Geek, Nerd, Loser, and other words I've been called: A linguistic exploration

So, for my first real writing experiment, I think I shall lecture about a couple of subjects that I'm reasonably familiar with: being a geek, and being pedantic about the meaning of words.
I'm a geek. At least, that's what I call myself, and when other people call me that, I agree (proudly, too!). But what is a geek, exactly? There are other lables that people have applied to me over the years, too. I've been called a nerd quite a bit, and a loser more than once, and a dork occaisionally... Why do I reject these labels, and embrace "geek"? To me, it's all in what the words mean to me. In my personal dictionary, "geek" means, basically, "someone who takes a more than socially normal interest in a particular activity". Basically, if you're more fascinated by a hobby, a subject, an activity, or anything else than the average person, to the point where that's actively noticable to those around you, you're a geek. This tends to mean that "geek" needs qualifiers. For example, I'm a role-playing geek, a reading geek, a history geek, and a couple of others, probably. Of course, the level of interest required to qualify for being a geek varies depending on the activity you're doing. I firmly believe that there are sports geeks out there. It's just that the level of interest in sports needs to be higher before other people consider it odd than, say, computers.
So, generally speaking, geek connotes a fairly deep interest in a subject. I don't see this as a nessecarily pejorative, or complimentary idea. There's nothing inherently good or bad about being more interested in something than the run of the mill person. Why I not only accept, but embrace the label, is basically a personal thing. I identify myself, in large part, with my interests. I think of myself as a person who reads a lot, who plays RPGs a lot, who really enjoys history. They're all part of my self-image, and therefore being regarded as more than usually interested in them is, essentially, a re-affirmation of that self image.

The word "nerd", on the other hand, is one I don't like. To me, "nerd" carries connotations of some of the most negative aspects of being a geek, coupled with some other undesirable traits. In Kelly's Collegiate Dictionary, "nerd" has a definition something along the lines of "an individual with a major lack of social skills, someone who simply doesn't understand social interaction". Being a nerd means that other people don't like you, not because you've got a weird hobby or something, but because you annoy them. Or because you don't realize that regular showers are not optional. Or because you can't tell when to shut up. Or any of the other personal reasons people don't like one another. I think that a nerd is someone who just doesn't grasp social interaction. Certainly, geeks can be nerds. One of the classic ways of being a nerd is assuming that your fixation is as interesting to you as to everyone else. No matter how interested you may be in your tropical fishtank, other people start to roll their eyes after the third hour of Fishtalk. But you don't have to be a geek, either. Someone with no particulary odd interests at all could still be a nerd. All they have to have is a failure to learn social skills. Mind you, a number of nerds who are also geeks seem to confuse the reasons behind things. Trust me, people don't nessecarily dislike you because you read a lot. It's much more likely that they don't like you because you don't talk to them that much, and when you do, it's about subjects that they just aren't that interested in. And when they express disinterest, you get offended and pissy (The "you" there, incidently, should be taken as refering to my 15-year-old self. Now there was a nerd).
Steven Urkel, from the old sitcom Family Matters, is pretty much my archetypical picture of a nerd. Obviously, he was a geek as well as a nerd: he liked science a lot more than was good for him. But that wasn't what made him a nerd, IMO, although the show seemed to think that was it. What made him a nerd was his annoying voice and manner, his tendency to barge in without asking, his persistence in pursuing relationships with people who weren't interested, and the fact that, although he seemed to be perceptive enough to realize why people were irritated with him, the fact that he still didn't change his behavior. Classic nerd. I like a lot of the same things he did, and I still wouldn't hang around with him. I'd probably strangle him in the first hour, frankly.
I dislike being called a nerd because I feel that I have social skills. I may not be perfect, but I do think that I am capable of noticing when I'm being annoying, and changing when I am. Not that I'm totally willing to adjust my personality to whatever people want from me, but I do think I can make friends and keep people entertained. I believe people like me because of my personality, not in spite of it.

"Loser" is a pretty simple one to define: "someone who habitually or perpetually loses, or who is unlikely to succeed, due to character flaws rather than some external agency such as luck". This fits into the whole Geek-Nerd-Loser group in that nerds tend to be losers, because the traits that make you a nerd (antisocial behavior, unwillingness to change behavior when it's been pointed out), also tend to make you a loser. Humans are social animals, and being antisocial doesn't make for a successful lifestyle. But you can be a loser without being a nerd. Someone who never finishes what they start, because they lack the will, is probably going to end up being called a loser, but they could be quite social indeed.
I dislike being called a loser because it hits too close to home, sometimes. In my more pessimistic moments, I suspect I am one. I have a hard time setting and meeting goals, I give up too easily, and I avoid hard work, even when the rewards might more than pay off.

As a closing note, all this pedantic definitionry (new word; I like it!) has been in relation only to how I use these words. Others might use them differently (indeed, I've heard almost opposite usages of "nerd" and "geek"). However, I think my usage of "geek", anyway, does reflect common usage anyway.
If you want actual defintions of the words, well, "geek" is a circus performer who bites the head of a chicken, "nerd" is a word Dr. Zeuss made up, and "loser" is probably pretty close to what I gave. As a bonus, "dork" means a whale's penis. There, new knowledge to share! Hooray!