| Revision as of 13:22, 10 April 2008 editJ.delanoy (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers310,263 editsm Reverted 1 edit by 193.164.126.35 to last version by J.delanoy← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:23, 10 April 2008 edit undo193.164.126.35 (talk) ←Replaced content with ''''Scott Love From Coventry, England.''' == Headline text =='Next edit → | ||
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| '''Scott Love From Coventry, England.''' | |||
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| == Headline text == | |||
| The word '''geek''' is a ] term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/geek|title=Dictionary: Geek|date=|accessdate=2007-10-12|work=Dictionary.com-Merriam-Webster entry | |||
| }}</ref> 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. The 1976 edition of the '']'' included only the definition regarding ]s. | |||
| This word comes from English dialect ''geek, geck'': fool, ]; from Low German ''geck'', from Middle Low German.The root ''geck'' still survives in the ] word ''Gickeleshut'': geek's hat, used in carnivals<ref></ref>. | |||
| ==Definitions== | |||
| The definition of ''geek'' has changed considerably over time, and there is no longer a definitive meaning. The terms ] and ] have similar meanings as geek, but many choose to identify different connotations amongst the three terms, although the differences are disputed. In a 2007 interview on ], ] said the difference between nerds and geeks is "geeks get it done".<ref></ref> 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".<ref></ref> | |||
| Other definitions include: | |||
| *A person who is interested in ], especially ] and ]. Most geeks are adept with computers, and treat the term '']'' as a term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves. | |||
| *A person who relates academic subjects to the real world outside of academic studies; for example, using ] 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 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 ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, various ] geeks, ] and ] geeks (]), ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, ] geeks, and ] geeks. | |||
| ==Reclaiming 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. ] (Día del orgullo friki) has been observed on ] in ] since 2006. The holiday promotes the right to be nerdy or geeky, and to express it in public without shame (note that the definition of Spanish "friki" can be slightly different from geek or nerd). A new convention, ], has sprung up in Madison, Wisconsin with a purpose to celebrate all things geek. The website ] is an online community of boardgamers who identify themselves as geeks at game conventions; they call their website "The Geek", for short. Technical support services such as ] and Dial-a-Geek use the term ''geek'' to signify helpful technical abilities. In recent history, some geeks have cultivated a geek culture, such as ] and obscure references on T-shirts. The so-called '']'' trend is a deliberate affectation of geek or nerd traits as a fashion statement. 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. | |||
| ==Geeks in popular culture== | |||
| * In 2005 and 2006, the former ] (now ]) ran a reality game show called '']'', where "geeks" try to share their knowledge with "beauties" while trying to learn a modern style from them. The show returned in January of 2007. | |||
| *] ran a game show named '']'' from 2001 to 2002. It featured contestants competing against a ] geek, ] geek, and a ] geek, along with a special fourth geek. The fourth geek would have a certain area of expertise such as '']'', '']'', ], '']'', and ]s. | |||
| *], produced by ], focuses on the shenanigans of a three-person ] support team located in a dingy, untidy and unkempt basement. Moss and Roy, the two technicians, are portrayed as socially inept geeks, while Jen, the newest member of the team, is hopelessly non-technical. | |||
| *The show '']'' explores the social conundrum of new students adapting to existing social norms. Geeks were shown to be interested in Star Wars, Star Trek, Dungeons and Dragons, Saturday Night Live and related actors, Monty Python, AV club and Atari. Members of their group acknowledged being different from others for their interests, looks, intelligence and lack of social skills. | |||
| *'']'' is a variety show for and about nerds and geeks. | |||
| * ] is a planned geek music festival. | |||
| *Geek Monthly is a recently launched lifestyle magazine, to be published six times a year in the ] by CFQ Media. The magazine is positioned in the marketplace as a more "]" version of established magazines such as ] and ] as well as the discontinued ]. The first issue featured ] on the cover in a ] pose, whilst features included that of ], Lifestyle and ]. | |||
| *The TV show '']'' on '']'' is about two socially inept prodigies in their 20s who are living across the hall from a beautiful girl with a more conventional intellect. The male characters are consciously modelled around an extreme ] the geek/nerd stereotype. | |||
| * The ] novel '']'' filmed with ] begins and ends with a carnival geek. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <references/> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
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| ==External links== | |||
| *, an article discussing geek culture as a new kind of counter-culture. | |||
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Revision as of 13:23, 10 April 2008
Scott Love From Coventry, England.