davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
Everyone identifies as a nerd nowadays
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When did nerds become really shitty people?
- Thread starter sn00zer
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Randomizer123454444
Member
You only hear about the loud ones on the internet, because rest of us have better things to do than waging internet wars.
Silly to say that on NeoGAF. Lot of nerdy things here to find. I like my anime, my games, my whimsical superheroes, my progressive cartoons, my Doctor and you can find other people like that in here. And other type of nerds; wrestling, sports, technic, Star Wars, certain kinds of music, etc.
Being a nerd does not mean to sit unwashed in a mancave made from stolen underwear from Will Wheaton and Alan Moore, it means to get very invested in a certain area that is not important to life and thus deemed waste for some people.
MaschinenZimmer
Banned
Nobody will read this because it's long and reading is for nerds. You are not a nerd, OP, you never was one. You are mistaken being a nerd with being a consumer junkie. But you are not alone on this one. Just a quick look on the posts here reveals that being a nerd is essentially watching as many anime and playing as many video games as possible. And since this is what most people here are doing in their free time, they assume that they are in fact nerds and getting a total culture shock when they really meet one.
But if you DO read the article, you shouldn't have problems to realize why so many of them grow up to be the persons they are.
But if you DO read the article, you shouldn't have problems to realize why so many of them grow up to be the persons they are.
Agent Gibbs
Member
As always first post nails it!
I think the issue now is the internet and anonymity of it have given people a voice and confidence to complain about everything, that and the collective ridiculing/stigma that used to occur/be attached to nerds in the 80s/90s has gone and been replaced with an (right) attitude that theres nothing wrong with being a nerd, in fact it can be cool - unfortunately, that pent up victimisation that older nerds, like myself felt through highschool can be vented on the internet, and theres an element of having an raw nerve of being victims, so any percieved slight against being a nerd is met with a nerd rage now
I suspect it will balance out to normal levels of ass hole human populace
I think that Freshmaker was saying that no one cares if you are a nerd or not once you leave highschool rather than no one cares about nerdy stuff.
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
So? I talk to a lot of people about such subjects. I only know one guy out of all of them who self identifies as a nerd.
I doubt even that guy who smugly brags about understanding the humor in Big Bang Theory because he is a nerd would bristle at a random mass nerd comment.
Yes. This. In my experience, that tends to recede into the background and adults just react to other people as other people. They may be socially awkward or whatever, but most folks are mainly just interested in getting along rather than employing a worthless social grouping like that.
I'd also add that I don't think the internet really needs yet another social outrage movement especially not one centered around not stereotyping nerds.
Yeah, because it's not as if someone insulted your race/gender/sexuality/creed. They generalized based on a label which people give themselves. If you like nerdy things, and want to call yourself a nerd, go for it. If you like nerdy things, but don't want to call yourself a nerd, go for it.
airmangataosenai
Member
It's not that anyone is acting differently, more that the behavior is framed differently now. Back then for instance, it was "They don't know how to talk to girls!", whereas now that lack of awareness of social norms takes on a new context. In reality, "Getting the girl" was always sexist, and there was always a strain of resentment from regular rejection from guys online. It just gets more exposure now.
Chuckie
Member
But someone who likes BBT is not a real nerd... at least that is what GAF has taught me
probably cuz u date assholes and don't know wut a real gentleman looks like
Good article thanks. Although generally level headed he does sometimes fall into the 'we're really superior trap', but the part about high school being useless does hit home as an educator.
Chairmanchuck
Member
What is a stereotypical nerd?
Freshmaker
I am Korean.
But someone who likes BBT is not a real nerd... at least that is what GAF has taught me
He sports a trilby and a scraggly beard when out and about.
travisbickle
Member
Probably when the iPhone released and their tech knowledge/opinion was no longer needed.
i agree.... OP... i can't play one game of DOTA anymore without this happening!
is that you? What do you expect with that name + the most toxic community ever assembled?
omg victim blaming
Shuggananas
Banned
please kill me
I never really saw a strong correlation between nerds and intelligence. A good number of the top students were fairly or very popular. I think the whole nerd = smart thing is something nerds tell ourselves to make us feel better, honestly. "Well, I'm not popular, but at least I'm smarter than those idiot jocks and shallow girls." And at 12 I can't say I didn't fall into that kind of thinking. And I certainly heard it from other nerds who never really showed any evidence of being smart.
I do think what the author is looking for is ultimately about certain things (whether it be over consumption of particular media, focus on hobbies, etc) being a distraction/barrier for socialization with others beyond a small group. Some people have the social skills and self awareness to get over that, others don't. Maybe he correlates high social aptitude with low academic/logical/etc intelligences and vice versa. Not sure how accurate that is and it certainly doesn't explain my school experience.
