THE ANCIENT GEEK

Geek is a slang term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially if one is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, and so forth." Formerly, the term referred to a carnival performer billed as a wild man whose act usually included biting the head off a live chicken, bat, snake or eating bugs.

The definition of a geek has changed over time, and there is no longer a definitive meaning. The terms nerd, dweeb and dork have similar meanings as geek, but many people choose to define these terms differently, 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 little kinship with his own planet so that he routinely traveled to the ones invented by his favorite authors, or someone 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 lonely room in his parents' house".

Other definitions include:

1 - A derogatory reference to a person who is obsessed with intellectual pursuits for their own sake, but is also deficient in most other human attributes so as to impair the person's operation within society.

2 - A person interested in technology, especially computing and new media. Geeks are generally adept with computers, and use the term hacker in a positive way, though not all are hackers themselves.

3 - 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 seeming reasonable usage.)

4 - A person who has chosen concentration as opposed to conformity and who passionately pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.

5 - A person with a devotion to something in a manner that places him or her outside the social mainstream. This could be due to the intensity, depth, or subject of their interest. This definition is broad, but because many of these interests have mainstream endorsement and acceptance, the inclusion of some genres as "geeky" is debated. People have been labeled as, or chosen to identify themselves as physics geeks, math geeks, engineering geeks, sci-fi geeks, computer geeks, other disciplines of 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 and roleplay geeks.

6 - More recently a school of thought has developed that sees Nerd as being a derogatory phrase, whilst Geek is simply a description. This school of thought has defined a geek as someone who is an enthusiast, often in things outside of the mainstream. Wothy of note is, that in this definition, there is no reference to being socially inept.

Although being described as a geek has historically been 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. The holiday promotes a person's right to be nerdy or geeky, and to express it in public without shame. A new convention, Geek.Kon, has sprung up in Madison, Wisconsin with a purpose to celebrate all things geeky. The website BoardGameGeek is an online community of boardgamers who identify themselves as geeks. They call their website "The Geek", for short.

Technical support services such as Geek Squad, Geeks on Call and Dial-a-Geek use the term geek positivelly to signify helpful technical abilities. In recent history, some geeks have cultivated a geek culture, such as geek humor and obscure references on geek T-shirts. The so called geek chic trend is a deliberate affectation of geek or nerd traits as a fashion statement. Nonetheless, the derogatory definition of geeks in the minds of some, remains that of a person engrossed in his area of interest at the cost of social skills, personal hygiene and status.