Geeks vs. Nerds

I believe that there is no difference between a geek and a nerd.  I feel as if the two words are used interchangeably.  These labels were generated from someone being addicted to one specific item or idea.  I’m not a fan of labels so when I hear the word geek or nerd I automatically think of it in a negative way.  My definition of a geek or nerd is someone who is passionate about something or an idea.  I feel if we didn’t have people like that in the world there would not be experts or anyone extremely interested in what they are doing as a profession.  I think it is extremely cool to have someone that is that passionate about something.  In class, many people said that boys are usually geeks and girls are usually nerds.  I think that is very stereotypical and I highly disagree.  When I was younger, if I heard someone say geek or nerd it was always someone talking negatively about someone.  However, I feel like as my generation gets older that term is slowly fading.  Now that I am in college, I think people respect people who are addicted or passionate about specific things or ideas.  In college, we are all geeks because we each have a focus and are trying our best to achieve that goal.  We join groups that will benefit us in the future and attend conferences and speakers that about our area of focus.  I am glad that the term “geek” has went away and is not used in a negative light.