Alcoremortis
Member
Well, I did read this because I am a nerd... and yeah, this article seemed to pretty much hit the nail on the head. For middle school at least, "boring and cruel" seems pretty perfect as world descriptions go. Maybe it was just the high school I went to, but by the time I got there, being at the top of the class and also not an asshole was generally enough to get invited to parties. The kids who were primarily concerned with how they looked, talked, and spent their free time ended up on the bottom rung of the social ladder.
Revenge of the Nerds actually provides a good springboard for analyzing how the Nerd identity has been constructed and contributed to how its logic rationalizes and excuses shitty behavior. Here's an interesting article on it (which is why I'm repeating myself from an earlier post).
I think the premise is wierd. Sexism / Racism / other shitty attitude are rampant in all of society.
Sports? Media like film/music? The business world? academia?
How social/well adjusted you are has little impact on whether said person are assholes or not in my experience. They just express it differently.
Sports? Media like film/music? The business world? academia?
How social/well adjusted you are has little impact on whether said person are assholes or not in my experience. They just express it differently.
Monkey_Plunkett
Member
You know Nerds, we really are, the shitty people.
But it's also about how nerd culture as a cultural construct has a certain logic to it that rationalizes/excuses sexist / racist behavior. This is especially prevalent with the topic of women where nerd culture become entirely irrational in its exclusion and discrimination of women. You see how unrealistic some people are, even so-called "liberal" / "left-leaning" young (white) men, when they resort to incredibly conservative and extremistic reactions to matters of equality between the various genders, despite being having more progressive-leaning approaches to e.g. economics and class inequality.
Of course, sexism and racism and bigotry exist across society in all its different subcultures, but there is a specific way that nerd culture employs its view on women.
True Savior
Member
Most people can be very shitty. nerds are no exception.
Well, yeah, that's the thing. Nerd culture (however nebulous that is) is part of a larger culture so there you go. I don't think that means we can't look at how sexism and racism are reproduced in these different places - separately and collectively.
Maybe in addition to (or instead of) social skill) there's also the question of how much bullshit you're willing to put up with. And I don't think popularity or what the author was talking about really has that much to do with being an asshole. At the end of the day, kids in all the groups are assholes. Maybe they're assholes to different people and in different ways, but the social skills/desire part comes into play in what you think is asshole-ish behavior, how you deal with assholes, and what assholes you want to actually socialize with.
Fake edit: Huh, I could have sworn you were responding to my post. Maybe it's time for bed. D:
Mr. Luchador
Member
I walked into a place called 'Geek Retreat' the other day, it's like a nerdy cafe where you can play video games, pinball and CCGs, a place to chill and read comics too while you get a drink or some food. As soon as I walked in they all stopped and looked at me, as if I was an outsider. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt since it was a rather lovely day outside. Everyone inside was wearing a black t-shirt 3 times too big for them with their favourite waifu on the front. None of them smiled or said hello.
Times have changed for sure. Back in the day we used to welcome our fellow nerds. I just sat at the back and ate my waffles while I read a comic and made some notes on game design. I'd look up now and again to watch them play their CCGs and smile if anyone made eye contact - you know the polite thing to do. But they just looked away. I just found it odd that in an environment catered to nerds that they still wouldn't feel comfortable to be a little sociable.
I consider myself a nerd - I like comics, computer games, movies, sci-fi, etc. but I don't know, man. Something must have changed in the 15 years or so I was a teenager. I was always keen to share my hobbies with others and get them involved. Not once did anyone ask if I wanted a game or learn to play their Magic/Pokémon games, even though they had guest decks available. Total shocker. The only time someone spoke to me was a man looking for a place to sit with his daughter, he wanted to know if he could share the table - SURE, I said! Then we chatted about stuff and his daughter talked about what she liked.
Times have changed for sure. Back in the day we used to welcome our fellow nerds. I just sat at the back and ate my waffles while I read a comic and made some notes on game design. I'd look up now and again to watch them play their CCGs and smile if anyone made eye contact - you know the polite thing to do. But they just looked away. I just found it odd that in an environment catered to nerds that they still wouldn't feel comfortable to be a little sociable.
I consider myself a nerd - I like comics, computer games, movies, sci-fi, etc. but I don't know, man. Something must have changed in the 15 years or so I was a teenager. I was always keen to share my hobbies with others and get them involved. Not once did anyone ask if I wanted a game or learn to play their Magic/Pokémon games, even though they had guest decks available. Total shocker. The only time someone spoke to me was a man looking for a place to sit with his daughter, he wanted to know if he could share the table - SURE, I said! Then we chatted about stuff and his daughter talked about what she liked.
