First post!

So this is the first post I have NOT to include a comic or cartoon of some nature. Eventually I will group these general opinion-giving posts in one place, but for now I think they're just going to be scattered randomly throughout.

I think it is fairly obvious from my comics that I am something of a geek...or is it nerd? once upon a time they were mostly the same thing. The brainy kids at school who were mostly ignored but everyone. But with the current uptick in popular interest into what were once "nerdy"/"geeky" areas. (science-fiction films, Dystopias and Fantasy worlds in particular) there has formed a real but rather fuzzy distinction between the two terms. What is it that constitutes that division?

Looking in an online dictionary (merriam-webster for those who like details) makes the very slight distinction in that nerds are obsessed with more technical or academic fields, while the geek can be obsessed with mostly anything, so long as they seem socially awkward and not generally popular.

I feel that this is somewhat outdated in it's view, but nevertheless, the distinction between academic and hobby is one worth noting, but is that the only division? I feel there may be something of a slight superiority by those listed in the nerd category, as they feel the avid pursuit of Physics or Computer Programming is more important then the pursuit of the latest Star Wars rumors (which is, in my opinion, debatable) there is however some truth that the nerd category is a more cohesive whole, many of it's major fields (Science, Math and Computer Sci.) dovetail nicely together, while the geek category, though far larger, is split up into several smaller groups.

e.g. two stereotypical nerds meet at a party, and get into a discussion. one is a Chemistry buff, and the other is into Computer Graphics, they could find a mutually interesting topic to discuss with, in my opinion relative ease.
      Two stereotypical geeks meet at a party and get into a discussion. One is obsessed with World of Warcraft (Man are you that out of date? WoW is pretty much done by now.) and the other wears a Starfleet insignia whenever they leave their house. I think that there is little common ground for these two, and while they may be able to find some it would be harder than the previous example.

"Well that's not quite fair." you say "you picked geeks from far corners of their genres, no wonder they didn't mesh well." and while I concur with you I would argue that it doesn't really change anything, as another large blow to geek unity is their firm support for their favorite _____ as the best. If a guy with a brown robe and a padawan's braid runs into a guy in a fez, they will start to argue about the clear similarities between their respective weapons of choice, and the idiosyncrasies of each. (yes, yes, the sonic screwdriver isn't a weapon technically, but with the way it's being used lately I think my claim isn't too far-fetched.) likewise the Millennium Falcon has been pitted against the USS Enterprise many a time. And this competitive nature is not confined to the sci-fi, it plagues Fantasy fans as well, it's just that the Lord of the Rings is some much better then anything else that nothing can manage to stand up to it. (cue disagreement from Game of Thrones and Harry Potter geeks.)

The truth is, Geeks are not concerted in their beliefs. While Nerds are willing to admit the value of other subjects, many geeks will outright dismiss things as rip-offs.

Anyway, all in all, the distinction is certainly there, and is I think only likely to grow more pronounced with time. So I felt it was a good idea to help everyone (myself included) to better understand what exactly divides the two. I'm sure others will think differently and I would welcome your thoughts on the matter. (though I would ask people to be respectful)

NEXT TIME: The Evolution of the Villain, and why they needed to change.