Thread "NERDS!" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 8:02AM, Feb. 22, 2011

I've always kind of assumed that "nerd" culture has evolved and become more of a social trend rather than a social stigma in recent years because of the internet. The classic portrayal of a nerd is some guy who dresses badly, enjoys things that are more academic or fanciful than what most people of his age/class/gender group enjoy, who shys away from the world or has a very small group of friends who have similar interests. With the internet nerdy people have found each other. For lack of a better term, "we've" connected and amassed our numbers, becoming a new counter culture.

I don't think the term nerd will ever hold the same stigma it once did. You have people who are genuinely gifted at sciences, maths, and the sort… but in our society, we know we need those people and they've garnered respect. Then you have people with "nerdy" hobbies like comic books or video games…. but with all the superhero movies that have come out recently and the fact that most people young and old have played and enjoyed some sort of video game, especially wii, they seem like pretty normal activities. Then you have the recluses; the people who sit in a dark room and know literally everything there is to know about adobe photoshop or dedicate their lives to creating detailed security systems for the government's computers or missiles or sit in a dark room and try to break into those systems or something. Modern medicine tends to label these people as high functioning autistics who have obsessions.

Then, of course, we have hipsters.

Posted at 8:02AM, Feb. 23, 2011

post

Seems pretty sensible to me :)

I'm still not clear on what the various labels denote. I have Always considered myself a nerd — my Mom use to call it a bookworm.

Haha, self classification is a fun game! ^_^
For myself, I've always had a foot in both camps… Always found pretty easy acceptance with the cool kids and always looked pretty much the part (on the weirder end), but always felt more comfortable and preferred the company of the losers and the weirdos, -who were way more interesting.
(I didn't label them losers and weirdos myself)

So what was I? A weirdo!

Posted at 4:02PM, Feb. 23, 2011

It seems that these things happen in trends or work alongside with the advancement in technology.

Those considered nerds back in the day, were just people exploring new ideas. Most of the people I saw that were considered "popular" were those who were shut down from those ideas. However, as technology improves, those that were the nerds back in the day, become the icons we see.

So, I guess my answer is, yes, nerds still exist. They are just the people pushing the boundaries even further. It's just the medium changes.

However, the one constant I see… they ALL play Dungeons and Dragons…. it's just a fact of life lol. But there's nothing wrong with it hehe.

Posted at 9:02PM, Feb. 23, 2011

Then you have the recluses; the people who sit in a dark room and know literally everything there is to know

Like how it is possible to make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. You're not a true nerd unless you agree with it!

Posted at 1:02AM, Feb. 24, 2011

So, I guess my answer is, yes, nerds still exist. They are just the people pushing the boundaries even further. It's just the medium changes.

We don't consider those people to be "nerds" now. Perspectives have shifted and the general public understands and values the need for science more than they used to. They're rightly respected as clever people.
-though I would be VERY pleased if people grew up a bit more about people who go to business school: no, an MBA doesn't indicate that a person is clever, no matter where they got it. Scientists are clever, business people just make money.

Like how it is possible to make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. You're not a true nerd unless you agree with it!

This is very much were I'm coming from here: Star Wars was ALWAYS a major pop-culture phenomenon. …not a nerdy subculture thing.
The Kessel run stuff is part of another pop-culture construction about the stereotype of an "ideal" nerd, not actually nerdy info, since it's so widely accessible.

Your nerds were more likley to argue about obscure things that no one recall from the original Star Trek series or something. Or the beneficial qualities of a battleaxe of +5 smiting in D&D maybe?
I dunno…

Posted at 1:02AM, Feb. 24, 2011

So, I guess my answer is, yes, nerds still exist. They are just the people pushing the boundaries even further. It's just the medium changes.
We don't consider those people to be "nerds" now. Perspectives have shifted and the general public understands and values the need for science more than they used to. They're rightly respected as clever people.
-though I would be VERY pleased if people grew up a bit more about people who go to business school: no, an MBA doesn't indicate that a person is clever, no matter where they got it. Scientists are clever, business people just make money.

I completely agree, but the medium of what could be considered a nerd could also change depending on where the outsource of new ideas are coming from.

However, upon doing some research(ok… 5 minutes on google to find the "definition" of nerd isn't really research lol), it could also be said that a nerd can still be found in the technological medium.

According to Wikipedia (the great place that stuff could NEVER be false ROFL), nerds tend to lack that of a social interest and replace the need for a physical trait for that of an intellectual one.

If that is still the case, which I think it is, then nerds would still exist based on the criteria alone. Though it has become diluted, because many more have started to embrace their inner nerd.

Or I could be totally wrong… which is also likely lol.

Posted at 1:02AM, Feb. 24, 2011

This is very much were I'm coming from here: Star Wars was ALWAYS a major pop-culture phenomenon. …not a nerdy subculture thing.
The Kessel run stuff is part of another pop-culture construction about the stereotype of an "ideal" nerd, not actually nerdy info, since it's so widely accessible.

Yeah! I definitely meant that ironically. Though most people that defend that statement aren't actually called nerds, but instead are referred to as "fanboys."

And you're right, I feel like one attribute we can assign to the contemporary nerd is the draw towards obscurity. Have you noticed that the people often labeled as nerds by others are those that find interest in relatively unknown media or otherwise? And then once that particular show/comic/whatever becomes mainstream, they lose interest.

Posted at 5:02AM, Feb. 24, 2011

urgh. Someone called me a boy and a nerd for doing webcomics and liking doctor who.
but you can get cool nerds, like me!
and dorky nerds, just overly clever and dorky-looking. cool nerds look good, make an effort with their work, and they can like whatever they want, it doesn't make me a boy nerd!
anyone can do things they enjoy, and webcomics are one of my things.

Posted at 4:02PM, Feb. 24, 2011

urgh. Someone called me a boy and a nerd for doing webcomics and liking doctor who.
but you can get cool nerds, like me!
and dorky nerds, just overly clever and dorky-looking. cool nerds look good, make an effort with their work, and they can like whatever they want, it doesn't make me a boy nerd!
anyone can do things they enjoy, and webcomics are one of my things.

You're posting a lot, and creating thousands of new forum threads, but many times, you're sounding wise beyond your years. ^_^

But to stay on topic: There are nerds I love for being nerds, and nerds I loathe for being nerds. A few years ago I went to a "comic regulars' table" (this is obviously a literal translation of what this gathering of comic book nerds was called in German). It was basically twenty to thirty comic book enthusiasts from all over town gathering in a separate room at a bar. I heard about it, and back then I had never met other people who were similarly enthusiastic about comic books, much less some who were writing/drawing some themselves! So, I got over my anti-social self and went there… twice, I think. But I didn't connect with a single person in the whole room. It was just crowded and awkward. I vividly remember sitting next to a guy who told me about his favorite Wolverine moments. And he just wouldn't stop. I couldn't care less about Wolverine back then, and I didn't want to spend a whole evening in a crowded room with some guy chewing my ear off about stuff I didn't care about. He didn't look too tidy, either. Anyway. I don't like that sort of nerds.
But I love some of the nerds around here. Even those that won't shut up about Wolverine :p