# Nerd/geek culture, self-identification, and the Nerd Police



## hellbound (May 6, 2014)

Spun off the Stupid Video Games Accessories thread



Bgheff said:


> Why does it matter if what use to be nerdy interests become mainstream?  most people are glad their girlfriends are now into games.





homerbeoulve said:


> I think video will do the explaining to you: [youtube]H7A5OgfP4NA[/youtube]



I couldn't make it through much of the video but the main points appear to be:
-people who call themselves nerds seldom are
-"real nerds" have "earned their title" through alienation
-"geek chic" is cultural commodification/appropriation and harmful

By almost any reasonable definition I could be called a nerd. I am currently a scientist and I'm also studying engineering. I grew up playing tabletop RPGs and board games (like Puerto Rico, Settlers, Civilization, Carcassone, and Power Grid, not Monopoly and Risk) on a weekly basis, and Magic, Illuminati, and the Pokemon card game less frequently but still often enough. Though I'm not into it anymore, I used to be in my high school's anime club. As a project I intend to work out how having an 8-suite deck of cards changes the statistics of poker hands.

But I've never really taken the label on myself. I don't go around calling myself a nerd or a geek. I have a couple "nerdy" shirts - Thor, Keyboard Cat, and Colonel Meow, but that's about it. I got eye surgery so I wouldn't need to wear glasses anymore. I have a decent amount of tattoos but none of them are about video games. The whole concept of geek chic is a little bit baffling to me. People who take pride in calling themselves nerds seem like black people who go around calling themselves nigg(er/a)s, or homosexuals who call themselves fags. You can talk about word privileges and taking it back all you want, but it's always seemed foolish to self-apply an insult.

But even stranger than that to me is people who say they earned it and get angry about people whose interest in "nerdy" shit only goes as far as playing COD or Angry Birds and seeing the latest Avengers movie wearing chunky glasses, or who compare Big Bang Theory to blackface. It's just fashion. I suppose you get similar bitching when a white person wears a bindi or listens to blues, but it seems that many of the same people who scoff at the notion of cultural appropriation get upset at "fake nerds."

I may think it's stupid to use terms like nerd or geek when talking about yourself, but what harm does it do when somebody does it? Who has the authority to be arbiter of who may or may not call themselves a nerd? Why, in short, does it matter that things like comic books and video games are becoming mainstream? Everything that can make money gets sold.

At its core, the backlash against "fake geeks" just seems like being upset that when what you identify as becomes mainstream, for one brief moment you're at the forefront but then those susceptible to fads move to catch up and you're no longer that special snowflake.


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## c-no (May 6, 2014)

I don't know if this post of mine could get what you are saying but I may as well take a stab at it. As much as I love going on the internet, being a part of a fandom (brony and From Software fan) owning a few shirts that reference pop culture, tv shows, and movies (Hobbit shirt, Domo shirt, and Regular Show shirt), and owning a lot of video games (and identifying myself as a gamer), I don't really see myself as a nerd or geek not because of whatever stigma there is attached to it but because I'm indifferent to the two labels. 

I don't really care if someone really does see themselves as nerds or geeks mainly because 1) I don't really care and 2) it's their life, they can call themselves a furry geek who is a hardcore tabletop gamer for all I care, it's none of my business. As for "fake geeks", I do feel they exist, thinking that just because they watch "The Avengers" and being fans of The Big Bang Theory makes them nerds. To me it doesn't make them nerds but I don't care as long as they don't flaunt their "nerdiness". If they were to do such a thing, I'd feel they be doing it for attention.

I can see how something becoming mainstream can be a problem (lower quality for one) but on that same note, I myself do not care if the next Dark Souls became more mainstream. 

As for earning the title of nerd, I honestly have to ask: what do you have to like in order to have the title? Being a huge fan of tabletop games? Knowing all the Star Trek episodes without having to look up Wikipedia? I would like to know, what makes a guy a nerd? What makes a woman a geek?

As I said, if this post doesn't get what hellbound is saying, then I can accept that I am wrong.


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## UnwiseKhan (May 6, 2014)

hellbound said:


> At its core, the backlash against "fake geeks" just seems like being upset that when what you identify as becomes mainstream, for one brief moment you're at the forefront but then those susceptible to fads move to catch up and you're no longer that special snowflake.


It does seem like it's the same idea as tumblr "otherkin oppression" and all that stuff. People want to be special, and want something to be self-righteous about, so they find something stupid to latch on to and build their personality around it.


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## hellbound (May 6, 2014)

c-no said:


> As for earning the title of nerd, I honestly have to ask: what do you have to like in order to have the title? Being a huge fan of tabletop games? Knowing all the Star Trek episodes without having to look up Wikipedia? I would like to know, what makes a guy a nerd? What makes a woman a geek?



One of my points. Who has the authority to tell somebody that they are or are not a nerd or a geek or whatever? But you have self-appointed Nerd Police telling people they couldn't possibly be one.


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## c-no (May 6, 2014)

hellbound said:


> One of my points. Who has the authority to tell somebody that they are or are not a nerd or a geek or whatever? But you have self-appointed Nerd Police telling people they couldn't possibly be one.