I'm going by the definition of the author I was responding to. Nerds are people want to be smarter more than they want anything else and thus intelligence correlates with unpopularity. I don't think that's really true.
Oh yeah, i certainly agree that "nerd-culture" has it's own brand of how all these attitudes express themselves/are self-justified.
I just don't think it's surprising that they exist in nerd-culture as well.
Yeah. Much like hipster it's lost all meaning.
It seems like being a nerd has become a social group, instead of lacking one.
Mr. Luchador
Member
It certainly felt that way, like a super exclusive group where you had to dress the same and believe the same stuff haha. I mean I'm only basing that on the initial impression as I walked in, but I did feel like I stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the younger ones in there. I don't know, I'm probably reading it all wrong, but there was hardly any real chatter happening. They were all deep into their CCGs.
Us older folks (I'm only 30!) on the back table had a good chat about comics and moives, so that was cool.
In response to the OT, and in agreement with others, I think 'Nerd' now is another thing altogether. It is about being a group that bands together (and this is me guessing) vent their misguided frustrations over the internet at 'lesser' groups/targets.
I shall return to Geek Retreat though, and I'll embrace those nerds in conversation. I SHALL TEACH THEM SOCIAL SKILLS!
I was about to write the same sentiment. Thanks, can't explain it better.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
Hipster never had any meaning it's literally the most non descriptive thing you can call someone. Anyone remotely socially popular and many that aren't can be referred to as hipster considering the total vagueness of the term.
MaschinenZimmer
Banned
To clarify. The popular kids are not the problem (from the article I linked):
Nerds are an easy target for the middle class. The truly popular kids don't care for them, they simply don't exist. Now think for a second, if you start working, what people do you usually work with? Suddenly, all of the middle class people pretending to be part of a sub-culture that they treated like shit because this people, from this particular sub-culture, are the ones that making the big cash and influence our form of living (smartphones, internet, social media etc.), so you get a middle class that plays a game of pretend. Is it really that surprising that older nerds are starting to show antisocial behaviours to the vast majority of people?
Nerds are an easy target for the middle class. The truly popular kids don't care for them, they simply don't exist. Now think for a second, if you start working, what people do you usually work with? Suddenly, all of the middle class people pretending to be part of a sub-culture that they treated like shit because this people, from this particular sub-culture, are the ones that making the big cash and influence our form of living (smartphones, internet, social media etc.), so you get a middle class that plays a game of pretend. Is it really that surprising that older nerds are starting to show antisocial behaviours to the vast majority of people?
hipster = someone who does stupid fucking shit just to be "different"
except they end up looking like everyone around them
BUT SERIOUSLY WHY DOES THIS FORUM CATCH SO MANY FUCKING FEELINGS OVER THE WORD 'NERD'???
Nerd culture has become the in thing, sadly. When I grew up it was sports, mainly. Which means several types of people could be considered 'Nerd'...
This is a nerd in high school.
This is when a nerd doesn't learn to grow up.
This is a nerd in high school.
This is when a nerd doesn't learn to grow up.
old manatee
Banned
Yeah, let's go back to picking on nerds! Is it 1982 again?
teruterubozu
Member
When girls started wearing "I Love Nerds!" shirts, but nerds still weren't getting laid despite their sudden mainstream popularity.
You seem to be taking the term 'nerd' pretty broadly and when the term is that broad I'm not sure if the attribute of being 'nerd' is even that relevant anymore. Not sure if it's possible to define the term 'nerd' unambiguously, but it's a silly term to me.
If you include people into video games, movie/anime, engineering/robotics, science, technology etc as being 'nerd', you end up with a really large group. I think almost everyone can be considered a nerd in a way, with how technology and digital entertainment are 2 key things that define modern culture.
I think you're really just generalizing, OP. Just judge them as "shitty people" if that's what you want to do, regardless whether they have certain hobbies or not.
Yeah, exactly.
If you include people into video games, movie/anime, engineering/robotics, science, technology etc as being 'nerd', you end up with a really large group. I think almost everyone can be considered a nerd in a way, with how technology and digital entertainment are 2 key things that define modern culture.
I think you're really just generalizing, OP. Just judge them as "shitty people" if that's what you want to do, regardless whether they have certain hobbies or not.
Yeah, exactly.
teruterubozu
Member
I must say though, that GAF has gotten more snarky and mean-spirited since I started 10 years ago. It seemed more communal and geekier when I first started.
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