I used to think of myself as a nerd, but I don't really anymore. You know why? Because I've found the entire "nerd" culture is based off of some sort of unwarranted feeling of superiority and bitterness towards "mundanes."
Most people who call themselves nerds, that I've come across, seem to have a very skewed perspective of how society works, and seem to think it mirrors an 80s high school drama, with pigeonholed classes of "jocks" and "nerds" etc. Guess what? High school, or for that matter, life, is nothing like that. And no, don't "be nice to nerds because you'll be calling them boss one day" because that literally almost never happens.
One of the things that bothers me most about self-described nerds is the same thing people hate about hipsters: the vacuous idea that their interests are unique, "underground," and makes them special snowflakes. Video games, sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. are not a "subculture" they are part of THE pop culture. Those things are WILDLY popular! I mean, MOST people play video games! The thing is, if being "nerdy" meant liking those interests fine, but it isn't, which brings me to my next point:
You're not smart because your choice in pop culture is different from someone else's. Think I'm making this up? Let's take a look at one of the most insufferable websites on the internet: ThinkGeek. ThinkGeek's very tagline is "stuff for smart masses." So clearly, they, or their clientele thinks their products are for some sort of elite class. All of their products are either vapid pop culture references, or vaguely "sciencey" things. Now, maybe I'm naive, but how the hell does that make someone "smart?" Hint: it doesn't. For all the hate Hot Topic gets, I really can't tell the difference. Both take pop culture and remarket them in a way that tries to make the client feel like a part of some sort of exclusive club. I actually unsubscribed to r/shutupandtakemymoney for this very reason: it just became "LOOK AT THIS GEEKY SHIRT THAT ONLY US GEEKS WILL 'GET' GUYS!!!!"
And another thing: just because you're vaguely competent with computers doesn't make you smart. You're not going to be the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. You're probably going to end up working a dead-end IT job. You know who, from my high school class, was the most successful? The "jocks" were. They were smart too! What? You can be good at sports AND be intelligent? Say it isn't so! Surprise: people with social skills tend to be able to connect with others more effectively. Furthermore, social skills and intelligence are not mutually exclusive either. This whole "misunderstood genius" bullshit makes my blood boil like none other.
The crux of the issue is this: far too many people self-identify as nerds because no other part of their personality is compelling or interesting. I guess they have this outdated concept that "nerdiness" isn't cool, but here's a newsflash: it is. Also, you're not looked down upon for being "smart," you're looked down upon for having childish interests, and for being completely uncultured. For all the superiority self-described nerds have over reading more, why is it that the sorts of books they read are shitty fantasy novels or Star Wars extended universe crap? Pop culture in written form is no less asinine than pop culture in any other media.
Anyhow, yeah, fuck nerds.
https://www.reddit.com/r/offmychest/com ... _hate_you/
A post about how nerd culture is the dumbest fucking thing ever. What are your thoughts?