As far as labeling yourself as something, I feel that if one only deserves it if they really do identify as that. If you really do see yourself as a nerd for whatever reasons such as being a fan of Star Trek while also being a fan of TBBT, playing 50 hours of both DnD and COD, then by all means call yourself a nerd. If you do see yourself as that, then you may as well be that. I could be wrong though. As for self-appointed Nerd Police, those guys may as well be those who use the "No True Scotsman" fallacy.


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## CatParty (May 6, 2014)




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## Marvin (May 6, 2014)

Heh, my wireless headset's charging, so I can't watch the video. Maybe in a bit.

But the subject is something people whine about a lot, so just from the title, I can guess what's going on. "You're not such a nerd: commodification of nerd and gamer subculture" Haha, see, just from this line, I'm thinking, yes, this guy hit the nail on the head: commodification, that's exactly what's happening. And really, I'm really sad for all the nerds out there, who are losing their precious titles to the hipsters. I'm crying tears of blood for all you nerds. 



hellbound said:


> The whole concept of geek chic is a little bit baffling to me. People who take pride in calling themselves nerds seem like black people who go around calling themselves nigg(er/a)s, or homosexuals who call themselves fags. You can talk about word privileges and taking it back all you want, but it's always seemed foolish to self-apply an insult.


Eh, but it's not an insult at this point. Language evolves. People are taking nerds seriously, instead of them just being punchlines on a sitcom.


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## Mourning Dove (May 6, 2014)

I posted this a while ago on the CWCki forums but I find it relevant here. Nerd, Geek, or Dork? Test



> A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
> A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
> A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.



The test has been deeming me as a "Pure Nerd" for a while now. I'm also on the dorky side too, probably because of the Asperger's.


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## Marvin (May 6, 2014)

So, I'm actually sitting down and watching this video, and this shit is nuts. In my earlier post, I started to say something like "and shit, it's not even like you're a group that's genuinely oppressed, like American Indians." But I clipped it out of my post, because I figured I'd keep it simple.

But goddamn, I never would've believed that the guy in this video actually would compare losing his nerd title to, y'know, actual oppression of people. That's some crazy shit.


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## Mourning Dove (May 6, 2014)

I was once picked on as a kid for being socially awkward and "weird." Then I found nerd pride, superiority for liking video games "before they were cool." And now I don't care anymore about nerd labels or lack thereof.


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## Luna (May 6, 2014)

That whole being alienated = nerd/geek/dork/gamer/whatever is bullshit. What clique you fit into is defined primarily by your interests and tastes in fashion, music, etc. Saying being alienated makes you a nerd is like saying fighting with mods makes you a rocker.


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## Pikonic (May 6, 2014)

Call me by my name.


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## silentprincess (May 6, 2014)

I've never known what to identify myself as, I've always just felt like the weird, strange, creepy, thick, awkward person who doesn't know where to fit herself in.


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## Rio (May 6, 2014)

I for one just have a lot of questions about this subject. First of all, I find the idea of a 'real nerd/gamer' a bit weird. Like what differentiates a 'real nerd' from a 'fake nerd.' Is a hipster who's never been bullied but loves dungeons and dragons still a fake nerd? Who chooses who gets to carry the label of 'real nerd?' Why is it important? And what has the guy in that video been smoking to compare the stigmatization of 'nerdiness' to the type of institutional racism/oppression actual minorities have had to face?


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## Sexual Stallone (May 6, 2014)

GO PLAY WORLD OF WARCRAFT YOU PASTY, FAT, NECKBEARDED, FEDORA WEARING, VIRGIN NERDS! HAHAHA! _*Hi fives every other CWCki forums jock as we walk away_


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## Marvin (May 6, 2014)

Rio said:


> I for one just have a lot of questions about this subject. First of all, I find the idea of a 'real nerd/gamer' a bit weird. Like what differentiates a 'real nerd' from a 'fake nerd.' Is a hipster who's never been bullied but loves dungeons and dragons still a fake nerd? Who chooses who gets to carry the label of 'real nerd?' And what has the guy in that video been smoking to compare the stigmatization of 'nerdiness' to the type of institutional racism/oppression actual minorities have had to face?


Yeah. Actually, trying to really get deep in fighting all the fake nerds is funny to me. Well, hell, we've all experienced some amount of bullying at some point. How much bully stamps do you have to have on your nerd card to be a _real_ nerd?

In high school, me and my friends were all huge nerds, but we managed to evade bullying. Maybe we stuck together better or were more mature than typical nerds, so we handled people trying to fuck with us better (unlikely, but possible)? We were nerds who were just more effective at dodging bullies. Does that invalidate our precious, nerd culture?  

This is all very amusing to me.


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## Trickie (May 6, 2014)

Hmm... this looks like a job for the Gatekeeper! 






Seriously, though, I think I get the whole torment for looking or behaving in a way that is socially unacceptable, I had a bad way of it when I was growing up (not always for being a "nerd", but for other things as well), but it's definitely not exclusive to nerds.

