[KatG]

Technically, a dork is someone who is isolated and friendless and acts in a stupid, clumsy or unappealing manner. A geek is someone who knows a lot about and is obsessed with things that people feel are incidental or strange -- sff, movies, computers, chess, television shows, comic books, audio/visual equipment, marching bands (band geek,) and so on, and is usually considered to be awkward socially outside of their own group. A nerd usually means someone who is extremely smart in academics but otherwise clueless and awkward. A freak is someone who is seen as acting and dressing weirdly, likes weird music or art, and may be taking drugs. SFF fans are usually called geeks if they are going to get slurred, which doesn't always occur. All SFF writers, by definition, are automatically geeks.

I just read the greatest news story the other day. Seems groups of larp (live action role playing) medieval fighters do their practices in a park in Montreal, Quebec every Sunday, about 200 of them. As a good natured joke, a group of people who could be called freaks -- tatooed indie rock fans -- dressed themselves very professionally as zombies, stopped off at McDonalds for some food, and then attacked the fighters in the park. Here are some great quotes from John MacFarlane, who did the story on the event:

"It might be expected that the medievalists, having never experienced an intrusion into their Sunday reality, would have been stunned when a small army of dishevelled zombies staggered out of the woods toward them. But this was not the case.
'It was like they had been waiting for this moment for their entire lives,' Elaine Guay said. 'They formed a battle line and charged,' said Kate Irvine, another message board regular and spectator. 'They didn't stop and look confused for even a second.'
The medievalists advanced, as heroic in near-reality as they had been in fantasy. The zombies, vastly outnumbered, but, you know, behaving like mindless zombies, shuffled toward them. An hour-long battle ensued, in which the imaginary carnage was heavy. Brains were devoured. Zombies were cut down, only to rise again."

Everybody had a great time apparently. A lot of the zombies had come just to stick it to the geeks, but then realized the two groups weren't that far apart. News of the historic battle is spreading all over the Internet and a larping group in Wales invited the zombies to come visit them. Ain't it grand?

[Erfael]

KatG, just two things:

1. Do you ever write a short post? :p
2. That's a great story.

[Boll Weevil]

Grew up on a working class estate in the North of England...I had geek tendancies that proved to have astonishing negative resonance and so were repressed, in favour of football (which I was hopeless at), lurking in teenage gangs and trying to use shorter words.

Fortunately at sixteen I migrated to sixth form friends and began war games and d&d as a dungeon master. It became so engrossing for the players that when a thief character refused to fight and instead climbed a tree, the exposed wizard character actually smacked him in the teeth (in real life). I had to pull them apart as they rolled around punching each other to the sound of Bat out of Hell on the LP player...(yeah that long ago).

[Final07]

I Fit In None Of Those Categories Katg. I Just Enjoy Reading, And I Like Writing. Writing Sff Is An Art Like Any Other. And Being In That Art Doesn't Make Someone Automatically Weird. It's Just Steroetypes(probaly Spelled Wrong)

[Gary Wassner]

That's a very broad statement KatG. All sff writers??? I definitely don't fit into any categories. None. Nada. Nicht. I just have a very vivid imagination that sometimes supplants my grasp on reality.

[Final07]

Thank you for backing me up. That's kinda like me...

[Erfael]

Sure, keep on denying it, guys. That's right. You're cool. No worries. It'll all be okay.

:D

[KatG]

Hey, I don't myself use the terms dork, geek, nerd or freak. I was simply giving the common definitions. All of those terms, except maybe geek, seem to be much less in use. SFF writers are automatically considered geeks (affectionately by fans, derogatorily by non-fans,) because they know a lot about sf or fantasy and are obsessed enough to write stories about it. Me, I tend to call them SFF writers. :)

There are many who wear their geek label proudly, though. There's even a game show called "Beat the Geeks" where contestants test their knowledge against "geek" experts in television, film, music, etc.

Final, you are in a different generation, one in which sff is cultural coin of the realm. Plus you're a teenager. So no, no one is going to think you're a geek or whatever for reading sff; they'll think it's normal. And you should enjoy that because we fought very hard to get it for you. :)

Erf -- oh I dream of writing short posts.

[Leiali]

That's a very broad statement KatG. All sff writers??? I definitely don't fit into any categories. None. Nada. Nicht. I just have a very vivid imagination that sometimes supplants my grasp on reality.


Embrace your Inner Geek Gary :D

[Gary Wassner]

I just don't relate to the word 'geek'. Sentimental fool, intellectual snob, loner, odd-man-out. Those terms I understand. Geek - I hate science and technology. That's what I think of when I think of geek. Besides, I am way too cool to be a geek. ;)