I, Nerd

I have always been this way. Introvert was the polite term, nerd and geek were the less polite words used as I got older. There were worse, but in all honesty even innocuous words became hurtful because of the way they were used. It boiled down to emphasizing and strengthening my outsider status.

I embrace both nerd and geek now. To me they are not hurtful anymore because each word implies things that I love and want to be known for. I know that there has been a debate over which one is more appropriate or derogatory. And I’m aware of the distinctions that have arisen from the back and forth. However, there is so much overlap between the two, there’s no use in worrying about what I call myself.

Part of being a nerd is having something, or indeed many things, to geek out over. Being a geek means being obsessively nerdy about something, or many things. Being socially awkward is implicit in both terms. To get pedantic regarding these two words is to make a distinction without a difference.

I am a nerd.

I am a geek.

I am Nerd, Nerd McGeek.