Personally, I'm just glad that being a nerd doesn't have a stigma anymore. Fewer kids getting picked on for knowing a lot about computers? Awesome! The only downside is that I'm pretty sure it'll just move on to some other group, like hipsters or something.


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## Surtur (May 6, 2014)

silentprincess said:


> I've never known what to identify myself as, I've always just felt like the weird, strange, creepy, thick, awkward person who doesn't know where to fit herself in.



You fit in here, where you give all of the likes and pets.

Also, as someone who is a nerd and a geek, I could give fuck all about hipsters calling themselves that. Also, comparing yourself to groups who have actually suffered genocide and slavery is some serious bull shit.


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## Observers (May 6, 2014)

You have to look at Western culture to understand Nerd culture as it was once a sub culture of western culture.

Individualism which grew out of the fires of the french revolution focused heavily on "the person" not the group.

As secularization began to emerge people started to look and judge themselves at this life and there accomplishments not the afterlife.

Somehow this idea of the person was later perverted by the babyboomers and passed on to there children to what i like to call "Mah special snowflake" mentality.

In our society it is somehow wrong not to be a perfect individual. I have to give myself as many labels as possible to make myself not just unique but more unique then you. You are just a gamer on a Nintendo, im a table top star trek anti star wars pro geneticist tri sexual elephant trapped in a mongooses body with severe disability in quantum science! That makes me Uber unique therefor super special!

Now whats this have to do with nerd culture, part of its old identification was that it was a sub culture used to being mocked at. Now its becoming  a kinda cool thing to be part of. Power is going to these peoples heads who were once mocked and made fun of. So now they are starting to become the bullies they once hated.

Humanity in general does not learn form its mistakes. Look at the French Revolution/Communist Revolutions People who once had no power and were pawns of the Monarchies revolted and took power. The second they take power the trials start the executions follow and the reign of terror becomes the norm. Those who have no power once they gain it tend to be as bad if not worse then the person they took power from.

Nerd culture is no different (granted we are not talking about something as important as a governmental collapse but the theory is kinda the same) They get power from taking it from others. If you do not fit there perfect little mold you are cast out. Just like they were once cast out. They have not learned one single lesson from being a victim of a stronger culture. Opressors become the oppressed and the oppressed become the oppressor. 

I refuse to label myself as i am not a special snowflake I am just an observer 

One day the table will turn and history will repeat. 

Just my 2 cents

TLDR: Same ol shit different day.


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## silentprincess (May 6, 2014)

Surtur said:


> You fit in here, where you give all of the likes and pets.
> 
> Also, as someone who is a nerd and a geek, I could give fuck all about hipsters calling themselves that. Also, comparing yourself to groups who have actually suffered genocide and slavery is some serious bull shit.



But I still feel like I have no idea who I am, what makes me, me. I know I fit in here, which is nice, but I wish I knew what kind of person I am, because all my life I've been one of those people who does things to please others to fit in.


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## Marvin (May 6, 2014)

silentprincess said:


> But I still feel like I have no idea who I am, what makes me, me. I know I fit in here, which is nice, but I wish I knew what kind of person I am, because all my life I've been one of those people who does things to please others to fit in.


Yeah, I know that, shit like that drives me nuts. I've got a wedding to go to, and I hate events like that. I feel like I've got to be an actor for six hours, so I can prance around and deal with people I don't care about and present an image of myself to them that's family friendly.

I mean, sure, I do it for people I care about, because I can sacrifice my comfort for, say, my family once in awhile. But I'm dreading this wedding. (teeheehee, that rhymed)


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## Anchuent Christory (May 6, 2014)

Yeah, not surprised that the person in that video rags on Big Bang Theory, you'd think that program was the modern equivalent of the racist sitcoms from the 70's by the way some people whinge about it, it's a comedy, get the fuck over yourselves.

The current thing that really pisses me off is the level of exclusion displayed in the gaming community, and self identified "hardcore" gamers who sneer derisively at anybody who dares to enjoy games that don't fall within their narrow tastes and arbitrarily defined borders of what a "hardcore" game is. How dare they enjoy Candy Crush! Nintendo? That's for kids! etc.






The way some of these people go on is almost like Chris' reactions to when folk like Alec started fucking around with his Sonichu universe. It's like they see outsiders as people who are polluting their chosen hugbox and are ruining it for them, despite the fact that it makes _no fucking difference _to the way they themselves interact with and enjoy their hobby.

Some folk are just desperate to be "special"


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## Surtur (May 6, 2014)

Anchuent Christory said:


> Yeah, not surprised that the person in that video rags on Big Bang Theory, you'd think that program was the modern equivalent of the racist sitcoms from the 70's by the way some people whinge about it, it's a comedy, get the fuck over yourselves.
> 
> The current thing that really pisses me off is the level of exclusion displayed in the gaming community, and self identified "hardcore" gamers who sneer derisively at anybody who dares to enjoy games that don't fall within their narrow tastes and arbitrarily defined borders of what a "hardcore" game is. How dare they enjoy Candy Crush! Nintendo? That's for kids! etc.
> 
> ...



