The word ''geek'' is a
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gr ...
term originally used to describe
eccentric
Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to:
* Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal"
Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics
* Off-center, in geometry
* Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...
or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or
enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator o ...
pursuit. In the past, it had a generally
pejorative
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, boring, or socially awkward".
In the 21st century, it was
reclaimed and used by many people, especially members of some fandoms, as a positive term.
Some use the term self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride, often referring simply to "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake".
The term ''geek'' is often used in association with the terms ''
nerd and
dweeb.''
Etymology
The word comes from
English dialect
Dialects are linguistic varieties that may differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling and grammar. For the classification of varieties of English only in terms of pronunciation, see regional accents of English.
Overview
Dialects can be ...
''geek'' or ''geck'' (meaning a "fool" or "
freak
A freak is a person who is physically deformed or transformed due to an extraordinary medical condition or body modification. This definition was first attested with this meaning in the 1880s as a shorter form of the phrase "freak of nature" ...
"; from
Middle Low German
Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...
''Geck''). ''Geck'' is a standard term in modern German and means "fool" or "fop". The root also survives in the
Dutch and
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...
adjective
In linguistics, an adjective ( abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the ...
''gek'' ("crazy"), as well as some
German dialects, like the
Alsatian word ''Gickeleshut'' ("
jester's hat"; used during carnival).
In 18th century
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, ''Gecken'' were freaks on display in some
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
es. In 19th century North America, the term ''geek'' referred to a performer in a
geek show in a circus,
traveling carnival or
travelling funfair sideshow
In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction.
Types
There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:
*The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten ...
s (see also
freak show
A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...
).
The 1976 edition of the ''
American Heritage Dictionary'' included only the definition regarding geek shows.
This variation of the term was used to comic effect in 1970s TV shows such as ''
Sanford & Son'', and ''
Starsky and Hutch''. In the Bounty Hunter episode of 1976 of ''Starsky and Hutch'', stating that "a geek is a freak in a circus side show, who is kept in a pit and they throw snakes and chicken heads at, and he runs around crazy and gobbles them up", and "in 1932 the geeks formed their own union". In that episode, Starsky and Huggy Bear say they read this in an unreliable book. In it, there is a man shooting the head off a bumblebee in flight, and Big Foot, alluding to the apocryphal nature of who is a geek.
Professional wrestling manager "Classy"
Freddie Blassie recorded a song in the 1970s called "Pencil-Necked Geek".
Definitions
The 1975 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary, published a decade before the
Digital Revolution, gave only one definition: "Geek
oun, slang A carnival performer whose act usually consists of biting the head off a live chicken or snake." The tech revolution found new uses for this word, but it still often conveys a derogatory sting. In 2017, Dictionary.com gave five definitions, the fourth of which is "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken."
The term
nerd has a similar, practically synonymous meaning as geek, but many choose to identify different connotations among these two terms, although the differences are disputed. In a 2007 interview on ''
The Colbert Report
''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'',
Richard Clarke said the difference between nerds and geeks is "geeks get it done" or "ggid".
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."
Impact
Technologically oriented geeks, in particular, now exert a powerful influence over the global economy and society. Whereas previous generations of geeks tended to operate in research departments, laboratories and support functions, now they increasingly occupy senior corporate positions, and wield considerable commercial and political influence. When U.S. President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
met with Facebook's
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born ) is an American business magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), of ...
and the CEOs of the world's largest technology firms at a private dinner in Woodside, California on February 17, 2011, ''
New York'' magazine ran a story titled "The world's most powerful man meets President Obama". At the time, Zuckerberg's company had grown to over one billion users.
According to
Mark Roeder
Mark Lewis Mendick Roeder (born 28 May 1957) is an Australian-British author and cultural commentator. He has written '' The Big Mo (book): Why Momentum Rules The World'' (2011), and '' Unnatural Selection: Why The Geeks Will Inherit The Earth'' ...
the rise of the geek represents a new phase of human evolution. In his book, ''
Unnatural Selection: Why The Geeks Will Inherit The Earth'' he suggests that "the high-tech environment of the
Anthropocene favours people with geek-like traits, many of whom are on the
autism spectrum
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
,
ADHD, or
dyslexia. Previously, such people may have been at a disadvantage, but now their unique cognitive traits enable some of them to resonate with the new technological
zeitgeist
In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' () ("spirit of the age") is an invisible agent, force or Daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history.
Now, the term is usually associated with Georg W. ...
and become very successful."
''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'' magazine observed, on June 2, 2012, "Those square pegs (geeks) may not have an easy time in school. They may be mocked by jocks and ignored at parties. But these days no serious organisation can prosper without them."
Fashion
"Geek chic" refers to a minor fashion trend that arose in the mid 2000s (decade), in which young people adopted "geeky" fashions, such as oversized black
horn-rimmed glasses,
suspenders/
braces, and
capri pants. The glasses quickly became the defining aspect of the trend, with the media identifying various celebrities as "trying geek" or "going geek" for wearing such glasses, such as
David Beckham and
Justin Timberlake. Meanwhile, in the sports world, many
NBA players wore "geek glasses" during
post-game interviews, drawing comparisons to
Steve Urkel.
The term "geek chic" was appropriated by some self-identified "geeks" to refer to a new, socially acceptable role in a technologically advanced society.
See also
*
Akiba-kei and
Otaku, Japanese slang
*
Anorak and
boffin, British slang
*
Dweeb
*
Furry
*
Gamer
*
Gamer girl
The relationship between women and video games has received extensive academic and media attention. Since the 1990s, female gamers have commonly been regarded as a minority. However, industry surveys have shown that over time, the gender ratio h ...
*
Geek Code
The Geek Code, developed in 1993, is a series of letters and symbols used by self-described "geeks" to inform fellow geeks about their personality, appearance, interests, skills, and opinions. The idea is that everything that makes a geek individ ...
*
Geek girl
*
Geek Pride Day
Geek Pride Day is an initiative to promote geek culture, celebrated annually on May 25.
The initiative originated in Spain in 2006 as ( es, Día del orgullo friki) and spread around the world via the Internet.
Origins
Tim McEachern organized ...
*
Geekcorps
*
Girl Geek Dinners
*
Greaser
*
Internet culture
*
Jock
*
Neckbeard (slang)
"Neckbeard" is a pejorative term and stereotype for an adult man or teenage boy who exhibits characteristics such as social awkwardness, underachievement, or pretentiousness. The term is associated with the currently (2010–present) unfashiona ...
*
Nerd
*
Preppy
*
Reappropriation
*
Video game culture
References
Further reading
*
External links
Geek Culture: The Third Counter-Culture an article discussing geek culture as a new kind of counter-culture.
The Origins of Geek Culture: Perspectives on a Parallel Intellectual Milieu an article about geek culture seen in a cultural historical perspective.
* Hoevel, Ann.
''
CNN''. December 2, 2010.
"Geek Chic" ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'', October 22, 2003
"How Geek Chic Works"
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Computing culture
English-language slang
Fashion aesthetics
History of subcultures
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Nerd culture
Epithets related to nerd culture
Stereotypes