Very interesting and, I think, insightful. The idea had occurred to me that nerds are unpopular because they are too busy with, well, more interesting stuff to play the games that need to be played in order to be part of the social A-list. Paul Graham looks much more deeply into this.
Perhaps the most important thing to take away from this is this: If you have kids of your own, remember how hellish it was, remember what you went through, and what your children might be going through now. Talk to them about it, tell them what it was like for you at school, tell them that it really isn't like that in the world outside school.
Also, bear in mind that they might be on the other side of the fence - they might be the ones giving other children a hard time. If they are, that doesn't make them bad people - most children do this to some extent. But if you can point out to them the error of their ways, you'll be saving them some guilt in later life.
Posted to Apropos of nothing by Simon Brunning at February 14, 2003 05:53 PMhey! i like what youve written, its kinda emotional when you think about it.
i can just imagine what some kids have to go through EVERY day!!! i dont think i could spend one day in a "nerds" shoes.....id probably trip, and fall.
any ways...i gotta go...im at school....buh bye!!
~*Katie*~
First of all, I would like to state that nerds are really actually very cool people. People who are social creatures; though they socialize in different forms for what the so call cool people do (e.g. a LAN (Local Area Network) party).
Nerds, being excluded from the “cool” crowd are less likely to do drugs, drink, and acquire HIV (they can’t get girlfriends). Furthermore, they usually do well in school achieving in the sciences, especially calculus and computer sciences.
Nerd’s often don’t care what people think of them; they don’t mind being called a nerd or geek, rather thinking of it as a compliment. Nerds often have a wealth of knowledge build by, first of all attending class and secondly, more importantly, they acquire their knowledge by doing a variety of hands on “nerdy” activities, such as building computer, programming, model building, math and calculus for fun, science and science experiment, and other electronics projects. Thirdly nerd’s gain knowledge though the internet, reading web text and taking to fellow nerds. It is this knowledge that will dive our generation of nerd, like the last generation, to do many great things, often becoming rich and famous or discovering some thing that will greatly benefit man kind.
Finally, now we see that nerds though slightly differently then “the cool people” on the outside (often being, pale and pimp faced) are really cooler that the so call “cool people” mentally and because of that will rule the world.
Note: this does not apply to all kind of nerd, just mostly math, science, computer nerds.
thanx to popularity some of the "nerds" join the trench coat mafia, who's laughing now?...
And one of those "nerds" was erik haris, if this keeps happening then i see popularity to be the sole cause of those events.
Posted by: anti popularitist on September 26, 2004 11:52 PMin the meangirls we were called "the plastics" i was just wondering what people in your school call the popular kids?
Posted by: gretchen on January 2, 2005 08:09 PMat my school we dont have a name.. kids just seem to know there "popularity" and u wont see a kid who likes to take computer programing sit at the cheerleaders table they all sit with eachother.
Posted by: nasti on February 11, 2005 04:11 PMnerds are nice people. at my school there are all kinds of cliques and they know what clique they are in. i cant stand the way people get treated bad by the popular people. i think everyone should just get along. Everyone gets picked on or made fun of just because of who they hang out with i think just because you hang out with someone they should not make fun of you.
Posted by: becky on October 26, 2005 03:31 PMwell, i love nerds they are cool and i go out with one, he is veryyy smexi
Posted by: me dumb and sexy on November 27, 2005 06:33 AMNERDS ARE LOOSERS, period. Sucks to be them.
Posted by: Will on March 30, 2006 03:26 AMI tried being friends with nerds before but they can be very cold people aswell.
Posted by: Kristen on April 13, 2006 09:01 PMHey Will, nice spelling of the word loser (looser?). And Kristen, aswell? Is this something that happens when you sit on a hot surface? Sorry, but I'm pissed off. I'm a 30 year old that still gets picked on occasionally at work by a few guys. Ya know why? Because they have below average intelligence and they know I overshadow them :)
Posted by: Seth on September 18, 2006 08:31 PMO-M-G.
Like many people call me nerd and all but like WHATEVER. It's like I get an A 100 and some popular kids get a 67 D so they're like what grade did u get and i'm like 100 and they're like what a nerd!
First they act so nice then they backfire....JEALOUSY I love being a nerd but that doesn't meen i'm a girl that doesnt care about her hair and all. No. I think i'm pretty and elegant and smart and yeah we have cliques and I hate it!
Posted by: 2smart4u on February 1, 2007 10:59 PMok i feel bad for you all fools. look at this dude above me....wow you get 100% wow you must be cool,,, i think id be cooler f*** a b**** and talk about it to all da guys and be an alphamale than get an "A" on a paper
aight peace
Nerds make the world go round.
who invented cars. Nerds.
Who helped you when your computer died. Nerds.
