Geeks and labels

There’s been an explosion of debate on the internet recently about “geek girls”, especially with convention season being in full swing. Before we start, I’d like to offer a few definitions, courtesy of Merriam-Webster:

Geek – noun
1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity <computer geek>

Nerd – noun: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

Enthusiast – noun: a person filled with enthusiasm: as
     a : one who is ardently attached to a cause, object, or
     pursuit <a sports car enthusiast>
     b : one who tends to become ardently absorbed in an
     interest

 
For the purposes of this post, let’s use the 3rd definition of geek – an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity. The enthusiasm attributed to being a geek can apply to any field – comic books, Star Wars, math, football, baseball, art, cars…the list can go on forever.  So a geek is someone who is ardently attached to a cause, object or pursuit, and who is an expert in that cause, object or pursuit. 

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