Some basic definitions need to be thrown out before things begin. A “nerd” is someone who is overly intellectual, seen as socially awkward, obsessive, and can often be a collector. A “geek” is someone who is also socially inept and who can discuss things such as computers in great technical detail. A geek is more likely to tear a machine apart and put it back together again than a nerd. On the other hand, a nerd is more likely to dress up in a Star Trek uniform than a geek. These are give and take fluid definitions so getting caught up in exact details and examples is not necessary.

It was just decided that this is part 2 of the rant on bullying from about a week ago. To put this blog in context it must use the example of the bully to move things forward. Let us go back to high school and the classmate who was pretty, popular, and to be honest, not very bright. This classmate could have been male or female so getting hung up on the word pretty is a waste of time. This individual would often have not so nice thinks to say about other classmates. While their hangers-on were hanging oh, they would with great pride say derogatory things about the kid in chess club or the kid who was just minding their own business drawing superheroes or reading a comic book at lunch. A not so witty statement is thrown out, the hangers on laugh like hyenas, and the entire lame posse strolls down the hall or out of the lunchroom. Four hours later this very same person is at home drawing pictures of their future wedding dress or pickup truck, reading a fashion magazine or Sports Illustrated, and getting a lot of pleasure of thinking about the things they love. There is really no difference. The target of the bully and the bully are both nerds in their own way. The interests of one is just seen as more socially acceptable and less threatening to the mental midget’s than the other.

The football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, or wrestling participant makes fun of someone in their class because instead of playing sports they play an instrument. This person has now been labeled a “band geek” and a great sense of personal accomplishment falls over the witty athlete and his snarky comment. Here is a little secret. those in band call themselves “band geeks” so the comment really was not witty on any level. For the purpose of comparison, let’s look at what a football player does versus what a band member does during the fall semester. Football: practice, compete, and dress in a uniform. Band member: rehearse, go to competition, and dress in a marching band uniform. Pretty similar really. The only real difference is that band members go to sport balling events on purpose to support those playing with their….balls. When was the last time a football player or the entire team showed up at a band competition to show support? Yeah, that is what I thought.

An eight year old boy collecting Matchbox cars and an eight year old boy collecting NASCAR stickers. A fifty-year old woman working at the Yarn Barn or a fifty-year old woman working at an APPLE store. Hours and hours spent in front of a TV watching sports or the same number of hours in front of a screen watching Battlestar Galactica or playing video games. It does not take a lot of deep thinking to realize that all of us are nerds and geeks.