So in other words...autism.


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## Arkangel (May 6, 2014)

Remember: You're not a TRUE nerd unless you agree with all of my opinions and have the same preferences in entertainment as I do. Any deviation makes you a poser and a fake.


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## Anchuent Christory (May 6, 2014)

Ziltoid said:


> Remember: You're not a TRUE nerd unless you agree with all of my opinions and have the same preferences in entertainment as I do. Any deviation makes you a poser and a fake.


Pretty much, people tend to base their assumptions of how intelligent another person is by how much they agree with their opinions and prejudices.


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## Marvin (May 6, 2014)

Anchuent Christory said:


> Yeah, not surprised that the person in that video rags on Big Bang Theory, you'd think that program was the modern equivalent of the racist sitcoms from the 70's by the way some people whinge about it, it's a comedy, get the fuck over yourselves.


Haha, yeah. Big Bang Theory is shit because it's super dumb, not because it's stereotyping nerds.



Anchuent Christory said:


> The current thing that really pisses me off is the level of exclusion displayed in the gaming community, and self identified "hardcore" gamers who sneer derisively at anybody who dares to enjoy games that don't fall within their narrow tastes and arbitrarily defined borders of what a "hardcore" game is. How dare they enjoy Candy Crush! Nintendo? That's for kids! etc.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Heh, yeah, like, me, Alec and some other trolls hang out in mumble. And they've all been playing games for years, it's not like they're novices or anything like that. I'm not much of a gamer, but I'm aware of the "hardcore" gamer shtick. So when I'm in mumble, and I listen to them talking about video games, I'm like "huh, so this is what a well adjusted gamer sounds like..."


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## BT 075 (May 6, 2014)

Pff... nerds. 






I think we should just get those nerds, stuff them in a locker and buy beer with their lunchmoney.


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## exball (May 6, 2014)

Real nerds have curves.


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## Pikonic (May 6, 2014)

This guy really hates TBBT, and people on the internet love to bash it, not knowing what a satire is.



silentprincess said:


> I've never known what to identify myself as, I've always just felt like the weird, strange, creepy, thick, awkward person who doesn't know where to fit herself in.


You're silentprincess of the CWCki forums.


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## Marvin (May 6, 2014)

Pikonic said:


> This guy really hates TBBT, and people on the internet love to bash it, not knowing what a satire is.


Eh... I don't know. Basically, the characters are pretty corny, but they're just real enough to seem like they were the writer's legit goal. I'm not seeing how they're satirizing anything.


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## Pikonic (May 6, 2014)

Marvin said:


> Eh... I don't know. Basically, the characters are pretty corny, but they're just real enough to seem like they were the writer's legit goal. I'm not seeing how they're satirizing anything.


Maybe satire wasn't the right word. The thing about TBBT is it's a comedy, maybe the producers did try to make legit  nerds. That's the one show that if you say you like it, BOOM! "Faker" "Poser" "Wannabe"


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## Marvin (May 6, 2014)

Pikonic said:


> Maybe satire wasn't the right word. The thing about TBBT is it's a comedy, maybe the producers did try to make legit  nerds. That's the one show that if you say you like it, BOOM! "Faker" "Poser" "Wannabe"


Faker? See, I don't get that. It's such a dumb show in first place, who takes it seriously? Really, if someone's asserting you're claiming or they're getting on your ass about how your nerdery is phony, I'd start taking stock about how important this person's opinion is in the first place. There really can't be an important person saying this?


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## Luna (May 6, 2014)

The thing that gets me about the whole IT crowd/TBBT dichotomy though is that like, with the IT crowd they did a pretty realistic representation of nerds down to them being socially maladjusted and working shit jobs in a tech department with few to no friends, whereas in TBBT, like yeah they're all eccentric and weird, but they're all well off, with good paying jobs and a large circle of friends. Wouldn't you rather have someone presenting you as someone who is just a little strange but otherwise alright than presenting you as someone who would tell a midget they're too small to do their job correctly and pretend to be disabled just because they couldn't be bothered to wait in line for the toilet?

Like, I don't like TBBT at all and I am kind of a fan of the IT crowd, but like TBBT puts their nerds in a much better light than the IT crowd did.


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## A-Stump (May 6, 2014)

The only thing offensive about TBBT is how painfully unfunny it is.


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## Sexual Stallone (May 6, 2014)

It's funny how serious this guys take the "Real Nerd" thing on the internet but as soon as they step out of the hugbox, they are the most depressed people ever. (For example Homer and his "Woe is me" sthick about not finding a white girl to be his girlfriend)


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## Holdek (May 6, 2014)

Marvin said:


> Yeah, I know that, shit like that drives me nuts. I've got a wedding to go to, and I hate events like that. I feel like I've got to be an actor for six hours, so I can prance around and deal with people I don't care about and present an image of myself to them that's family friendly.
> 
> I mean, sure, I do it for people I care about, because I can sacrifice my comfort for, say, my family once in awhile....


