has been my general sensible, rule following nature, not to mention not knowing much about football (this has changed in recent years). 

When I was at school being ‘nerdy’ was seen as a negative. If you were nerdy then you were seriously not cool, you most probably were bullied and didn’t have a girlfriend. 

But a few years ago this all changed...

Along with gin, beards and waistcoats being nerdy or geeky has become somewhat popular, I might even go as far as being actively encouraged. Being a geek is cool (nowadays, sic, dope, lit or Gucci). Young people even buy fake glasses to make themselves look more geeky. Geek chic is here. Take a look at this WikiHow https://www.wikihow.com/Category:Geek-Culture and don’t forget Alessandro Michele’s Geek Chic direction at Gucci in contrast to the Tom Ford look. 

Perhaps this geek obsession is a result of the world modernising.  Those people who are good with computers, updating IPhones and their software, know how to share the screen on Zoom, can stream Netflix to a TV or just know a lot of stuff about viruses and vaccines are thought to have a new evolutionary advantage. These skills have therefore become attractive and the geek culture has been embraced. 

I don’t think that I am or have ever been a nerd. Although when I googled images of nerds this image was high on the list and even Ed has to admit it does show a strange resemblance to yours truly... But a geek I could accept. 

Having researched the terms geek and nerd (as any self-respecting geek would do) I found some interesting definitions for these terms. It is much more complicated than you might think. It appears that a nerd is not a geek and they should not be associated together. 

There is a useful table on the Urban dictionary that describes the difference between the terms, normie, nerd, geek and dork. This defines these groups of people based on their technical and social skills.  I summarise below...

1. Normie - has no technical skills but has social skills
(They are normal people)
2. Geek - has technical skills and social skills
(An outwardly normal person who has taken the time to learn some technical skills).  They have a good social life and you would only know about their geekiness once you talk to them about their interests. 
3. Nerd - has technical skills but no social skills
(Socially awkward and their technical knowledge makes it hard for normies to mix with them)
4. Dork - no technical or social skills

Obviously these definitions should be treated with caution, segregating people into groups is almost always never good and name calling is a horrid thing to do. However with this caveat in mind I think I would probably make it into the geek category - I guess my post on tide times earlier this week is evidence for this. 

Hey though that’s ok. I’m proud to be a geek...

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