Geek
The word geek is a
Some use the term self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride,[5] often referring simply to "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake".
Etymology
The word comes from
This variation of the term was used to comic effect in the 1970s TV shows such as
Professional wrestling manager "Classy" Freddie Blassie recorded a song in the 1970s called "Pencil-Necked Geek".
Definitions
The 1975 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary, published a decade before the
The term nerd has a similar, practically synonymous meaning as geek, but many choose to identify different connotations among these two terms, although the differences are disputed.[10] In a 2007 interview on The Colbert Report, Richard Clarke said the difference between nerds and geeks is "geeks get it done" or "ggid".[11] 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."[12]
Impact
Technologically oriented geeks, in particular, now exert a powerful influence over the global economy and society.[13] Whereas previous generations of geeks tended to operate in research departments, laboratories and support functions, now they increasingly occupy senior corporate positions, and wield considerable commercial and political influence. When U.S. President Barack Obama met with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and the CEOs of the world's largest technology firms at a private dinner in Woodside, California on February 17, 2011, New York magazine ran a story titled "The world's most powerful man meets President Obama".[14] At the time, Zuckerberg's company had grown to over one billion users.
According to
The Economist magazine observed, on June 2, 2012, "Those square pegs (geeks) may not have an easy time in school. They may be mocked by jocks and ignored at parties. But these days no serious organisation can prosper without them."[16]
Fashion
"Geek chic" refers to a minor fashion trend that arose in the mid 2000s (decade), in which young people adopted "geeky" fashions, such as oversized black
The term "geek chic" was appropriated by some self-identified "geeks" to refer to a new, socially acceptable role in a technologically advanced society.[19]
See also
- Akiba-kei and Otaku, Japanese slang
- Anorak and boffin, British slang
- Battleboarding
- Dweeb
- Furry
- Gamer
- Gamer girl
- Geek Code
- Geek girl
- Geek Pride Day
- Geek rock
- Geekcorps
- Girl Geek Dinners
- Greaser
- Internet culture
- Jock
- Neckbeard (slang)
- Nerd
- Preppy
- Reappropriation
- Trekkie
- Video game culture
References
- ^ a b "Geek". Dictionary.com-Merriam-Webster entry. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ Are 'geek' and 'nerd' now positive terms? - BBC News
- ^ Geek Is Now A Praiseword, Not An Insult Apparently - Forbes
- ^ The transformation of the word geek - Columbia Journalism Review
- ISBN 9781452140483– via Google Books.
- ^ "Duden | Geck | Rechtschreibung, Bedeutung, Definition, Synonyme, Herkunft" (in German). Duden.de. October 30, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
- ^ "Geek". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
- ^ "Episode 22, Bounty Hunter, Revisited". March 23, 2013.
- ^ "Dictionary.com: Geek". Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ Kaestle, Thomas (April 14, 2016). "The story of Traceroute, about a Leitnerd's quest". Boing Boing. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ^ The Colbert Report 17th of January video interview Richard Clarke
- ^ "Reconstruction 6.1 (Winter 2006)". Reconstruction.eserver.org. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
- ^ Beckett, Jamie (October 24, 2012). "Study shows Stanford alumni create nearly $3 trillion in economic impact each year". Stanford News.
- New York Magazine.
- ^ "Unnatural Selection by Mark Roeder". Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ "In praise of misfits". The Economist. June 2, 2012.
- ^ "Whacky NBA Playoff Fashion!". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ Cacciola, Scott (June 14, 2012). "NBA Finals: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Other Fashion Plates of the NBA Make Specs of Themselves". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ Lambert, Katie (July 15, 2007). "How Stuff works: Geek Chic". People.howstuffworks.com. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
Further reading
- ISSN 1396-0466.
External links
- Geek Culture: The Third Counter-Culture, an article discussing geek culture as a new kind of counter-culture.
- The Origins of Geek Culture: Perspectives on a Parallel Intellectual Milieu, an article about geek culture seen in a cultural historical perspective.
- Hoevel, Ann. "Are you a nerd or a geek?" CNN. December 2, 2010.
- "Geek Chic", USA Today, October 22, 2003
- "How Geek Chic Works"