I know what you mean.  There are people who cause scenes because they "refuse to compromise who I am blah blah," but if I'm in a situation where I'm not the intended focus, I'll suck it up for the people that are.


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## bradsternum (May 6, 2014)

Oh god I don't give a fuck.


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## Cwckifan (May 6, 2014)

silentprincess said:


> I've never known what to identify myself as, I've always just felt like the weird, strange, creepy, thick, awkward person who doesn't know where to fit herself in.


 Well, Human for one


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## Niachu (May 7, 2014)

Everyone wants to feel better than everyone else.


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## Mogambo (May 7, 2014)

Meh, I kind of get it. I'm something of a "nerd" myself; I play tabletop RPGs, grew up watching Doctor Who and Star Trek (the original series), have a decent comic collection, wear pop culture shirts, read urban fantasy novels, I even own a freaking sword (granted, its only for show, but still). But even I think its ridiculous for "nerds" to compare themselves to the American Indians or Jews or blacks or any other group that has gone through genuine oppression in recent times. Nerds have never been rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Nerds have never been banned from speaking their language or had their children taken away from them to be raised by people from another culture. Nerds have never been shot or poisoned or raped en masse simply for being nerds and then had their persecutors go free. Someone saying mean things about you isn't the same. Someone wearing the same shirt REALLY isn't the same.

Of course, just because its not actually genocide doesn't mean it can't still sting just a little. To be honest, I do view the current popularity of "nerd culture" as a mixed blessing of sorts. On the one hand, I'm happy to know that things I like are popular. It means that my favourite series might last a little longer. It means that they might actually put stuff out on DVD after all these years. It means there might be more new merchandise I can buy. It means some of my favourite actors and artists might make more convention appearances. All of that is good news to me. Plus, I like the idea that there are women who are into fandom. Really, there always have been, its just they haven't always been the most visible faces of the subculture. I'm proud to say that my last ex got into nerd subculture through me.

On the other hand, it is a little infuriating when douchebag hipsters latch onto something and then act like they knew about it before you. But then, that's true for just about any fad. And yes, there are people who latch onto just about anything simply because its popular (at the time). All of their smugness aside, I think part of what bothers me about it is that I actually lived through it. Again, I was kind of a nerdy kid, and I'll be amongst the first to admit it. I got bullied at times, and I wasn't always the most popular guy. I had my fair share of rejection. Hell, that's part of why I can feel a bit of empathy for Chris (though even that wears thin when he starts doing things like accusing firefighters of stealing from him...) Of course, I was also into metal and goth, so I had a little edge to me, and by the time I got to university I was much more socially adept. But its kind of annoying to see the "popular" people pretend that they were social outcasts. And yes, I realize that makes me sound rather petty.

Thankfully, trends come and go, so eventually the hipster kids will move on to... well something else. Probably dressing like Puritans with tights and bucklehats or something. I don't know. In the meantime, I'm going to hold out hope that the whole "geek chic" trend will give us some cool stuff. Like another season of Firefly, or a Sandman movie.


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## Some JERK (May 7, 2014)

"Nerd" used to be a pejorative term given to people who preferred intellectual pursuits over social/athletic activities. It wasn't really something that people ever used to define themselves. In other words, real "nerds" only called themselves nerds as a kind of ironic in-joke. That anyone takes the title serious enough to defend it or say that some people aren't good enough to "qualify" for it is fucking retarded.


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## Foulmouth (May 7, 2014)

This sort of shit baffles me somewhat.I'm a big yob, I do manual labour for a living and I love the pub.
I also read a lot,play RPG's and chess,paint lead miniatures and make model buildings.
Labels are a crock of shit.


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## Sexual Stallone (May 7, 2014)

Foulmouth said:


> This sort of shit baffles me somewhat.I'm a big yob, I do manual labour for a living and I love the pub.
> I also read a lot,play RPG's and chess,paint lead miniatures and make model buildings.
> Labels are a crock of shit.


Gay


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## Dr. Mario (May 7, 2014)

If nerd is a *pejorative* term. Why would you call yourself like that and think it's cool? Fuck the nerds.


Spoiler


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## exball (May 7, 2014)

Mogambo said:


> Meh, I even own a freaking sword (granted, its only for show, but still).


You only own one sword? Pff, normalfag.


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## TastyWoodenBadge (May 7, 2014)

CatParty said:


>


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## Marvin (May 7, 2014)

Mogambo said:


> Of course, just because its not actually genocide doesn't mean it can't still sting just a little. To be honest, I do view the current popularity of "nerd culture" as a mixed blessing of sorts. On the one hand, I'm happy to know that things I like are popular. It means that my favourite series might last a little longer. It means that they might actually put stuff out on DVD after all these years. It means there might be more new merchandise I can buy. It means some of my favourite actors and artists might make more convention appearances. All of that is good news to me. Plus, I like the idea that there are women who are into fandom. Really, there always have been, its just they haven't always been the most visible faces of the subculture. I'm proud to say that my last ex got into nerd subculture through me.


