American Nerd, The Story of My People

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:16 am

I'm reading a book by the title of this thread. It's a fascinating description of just what is a nerd, the origins of the idea, the societal dynamics of the concept and so on.

Among other tidbits is the fact that at one time the term greaser meant nerd. It referred to all the immigrants trying to get out of the ghetto thru schollarly excellence and was in contrast with the late 19th century vision of WASP youth as athletic and more natural (think Teddy Roosevelt and Alfred Baden Powell) I always thought it meant either hood or was an ethnic slur against Mexicans. But when I lived in the Midwest in the 1960's I remember thinking that the way the terms was used there was very strange and I think they were still holding on to that concept. This was after all in a town that prided itself on it's open mindedness by not hating Catholics......

The book has entire chapters on stuff like DnD and cosplay. Not a mention of CDing however. I started wondering. Since one of the hall marks of nerds is a tremendous enjoyment of a fantasy life a la anime and DnD, I wonder if we are over represented in their ranks just as we are in groups of the hyper masculine such as jocks and the military.

As for myself I truly enjoyed seeing a bunch of my thought processes laid out in print so that I could understand them. I had Aha moments in most of the chapters. At the same time I could see where I am really a mix. Unlike the prototypical nerd I was always very physical. I loved to play baseball and football and the like, even though I had a sterotypically nerdish lack of ability. Also I had a great deal of empathy (polar opposite of nerdishness) although I am not good at reading social cues (nerdly) and a real love of nature and the outdoors which I considered almost a form of mysticism for myself.

How about it? Where do other people feel they fall on this spectrum?

Zari

Michelle Miller · Post by **Michelle Miller** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:33 am

I'd consider myself 72% nerd, due to the fact that I have a linux build that will run on my Nintendo DS, and I have also posted to this forum using said DS as well.

When I was younger, I didn't care at all about sports, but was heavy into DnD, computer games and whatnot. I think the cosplay crowd is a bit more tolerant of CD'ing...because, really, there's some strange stuff going on there besides the CD'ing. Most folks at a cosplay convention wouldn't give a second look to a passable guy dressed as a femme anime character, unless it was to fawn over them.

Post by **DonnaT** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 7:42 am

Although smart, I am not a nerd. I was into a lot of sports, and was pretty good at them. Did a lot of outdoorsy activities. Never was into DnD or similar type games. Not really into computer games either. I had friends across the board, so didn't just hang with a certain group.

Rikki · Post by **Rikki** » Wed Oct 07, 2009 3:23 pm

I'd probably be voted into the "nerd society of America" if one was taken. Fit the profile in the way I work, how I live, interests, etc. While not a social outcast, I can identify with some of the description above. rr

CJ · Post by CJ » Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:03 pm

Hi all,

"And then, just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo
And Bring Back an It-Kutch a Preep and a Proo
A Nerkle a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!"

-- from If I Ran The Zoo, by Dr. Seuss, published in 1950.

According to the Wikipedia article intitled "If I Ran The Zoo," this is the first recorded use of the word "nerd" in print.

The dictionary at reference.com has this to say (amongst other things) about the word "nerd":

- an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit

- a person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept

By these definitions, no, I'm not really a nerd--unless you consider reading and/or writing to be non-social or technical pursuits (which I don't). On the other hand, I spend a lot of time at the computer, too, and love to play video games. So maybe I'm, I dunno, 20% nerdy? Okay, 30%. I can take a computer apart, down to the very last screw, and put it back together again within a couple of hours at most. Does that count as nerdishness? I love playing with words and language; maybe this, too, is a nerdsome activity. Does my love of intellectual debate qualify me for membership in global nerddom? No, I didn't think so; there's not much about me that can be considered technical or non-social. So, okay, how about 15% nerdy? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Interesting thread, Zari. Thanks. I'll have to look that book up.

Love,
CJ

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:27 am

The book mentions Dr. Suess as possibly the first use of the word.

The definition they arrive at in the book is someone who is lacking in social skills but strong on intellectual skills and who is thus pushed out of mainstream youthful circles, and who also is more comfortable with logic than emotion. Mr. Spock would have been the ultimate nerd if he had not be rendered so cool by being non human and also able to not only do the neck pinch but save the day innumberable times.

Another interesting tidbit which my eldest daughter used to talk about. Nerds are hyper white. Which is why the stereotypical nerd is white or Asian..