I just wrote 2582 words looking at Neil Gaiman's comic book character the Sandman as a tragic hero and analyzing him thus.
Tomorrow, I will turn this into my lit teacher and try to hold a straight face.
Also, MLA format for citing sources is grossly inadequate. I used Aristotle's The Poetics as a source, and since a text was hard to find, I used the Gutenberg Project translation/transcription. Try citing that. Or citing a whole comic book series.
And I got two of my former lit profs into a long argument about whether or not quotes from comic books should be cited by page or panel.
And since I've scanned in silent panels to use as quotes, shouldn't I list the artist as an author?
What makes me nerdy is that soon I shall write an essay on the defficiencies of MLA.
posted
You are a geek, not a nerd. A nerd analyzes intelligent things. You could have analyzed Newton as a tragic hero.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
This is an intelligent thing. My essay includes an explanation of why I chose this work: because in modern literature, there are few equivalents to the immediacy and popularity of the Greek tragedy in its time, except for the serialized comic book. Thus, themes follow more closesly the ideals of modern literature than other works might.
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: You are a geek, not a nerd.
I agreed up to this point. I consider "geek" to be a superior title to "nerd," though I recognize that the usage in pop culture seems to be migrating away from my interpretation. I think geeks are people who write literary papers on comic books, and nerds are people who brag about their SAT scores. (And a dork is someone whose pants are too high, whose zipper is down, and who creeps out everyone, male or female, who tries to interact with him or her.)
Anyway, I salute you in your geekiness. That is very cool. Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: You are a geek, not a nerd.
I agreed up to this point. I consider "geek" to be a superior title to "nerd," though I recognize that the usage in pop culture seems to be migrating away from my interpretation. I think geeks are people who write literary papers on comic books, and nerds are people who brag about their SAT scores. (And a dork is someone whose pants are too high, whose zipper is down, and who creeps out everyone, male or female, who tries to interact with him or her.)
Anyway, I salute you in your geekiness. That is very cool.
To the best of my knowledge, that's still the commonly accepted intepretation of geek vs nerd vs dork.
Or maybe I'm not as young and hip as I thought I was. Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
It may be a regional thing, eros. Where are you from? The westerners I have discussed this with seem to consider nerd to be the preferable title.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
To me: Geek = Someone who is technologically knowledgable. As in a "computer geek". Nerd = Non-technological pursuits. School, books, masses of facts, essays, chess etc. Dork = A somewhat humourous term for people who are somewhat unusual in something they do. As in "Ha, you're such a dork!" Gnork = All three mixed together.
I know this is subject to much debate, but that is my personal interpretation.
People who are somewhat 'socially awkward' (with all that follows) I call just that. Many nerds and geeks are very socially apt. I wouldn't usually use "dork" in a particularly derogatory way (see above) so the social aspect doesn't apply.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
By "western" I was trying to find a non-specific way to say "Utah." (Non-specific because I really don't know how accurate my observations are.)
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posted
That is an awesome paper idea, Joldo. I wrote my adjunct paper for Hon. Classical Epic on the Alien movies (this was pre-AvP..though I could've worked it in pretty easily, I think).
posted
I wrote a paper, which I later ended up presenting at a conference, arguing that Star Wars (the original trilogy) fit all the criteria of an epic.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
I find Geeky to be cool/acceptable things outside the standard basis of interest, while nerdy is awkward things outside the standard basis of interest.
For example, programming games in your free time can be geeky, programming tax programs in your free time can be nerdy.
Going to comic-con: geeky. Going to comic-con as your avatar from a MMORPG: nerdy. Going to comic-con as a furry: very nerdy.
Nathan doing an Interpretive dance: geeky Nathan doing an interpretive dance while wearing orange tights: nerdy.
LAN parties: geeky LARP parties: nerdy
Going to a Ren Faire: geeky Engaging in an impromptu argument with a knight from the joust over the politically correct use of the word "wench", and meaning what you say: nerdy.
Writing cryptograms that are based off of binary: geeky Actually carrying out a conversation non text based in binary: nerdy.
Arguing that Picard was better than Kirk: geeky. Arguing that Kirk was better than Picard: insane and nerdy.
Posts: 116 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Debates about geeks vs. nerds vs. dorks and debates about who constitutes geeks and nerds and dorks. Also, any involvement of Star Wars and / or Star Trek in such a conversation.
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Honestly, you should hold such debates with a grain of salt. And, as a side note, denying that star trek and star wars has no relation to geeks, nerds and dorks is beyond silly.