I feel that. Especially the thing about girls. My last girlfriend was a serious gamer (and stunningly beautiful) on her own, and that's a big reason why I liked her. Honestly, at this point, I'm thinking that I don't think I could have a serious relationship with someone if they weren't into at least one of my (strange) interests. Because, I mean, what's the point? Why not just meet up and fuck once in awhile, and leave it at that? It'd be exactly the same thing, if we aren't friends. And a huge part of how I bond with my friends is because we share interests.



Mogambo said:


> And yes, there are people who latch onto just about anything simply because its popular (at the time).


Haha, I was infuriated when I heard that there was going to be an American remake of Oldboy. And by Spike Lee, of all people. Like, fuck, how can I stop this from happening? Do I need to personally sabotage this movie?

I was worrying that I would be sitting in a bar, and some guy next to me would say "oh my god, did you see Oldboy? that fight scene in it was great!" And of course, I'd be sitting there, grinding my teeth, clenching my fists and thinking "you dipshit, the real Oldboy's ending would bring you to tears!"

Thankfully, the remake bombed and few people actually saw it. So this story has a happy ending.



Mogambo said:


> On the other hand, it is a little infuriating when douchebag hipsters latch onto something and then act like they knew about it before you. But then, that's true for just about any fad.


To me, nerdiness and suffering aren't (directly) connected. Although, of course, a big inspiration for my whole understanding of "nerd" comes from Revenge of the Nerds. (I both love the movie and hate the movie)

Heh, and when I bring up as Revenge of the Nerds as my source for "nerd", I'm mostly joking. But actually, now that I think about it, it may not be too far from the truth.

Like, I'm thinking that nerds aren't nerds because they're persecuted, they're nerds because of their interests. If the nerds in the movie managed to defeat their persecutors, and end persecution of nerdkind (this just makes me laugh too much not to write), they'd still be nerds, right?



Mogambo said:


> All of their smugness aside, I think part of what bothers me about it is that I actually lived through it. Again, I was kind of a nerdy kid, and I'll be amongst the first to admit it. I got bullied at times, and I wasn't always the most popular guy. I had my fair share of rejection. Hell, that's part of why I can feel a bit of empathy for Chris (though even that wears thin when he starts doing things like accusing firefighters of stealing from him...)


See, I feel sorry for Chris, but for different reasons. I don't believe Chris wasn't substantially bullied at any point in his life. Chris' life sucks because of a few reasons, but getting rejected wasn't a big part of it. Heh, you can't get rejected if you don't try in the first place, y'know?

Or, rather, I wasn't considering trolling. So yeah, there's bullying. I was more thinking about people bringing up his school years and wondering if he was bullied during that time.


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## cypocraphy (May 7, 2014)

There was a time in the U.S. when the idea of a woman voting, or wearing jeans, or driving was crazy.

Shit changes, women like videos games these days...just get over it already.


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## Anchuent Christory (May 7, 2014)

Foulmouth said:


> This sort of shit baffles me somewhat.I'm a big yob, I do manual labour for a living and I love the pub.
> I also read a lot,play RPG's and chess,paint lead miniatures and make model buildings.
> Labels are a crock of shit.


Exactly, the sportiest person I ever knew also collected, played, and painted 40k stuff.



Marvin said:


> Heh, yeah, like, me, Alec and some other trolls hang out in mumble. And they've all been playing games for years, it's not like they're novices or anything like that. I'm not much of a gamer, but I'm aware of the "hardcore" gamer shtick. So when I'm in mumble, and I listen to them talking about video games, I'm like "huh, so this is what a well adjusted gamer sounds like..."



Yeah, I can relate to this. Gaming is my main hobby, but i actually find it difficult to have meaningful dialogue with others about gaming due because of the typical hardcore gamer attitude and the overly aggressive, polarised and opinionated slant it gives to the community.
Some of the best chats I have are with a friend of mine who hardly plays games, so his views and observations can be genuinely refreshing. When he does play a game he seems to get a lot more pure enjoyment out of it because he doesn't approach it loaded with preconceptions and prejudices, and just appreciates it for what it is.


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## hellbound (May 8, 2014)

Marvin said:


> Eh... I don't know. Basically, the characters are pretty corny, but they're just real enough to seem like they were the writer's legit goal. I'm not seeing how they're satirizing anything.



I'm not a huge fan of it and it is kind of stretching things but you can't work in the sciences without knowing people who on some level are a little like those characters. I work in biology, which probably has the most "normal" scientists of the hard sciences (in my experience weirdness seems to go up the further you get from studying people, so physicists tend to be weirder than chemists, who are weirder than biologists, who are weirder than those in the social sciences), but you will always find somebody who's too nervous around women to ask them out like the indian guy (but doesn't actually go mute), or who requires a strictly regimented life and just plain does not give a shit about other people like Sheldon (but not to quite that extent), or whatever. Seems to me the writers were pretty decent at taking tendencies that are prevalent in the field and cranking the dial all the way up as satire.



silentprincess said:


> But I still feel like I have no idea who I am, what makes me, me. I know I fit in here, which is nice, but I wish I knew what kind of person I am, because all my life I've been one of those people who does things to please others to fit in.



