I’ve noticed a disturbing trend lately. Nerds (a word I will use interchangeably with the word geek in this blog) – a section of society used to persecution have began to discriminate within their own ranks. Cries of “I may be a star trek nerd – but at least I’m not a dungeons and dragons nerd!” are more and more common. And this is something I dislike and don’t understand.
Hark back to a day in the not too distant past where being a geek/nerd of ANY sort was enough to get you a swirly or your lunch money stolen. Now that geeks are “cool”, they have gained the confidence to specify what KIND of geek they are? And what makes one geek cooler than the other? What makes a horror geek cooler than a gamer geek or an anime geek lamer than a star wars geek?
I consider myself a geek/nerd myself (and I don’t differentiate between the terms) and can’t understand the prejudice. Obviously most of my geekery is film related, but I recently decided to get involved in a dungeons and dragons campaign with my boyfriend David. He’s been playing since junior high, and I’m excited to try my hand at it, but when it came to finding friends that wanted to play with me, I was usually shot down with a disdainful look and a “umm..no.” This coming from friends who collect star wars toys. Friends who having been reading comic books from birth. And I don’t understand what makes one different from the other. Why is okay if I obsess over cult films but not okay if I want to participate in a role playing game?
I think nerds of the world should unite. The thing that made nerds/geeks unpopular in the past was closed mindedness. Because nerds looked different, acted different, had different interests than the main stream. But now that nerds/geeks ARE mainstream, they’re becoming closed-minded themselves. I say this must stop.
If you’re an anime geek, try watching some firefly and see what all the fuss is about. If you play world of warcraft hours a day, try picking up watchmen and giving it a read. What’s the worst that could happen? You don’t like it. But you’ve branched out and tried something new – and there is never a downside to that.
I am so happy that we live in a time period where geeks/nerds have finally gotten the recognition they deserve. It’s cool to be smart!! It’s cool to admit that you read, that you like unusual things, that you don’t look like the media’s idea of “beauty”. I just don’t want this acceptance to lead to the downfall of geekery. Accept your fellow geek as you would want them to accept you. May ewok join hands with xmen, and doctor who join forces with leatherface.
YES. I was diverted to yr blog via twitter and Thank You for writing this. I’m always horrified by the general knee-jerk “my geekery is more valid and less dorky than yours”. SCA geeks sneer at LARP geeks (what? It’s the same damn thing!) and both hate on Ren Faire geeks. Horror geeks dismiss Tim Burton “cute goth” geeks for not being serious enough about their horror (what? Why?). “art” movie geeks scoff at western fans for liking such a hokey old genre…
Thanks for reminding me (and everyone else) to chill out and maybe take a look at another self-professed Nerds interests. Even if it isn’t up our alley, that doesn’t make it any less valid.
Words don’t describe how glad I am to be reading this. I feel like I’ve been running into this problem on top of a similar problem rather often. My main problem is age. Most people my age (22) aren’t into nerdy things and most of the nerds I relate to are in their 30s. But I’ve come across a lot of age-discriminating 30-something nerds who look at me and assume I’m not as knowledgeable about nerdy things (i.e. film) as they are and they treat me like they probably treat everyone else my age… like a “dumb kid” or an “amateur”. It’s a complex world for a young nerd like myself. I don’t fit in with the trendy, popular 20-somethings and the nerdy 30-somethings won’t let me in.
It’s sad but people apparently have to make sure that there’s at least one person in the world than they are better than to make themselves feel better.
I wholeheartedly agree with your goal but the trouble is that now that being a geek is cool, people who normally would have scoffed at geeks are identifying themselves as nerds for the sake of being a part of a trend. So right there you have people adopting the monicker who once would have resented what it actually stands for. The broadening of the term allows subsets to cluster together and start thumbing their noses at each other. Geeks used to be the minority and they were willing to put aside their differences because they knew the value of a friend. Now they’re everywhere so who cares if they piss one nerd off, they’re plenty more to be friends with.
I think a big part of being a nerd or geek that a lot of people are missing out on is being an actual outcast. It was the strongest bond nerds used to share. “They think what you like is stupid? They think what I like is stupid too.” BAM geek friends for life. Now it’s cool to be nerdy. Now it’s a choice. Now the bonds are based on the actual things that interest them rather than the emotional bond they shared, and so these new groups aren’t emotionally invested in each other. It’s easier to criticize and belittle someone you don’t share any emotional tie with.
