Earlier today my two eldest boys were arguing, nothing new there then, as usual when they had ran out of a reason to argue they started the name calling. My eldest started started and ended the name calling session by calling his brother a Nerd, which did upset him. Con the Nerd came over to me with his bottom lip quivering saying “Dad” (sob, sob) “Cal called me a nerd, Im not a nerd am I?”
Of course being the caring and all knowledgeable father that I am I took Con over to my computer which as usual was in stand by and looked for the tern Nerd on Wikipedia. Below is a definition of Nerd as per the afore mentioned fountain of knowledge.
“Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age-inappropriate rather than engaging in more social or popular activities. Therefore, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and considered a loner by peers, or will tend to associate with like-minded people.”
After reading this I had a realisation, a kind of awakening if you would. I looked for further definitions to Nerd and after much research have discovered that “I” am one. I am a nerd. Anyway I explained to Con what a nerd was and that his Dad is one, which seemed to cheer him up. Turning he walked back to his brother and said “Your right I am a nerd, thank you for noticing my superior intellect” No, honest he did say that. Cal his big brother was lost for words.
Moving on a bit, after discovering that I was a nerd and after changing my facebook avatar to reflect this I looked further into being a nerd just to double check I had not given my son any false info. (The information I had given was correct).
Years ago I started a job as a tech support adviser for games, when I had finished my training we were told by our trainer (the only guy in the advanced tech support department) that we had all finished our training and had all passed. We were now all “officially qualified Geeks. This term is a bad ge of honor, wear it with pride” and I did, and still do. Although of late I have been questioning my geekness until I read the definition of Geek which is below (I have edited out some parts of it which is irrelevant to this post).
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, noting individuals as “a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, etc.” Formerly, the term referred to a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken, bat, snake or bugs.
Definitions
The definition of geek has changed considerably over time, and there is no longer a definitive meaning. 
The terms nerd, gimp, dweeb, dork and spod have similar meanings as geek, but many choose to identify different connotations amongst these terms, although the differences are disputed. In a 2007 interview on The Colbert Report, Richard Clarke said the difference between nerds and geeks is “geeks get it done.” Julie Smith defined a geek as “a bright young man turned inward, poorly socialized, who felt so little kinship with his own planet that he routinely traveled to the ones invented by his favorite authors, who thought of that secret, dreamy place his computer took him to as cyberspace—somewhere exciting, a place more real than his own life, a land he could conquer, not a drab teenager’s room in his parents’ house.” “Geeks in suits clothing” is phrase which has been used for IT technical stars which also have knowledge about business needs.
Other definitions include: A derogatory reference to a person obsessed with intellectual pursuits for their own sake, who is also deficient in most other human attributes so as to impair the person’s smooth operation within society.
A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media. Geeks are adept with computers, and use the term hacker in a positive way, though not all are hackers themselves.
A person who relates academic subjects to the real world outside of academic studies; for example, using multivariate calculus to determine how they should correctly optimize the dimensions of a pan to bake a cake.
A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.
A person with a devotion to something in a way that places him or her outside the mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest. This definition is very broad but because many of these interests have mainstream endorsement and acceptance, the inclusion of some genres as “geeky” is heavily debated. Persons have been labeled as or chosen to identify as physics geeks, mathematics geeks, engineering geeks, sci-fi geeks, computer geeks, various science geeks, movie and film geeks (cinephile), comic book geeks, theatre geeks, history geeks, music geeks, art geeks, philosophy geeks, literature geeks, historical reenactment geeks, 2012 geeks, video game geeks, and roleplay geeks. A more recent school of thought sees Nerd as being a derogatory phrase, whilst Geek is simply a description. It is taken to be someone who is an enthusiast, often in things outside of the mainstream spectrum, of note is that in this definition, there is no reference to being socially inept in the slightest.
Reclamation and self-identification
Although being described as a geek tends to be an insult, the term has recently become more complimentary, or even a badge of honor, within particular fields. This is particularly evident in the technical disciplines, where the term is now often a compliment, denoting extraordinary skill. Nerd Pride Day has been observed on May 25 in Spain since 2006. (May 25 being the world premiere date of Star Wars and also Towel Day) The holiday promotes the right to be nerdy or geeky, and to express it in public without shame. Nonetheless, the derogatory definition of geeks remains that of a person engrossed in his area of interest at the cost of social skills, personal hygiene and status.
Geek chic
Stephanie Pakrul, or StephTheGeek, a blogger. The t-shirt displays the blue screen of death, an in-joke to those who are familiar with Microsoft Windows.”Geek chic” refers to the embracing of stereotypically unpopular “geek” characteristics such as (taped) glasses, comic books, and video games.
Bearing in mind that most of the people I associate with both at work and outside of work are Geeks and Nerds I can say without a shadow of a doubt that ” I AM GEEK!”
Full Geek definition here
Oh and I am growing my hair but that is a subject for another post.
(Edited to correct my spelling mistakes)
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