Personally I try not to worry about what kind of person I am. I try to do things I enjoy, and be kind and helpful in general, and let other people worry about what kind of person I am and what to call me if they want.


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## Marvin (May 8, 2014)

hellbound said:


> I'm not a huge fan of it and it is kind of stretching things but you can't work in the sciences without knowing people who on some level are a little like those characters. I work in biology, which probably has the most "normal" scientists of the hard sciences (in my experience weirdness seems to go up the further you get from studying people, so physicists tend to be weirder than chemists, who are weirder than biologists, who are weirder than those in the social sciences), but you will always find somebody who's too nervous around women to ask them out like the indian guy (but doesn't actually go mute), or who requires a strictly regimented life and just plain does not give a shit about other people like Sheldon (but not to quite that extent), or whatever. Seems to me the writers were pretty decent at taking tendencies that are prevalent in the field and cranking the dial all the way up as satire.


I'm not sure what point they would be trying to make with this as a satire. Like, what are they trying to say? That people with social problems exist? That they're frequently into science? I don't get it.

Really, it just seems like people are taking a bad show, and trying to excuse it because they got a few things factually correct.

So, for example, I think That 70's Show was a pretty great show. I definitely liked it. But if it actually was a bad show, this would be like me trying to excuse it because it squeezed in some references to 70's culture.


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## hellbound (May 8, 2014)

Marvin said:


> I'm not sure what point they would be trying to make with this as a satire. Like, what are they trying to say? That people with social problems exist? That they're frequently into science? I don't get it.
> 
> Really, it just seems like people are taking a bad show, and trying to excuse it because they got a few things factually correct.
> 
> So, for example, I think That 70's Show was a pretty great show. I definitely liked it. But if it actually was a bad show, this would be like me trying to excuse it because it squeezed in some references to 70's culture.



I think it's less about making it a good show, and more about making it a popular show. Firefly was a great show, but not a very popular one, at least among the population at large. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is an awful show, but very popular.

In terms of Big Bang, having characters that are essentially stereotypes cranked up increases its appeal on two fronts: one, for scientists who would otherwise be turned off by the show's poor science, it provides a sense of "lol I know people like that." For laypeople, it provides "lol nerds."


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## Marvin (May 8, 2014)

hellbound said:


> I think it's less about making it a good show, and more about making it a popular show. Firefly was a great show, but not a very popular one, at least among the population at large. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is an awful show, but very popular.
> 
> In terms of Big Bang, having characters that are essentially stereotypes cranked up increases its appeal on two fronts: one, for scientists who would otherwise be turned off by the show's poor science, it provides a sense of "lol I know people like that." For laypeople, it provides "lol nerds."


Well yeah, that's absolutely what they're doing. I'm just not getting where satire comes into the picture.


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## Mogambo (May 8, 2014)

hellbound said:


> I work in biology, which probably has the most "normal" scientists of the hard sciences (in my experience weirdness seems to go up the further you get from studying people, so physicists tend to be weirder than chemists, who are weirder than biologists, who are weirder than those in the social sciences)



Actually, I'd disagree.  I've got an MA in Anthropology (though I don't actually work in the field, because there really aren't jobs in the field, but that's another issue entirely) and anthropologists would give a run for your money when it comes to weirdness. European anthropologists even more so. Indeed, there's something of a tradition of anthropologists being "outsiders" in their own culture.



hellbound said:


> I think it's less about making it a good show, and more about making it a popular show.



_THIS!_



> Firefly was a great show, but not a very popular one, at least among the population at large. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is an awful show, but very popular



And even more this! Honey Boo Boo is a terrible show, but it gets viewers. Firefly was absolutely brilliant and enjoyable, and it got cancelled before its time. Life isn't fair, but there's more to it than that. Popularity is essentially manufactured. Networks throw money and advertisements behind the shows they like, and they sell it to the public. That's why you have entirely manufactured celebrities like Justin Bieber. That's why the media covers the same subjects while ignoring actual news. Ever heard of Max Martin? That pretty much sums up what's wrong with "pop" music in the US.


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## Marvin (May 11, 2014)

Ahaha, . So, I've always laughed about this image, but I only just read it recently, and realized I had to post it:






Like, shit like this reminds me, retarded spergy dipshits have always existed and will always exist. Technology might exacerbate the problem, or it might reduce it, but they'll always be there.


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## Observers (May 11, 2014)

Marvin said:


> Like, shit like this reminds me, retarded spergy dipshits have always existed and will always exist. Technology might exacerbate the problem, or it might reduce it, but they'll always be there.



That actually was offensive... _of course _capt. Picard is no longer hurting from his borg experience.. they did a whole episode were he went back to earth and ended up having a fist fight with his older bully brother in the vineyard ... after it showed how he had confronted the menace and moved on..... GAWD!!!!


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## exball (May 15, 2014)

The N word.


Spoiler


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## hellbound (May 16, 2014)

Marvin said:


> Well yeah, that's absolutely what they're doing. I'm just not getting where satire comes into the picture.