It’s a shitty flaw in humanity that spreads beyond geek culture. One that we’ll outgrow, hopefully.
it’s not a lateral jump from “comic book nerd” or “star wars nerd” to “dungeons & dragons nerd.” that is a completely different level of nerd, and every other kind of nerd has the right and duty to undermine and belittle d&d nerds. how else are we supposed to build our self-esteem?
How funny. I just started posting an ad on Craigslist titled Nerds Unite! I met some cool people, and I’m just about to bring them together later this week. If all goes well, we’re going to set up a meetup group in Los Angeles for nerds doing just what you were talking about. Nerd mash-up. Anime nights, LAN parties, conventions, cult films at the local theaters, etc…
Good article. Keep fighting the good fight, and shop smart. Shop S-Mart…
May 16, 2011
juliamarchese
6 responses to “Nerds of the world – unite!”
oslowe
May 17th, 2011 at 11:43
YES. I was diverted to yr blog via twitter and Thank You for writing this. I’m always horrified by the general knee-jerk “my geekery is more valid and less dorky than yours”. SCA geeks sneer at LARP geeks (what? It’s the same damn thing!) and both hate on Ren Faire geeks. Horror geeks dismiss Tim Burton “cute goth” geeks for not being serious enough about their horror (what? Why?). “art” movie geeks scoff at western fans for liking such a hokey old genre…
Thanks for reminding me (and everyone else) to chill out and maybe take a look at another self-professed Nerds interests. Even if it isn’t up our alley, that doesn’t make it any less valid.
Jenn
May 17th, 2011 at 12:03
Words don’t describe how glad I am to be reading this. I feel like I’ve been running into this problem on top of a similar problem rather often. My main problem is age. Most people my age (22) aren’t into nerdy things and most of the nerds I relate to are in their 30s. But I’ve come across a lot of age-discriminating 30-something nerds who look at me and assume I’m not as knowledgeable about nerdy things (i.e. film) as they are and they treat me like they probably treat everyone else my age… like a “dumb kid” or an “amateur”. It’s a complex world for a young nerd like myself. I don’t fit in with the trendy, popular 20-somethings and the nerdy 30-somethings won’t let me in.
Andrew G
May 17th, 2011 at 12:25
It’s sad but people apparently have to make sure that there’s at least one person in the world than they are better than to make themselves feel better.
As for the explanation, I send you here:
http://cdn-www.i-am-bored.com/media/44746_geekchartbig.gif
(And I think we all agree about the furries…)
I’m happy to count my friends, men & women, in a variety of nerdom including steampunk, LARP, cosplay, comic books, SCA, Ren Faire and Power Rangers.
Me? I’m the film nerd that remembers detail on movies that I haven’t even seen… and counts the New Bev as a place of worship.
Anthony
May 17th, 2011 at 16:48
I wholeheartedly agree with your goal but the trouble is that now that being a geek is cool, people who normally would have scoffed at geeks are identifying themselves as nerds for the sake of being a part of a trend. So right there you have people adopting the monicker who once would have resented what it actually stands for. The broadening of the term allows subsets to cluster together and start thumbing their noses at each other. Geeks used to be the minority and they were willing to put aside their differences because they knew the value of a friend. Now they’re everywhere so who cares if they piss one nerd off, they’re plenty more to be friends with.
I think a big part of being a nerd or geek that a lot of people are missing out on is being an actual outcast. It was the strongest bond nerds used to share. “They think what you like is stupid? They think what I like is stupid too.” BAM geek friends for life. Now it’s cool to be nerdy. Now it’s a choice. Now the bonds are based on the actual things that interest them rather than the emotional bond they shared, and so these new groups aren’t emotionally invested in each other. It’s easier to criticize and belittle someone you don’t share any emotional tie with.
It’s a shitty flaw in humanity that spreads beyond geek culture. One that we’ll outgrow, hopefully.
Diego
May 17th, 2011 at 20:01
it’s not a lateral jump from “comic book nerd” or “star wars nerd” to “dungeons & dragons nerd.” that is a completely different level of nerd, and every other kind of nerd has the right and duty to undermine and belittle d&d nerds. how else are we supposed to build our self-esteem?
-diego
Ethan Schaeffer
May 17th, 2011 at 21:07
How funny. I just started posting an ad on Craigslist titled Nerds Unite! I met some cool people, and I’m just about to bring them together later this week. If all goes well, we’re going to set up a meetup group in Los Angeles for nerds doing just what you were talking about. Nerd mash-up. Anime nights, LAN parties, conventions, cult films at the local theaters, etc…
Good article. Keep fighting the good fight, and shop smart. Shop S-Mart…