I guess if you were offended, I don't understand why. And if you are saying what you did in a tongue in cheek kind of way, keep in mind I am very bad with picking up that sort of thing, so feel free to have a laugh, but don't feel too proud. Posts: 116 | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
When you have completed the paper and it has all been marked and done with, could you post it here? I have a friend who is a really big Sandman fan and I am sure she would like to read it.
Posts: 74 | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
That's iffy, posting it here. I'd have to check it out. This is my IB extended essay (basically, GIGANTIC research paper for the International Baccalaureate progrem to get my diploma) and posting it online is a definite no. I'll see if I can e-mail it to a few people who want to see it. My final draft will be in, let's see . . .November.
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Yeah, um, can I get in on that paper-sharing action? As the classicist currently studying (among other things) Greek tragedy, I'd love to see what you have to say. It sounds absolutely fascinating.
---
Re: the whole geek/nerd/dork thing, what does trying to relate Lucretius to football make me?
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I once wrote a thesis paper arguing that dystopian/apocalyptic films were, at the core, existential comedies.
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quote:Originally posted by Launchywiggin: Geeks can be cool.
Nerds can't.
Very succinct explanation of the diffrence between nerd and geek. Geek relates to interests and how compulsive or obsorbed one is in those interests. Nerd relates to ones ability to interact socially. For example, a geek will go to Comic-con, even wear a Jawa costume to the con, or write a detailed anaylsis of why Capt Kirk is a better commander than Capt. Picard. A nerd can do all those things, but he's the one standing in the corner of the con with no one to talk to, has a costume that smells like stale laundry, or tries to use the Kirk/Picard essay to impress the cheerleader.
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posted
I don't see the study of Sandman as geeky or nerdy -- c'mon, he won a World Fantasy Award for it -- but that's just me.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
No no, geeks obsess about uncool things. Nerds are the ones who obsess about uncool, but intellectual, things. Nerds are the ones who are can speak binary fluently, geeks are the ones who can easily describe the cover of Spiderman issue 1 and act like you are stupid for not knowing. Nerds = good SAT, chess, programming, etc. Geeks = LARP, D&D, Comic-con. Of course, there is some cross-over. In AP Physics we got into this 20 minute argument over whether the band people in chess club and the AP physics class were nerdy geeks or geeky nerds, we ended up going with nerdy geeks, because band dominated their life.
I, as a nerd, have disdain for those who think that we are obsessed with comic books and such, that is only for the nerds who cross over. In the purest sense they are completely different. I am a complete nerd, but I would never go to comic-con, and detest Star Trek.
P.S. Mig, nerds are intelligent to know that trying to impress a cheerleader with an essay on Kirk is completely idiotic.
Edit: Here is a good way to put it, nerds are the ones who go to lectures on physics at Stanford.
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I once wrote a thesis paper arguing that dystopian/apocalyptic films were, at the core, existential comedies.
That is awesome.
When I was in 10th grade, I wrote a paper about how Ender's Game encourages violence because it "purifies the human spirit," I believe is the phrase that I used. And makes you a better person. Then the next semester, I wrote a paper about how Ender's Game and 1984 both have the underlying message that if you fight the system, all you do is make it stronger. So don't fight the system. Ever. I thought the papers went together quite nicely. And apparently that teacher still uses them as examples of spectacularity for her students, which is a really nice "screw you" to the "pH is evil and violent and wants to shoot up the school" administrative camp. Yeah, I admit it, I'm still bitter.
posted
Which is more geeky/nerdy; the paper, this thread, the arguement over geeks and nerds, or the Note Organizer and Word Processor Outlining Tool advertised at the bottom of this page?
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Chris Bridges: I don't see the study of Sandman as geeky or nerdy -- c'mon, he won a World Fantasy Award for it -- but that's just me.
He won the World Fantasy Award for it -- how geekier/nerdier can you get? Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
And to think, all I did was write an essay comparing "Dead Poet Society" to "Catcher in the Rye." It was the last portion of my English Comp course exam. I took the entire exam in ten minutes (long story). And somehow got an A on the exam. I used to be really good with my creative writing. Have even been told to take courses in college. However, I have no strong interest in it.
BTW, I usually fall in the category of DORK. I'll even admit to being one. Nerd, no. Geek, no.
Posts: 2208 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I myself scored a billion on the SAT. Could have scored a billion and one if it wasn't for that stupid word association "geek is to dork, as nerd is to _____."
Posts: 9754 | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote:Originally posted by pH: I got a two billion.
-pH
My wife could make a pretty good argument that being twice as smart as me isn't too impressive. But I am personally impressed.
Posts: 9754 | Registered: Jul 2002
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