Maybe satire isn't the best word for it, because it's not really providing a message or coherent commentary. Perhaps caricature is a better term.

I wonder if the whole nerd-police phenomenon can just be traced to simple tribalism. Humans are social critters but not all-inclusive. Pre-civilization, people stuck to small, close-knit groups and not give much of a shit about other tribes, and as a result outsiders would be suspicious at best because they're going to be looking out for their own tribe. Mash us all together, connect us by the millions instead of dozens, and maybe that leads to a sort of instinctual exclusion on whatever grounds we can find. He can't be part of the Nerd tribe because he didn't get bullied enough. She can't be part of the Local Sports Team tribe because she only started liking them a couple years back when they got into the championships. Xe can't be part of the social justice tribe because xe doesn't want cisheteroscum to die.


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## Descent (May 16, 2014)

exball said:


> The N word.
> 
> 
> Spoiler



Now I really want to see  someone write a book about living as a nerd and experiencing the discrimination and hate they  totally go through. 

"Nerd Like Me" by Chad Thundercock.


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## DC 740 (May 19, 2014)

To be honest I don't know why anyone would _want _any of these titles. A lot of my time revolves around "there's that fucking nerd, have him fix the computer while we go enjoy ourselves". At least it's what it boils down to... And I hate it. It's the only worth I get as a human being from these people.


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## Foulmouth (May 22, 2014)

Green Puddin said:


> To be honest I don't know why anyone would _want _any of these titles. A lot of my time revolves around "there's that fucking nerd, have him fix the computer while we go enjoy ourselves". At least it's what it boils down to... And I hate it. It's the only worth I get as a human being from these people.


 
Give me your lunch money !


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## Anonimo (May 23, 2014)

I used to see myself as a nerd, but mostly because that was kids at school told me I was. At one point I even had a brief weaboo phase where I referred to myself as an otaku(not knowing what it actually entailed in true weaboo fashion) in a bid to try and remove the sting, but that didn't work for obvious reasons.

I was a "nerd" in the sense that I wanted to succeed in school for my own reasons, and I have interests that went against the grain of whatever passing fad my classmates were into. I liked rock music, not whatever Disney "tween" music was big at the time. I didn't like bad Disney and Nick sitcoms rife with canned laughter, I liked anime. I didn't like sports, I liked theatre and art. I don't have typically macho qualities such as big muscles, and I grow my hair out(not to tomgirl levels, but most guys were on the sports teams and would either shave their hair, or have lose most of it before turning 20). The problem is that kids in school came up with the stupidest reason to call me a nerd and I was just too timid to try and make a witty comeback or two. The way my classmates acted sometimes, you'd think they were stuck in the mid/late 20th century (which they might had been for a time until Jersey Shore hit it big)

Now I acknowledge that I have interests and traits that aren't mainstream for guys, but the good thing about college is that you aren't ostracized for giving a crap about my school work or something stupid like that. Though I will refer to myself as a nerd sometimes, I do it when I'm feeling really depressed and self loathing. Nowadays, I generally consider myself more of an eccentric than anything else, but that's mostly because I'm still trying to purge old thoughts that I had in high school.


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## Alec Benson Leary (May 25, 2014)

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this issue. I think what it boils down to is this:

I get tired of stupid people assuming I'm supposed to like the big bang theory because I'm smart, and that's a show about smart nerd stuff. Which, naturally, makes stupid people feel smarter, because the general consensus tells them it's a smart show for smart nerd people!

That's all it is, really. People make it out to be a conflict between the truly faithful and the filthy casuals, but neither side realizes the true enemy is _marketing_.

If you think your identity is being sullied by the target market, you've been played by corporate interests, my friend.


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## Descent (May 25, 2014)

Alec Benson Leary said:


> I get tired of stupid people assuming I'm supposed to like the big bang theory because I'm smart, and that's a show about smart nerd stuff. Which, naturally, makes stupid people feel smarter, because the general consensus tells them it's a smart show for smart nerd people!



It's a show so smart it needs a goddamn laugh track in 2014 to let the audience know when a joke's happened.


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## Male (May 25, 2014)

only 30-40 year old couples watch big bang theory.


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## Alec Benson Leary (May 26, 2014)

Male said:


> only 30-40 year old couples watch big bang theory.


I know a single teenage guy that likes the show. I'm telling him that makes him a middle-aged couple now.


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## Descent (May 26, 2014)

My mom loves the Big Bang Theory. She used to call me up to tell me what episode was on and what hilarious jokes just happened and "Hey, I just recorded 20 episodes, want to come over and watch them all at once!" I don't know anyone my age who watches that show.


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## Surtur (May 26, 2014)

Descent said:


> My mom loves the Big Bang Theory. She used to call me up to tell me what episode was on and what hilarious jokes just happened and "Hey, I just recorded 20 episodes, want to come over and watch them all at once!" I don't know anyone my age who watches that show.



The last two girls I dated love that show. Both were what I would call "real" nerds, just people with bad taste.


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