It has come to my attention that the word "geek", while having several dictionary definitions, many of these definitions are conflicting and the word seems to be unreasonably defined. Ask a million people what the word geek means and you'll get a different definition each time. Many will say something unclear along the lines of "Glasses..pocket protectors...you know!!" The fact of the matter remains. No one really "knows" what a geek is. Thus began my quest to find the All Encompassing Definition of Geek. (Or AEDOG for short..oh dear an acronym. Is all this geek stuff getting to me?)
The Dictionary Geek
No serious analysis of the definition of a word can be complete without first checking the common dictionary definitions. I thought about this then realised this is no serious analysis. However I'm sure the idea applies to pointless drivel to and hence here is what the dictionary has to say.
geek
(gi:k) n Slang.(Collins English Dictionary, Fourth Australian Edition 1998, © HarperCollins Publishers)
geek
('gEk) nounThis is a wonderful definition for the word geek, especially for those more socially challenged amongst us. Just remember next time someone calls you a geek turn to them and reply with ZEST, "Why thank you. I AM a wild man who bites the heads off live chickens and snakes." Prepare to be laughed at.
geek
(gik) nounThere is the definition again. After all these years of being embarrased about being a geek it is all falling into place. My peers weren't making fun of me or indicating that I had the social skills of a zombified spider. They were merely commenting on my amazing skills regarding chickens. The second definition is intriguing too. Now geeks must not only contend with being in an "outside class" from other humans but are also branded with such horrible words as "BIZZARE" and "GROTESQUE". Ooh really scary. So is it just me or is there a distinct impression that the writer of this definition is in denial about his geek status?
The REAL Geeks
Let's face it. The REAL geek just can't be defined by stolid dictionary terms. REAL geeks have much more personality and flair. In reality the word "geek" is much more like a genus that covers many different species of geek underneath. To fully define geek we must first define each of these subspecies. Thus follows the Darwin Definition of Geekdom. (Scientific words? Ooh err..I've got to quit this now!)
computer geek (10011011:10011110) n Slang. 1 a boring and unattractive social misfit whom knows what a megabyte is. 2 any person who never sleeps due to an unquenchable desire to stay up late at night using a computer usually of the personal computer type. Note: not necessarily an internet geek.
[C64: probably a variant of Scottish compretto geck, or engineering geek]
internet geek (http://www.internet.geek.com/ :) n Slang. 1 a boring and unattractive social misfit whom understands what http stands for. 2 any person who never sleeps due to an unquenchable desire to stay up late at night using the internet. 3 any person who signs a letter with
[ICQ: probably a variant of Scottish internetic geck, or chatting geek]
quinternet geek (http://www.10101110.megabyte.com/ :) n Slang. 1 a boring and unattractive social misfit who *grins* and rolls on the floor laughing a lot about megabytes. 2 any person who never sleeps due to an unquenchable desire to stay up late at night using the internet to download more RAM. 3 see Star Trek.
[PC: probably a variant of Scottish quintessence geck, or all encompassing geek]
(Ian Uniacke, First Australian Edition 1975 - , © EdnaTerry Uniacke Productions)
More to come.