Who lifted you 10,000 feet into the air, so you could fly to another country? nerds.
Who sat with you, and listened to you spew your endless bullshit about how your stomach hurts, and bothered diagnosing you? nerds.
Who invented the workout machine, that gave you the physical strength to be able to treat nerds like shit? thats right. Nerds did.
Go back to the stone age jock, the futures in the nerds hands.
Posted by: anonymous on March 13, 2008 06:14 AMI'm a nerd. I think cheerleaders are so freaking sexy. I can't be the only one...can I?
Posted by: Cory on May 29, 2008 01:41 AMi'm glad to be a nerd. people call me a nerd and i say thanks. nerds are what make the world work. When i see someone on there phone ii just look at them and say your welcome. On behalf of my kind. if you're reading this you are welcome.
All bow down before the lord and saviour Bill Gates
Posted by: Dacling on September 18, 2008 05:13 AMI came out of the nerd closet one day in middle school. I was 14 at the time and walking with a bunch of my classmates. They were discussing some boy and calling him a nerd and I said: Well, I am a nerd too and guess what... one day I am going to marry one.
I am happy to say that I have never looked back - I embrace my inner nerd - I might look like the stereo typical "Cool" chick on the outside but that is just the surface me. Nerds are people who are not afraid to be themselves even if it means not being popular. Nerds are not ashamed to have brains and use them. Nerds rule! The "cool" people just breed more boring "cool" people who love to do what is popular and go with the flow. I propose substituting the word "sheep-like" for "cool" as that would more accurately describe them - they like to bleat in unison about the same cool things.
Posted by: Clara P. on September 22, 2008 11:24 PMtrue that nerds are unpopular but majority of people are dunbfuck and they should realize that nerd revolutionize this world without them our race would have still been in the stone age
Posted by: anonymous on October 18, 2008 11:59 PMtrue that nerds are unpopular but majority of people are dunbfuck and they should realize that nerd revolutionize this world without them our race would have still been in the stone age
Posted by: anonymous on October 19, 2008 12:00 AMtrue that nerds are unpopular but majority of people are dunbfuck and they should realize that nerd revolutionize this world without them our race would have still been in the stone age
Posted by: anonymous on October 19, 2008 12:00 AMdont ever let anyone tell you what you can or cant do be proud of your smarts because it can help you go places
Posted by: anonyomus on October 19, 2008 12:02 AMI am a nerd and I suffer through great criticism. I am forced to sit in the front of the bus because there's some real jerks in the back, and even then some of the girls in the front criticize me (mostly for not being attractive and not smelling that nice because I take a shower every other day.
I am one of the unlucky bunch: Nerds who take everything personally; I'm not exactly good at school either, I'm a non-athletic computer/videogame nerd. I'm quiet in classes and I have a few friends. Most of them are above my social class, not even calling themselvse nerd.
Of course, I'm not critiscized for that much anymore, most of it stems from my past. People I meet who aren't in my grade and bus/neighborhood (and don't know me that well from the past) I get along well with. Of course, my sister likes torturing me, so she tells her whole grade and sports teams what I do all day: nothing. I guarantee I'd have an okay rep (I'd still be criticized for being skinny/pale/weak, but I have excuses such as low muscle tone) if I went to a different school. Even college.
Most of my stress comes from the bus, because, oddly, my sister's grade and the bus in general is much worse than my grade could ever be. My grade just shouts my last name and ocassionaly makes a few nerd/no-life jokes. Of course, through experience, I'm good at comebacks and make-that-person-shut-ups, and people who base me on who I am now and not who I was usually like me/aren't that rude.
Friend-wise, I have several OK friends, and past friends either left town, went to a private school, or insult and criticize me inside school. My best friend in a class last year now lives to torture me.
I just thought I'd pour it all out and see some responses or advice.
Posted by: anonymous on October 28, 2008 10:52 PMinstead of being a dumb nerd. be a smart nerd. in other words go study. and go shower every day and wear deodorant.
excuse my bad english
please don't classify nerds as being a different kind of person its kind of socialist. There is only 2 kinds of people good and bad actually not even that people always change. were just a bunch of quarks anyway so just act cool around everybody EVERYONE IS THE SAME!
Posted by: jim on February 5, 2009 07:48 AMi hate my life because i get touch every day by jocks i get touch but i get notice sometime i like so never mind i love life
Posted by: alice rico on February 17, 2009 06:12 PMif any nerds want to call me my number is 15052703935
Posted by: Sarah Smith on February 17, 2009 06:19 PMI think it's possible to be intelligent and cool at the same time and I proved it. I was the most intelligent student who gets straight As all the time. i was cool at the same time.people admire me wish they were like me.
Posted by: david on May 9, 2009 04:17 AMOkay you guys need to get something. A nerd is someone who hates having friends, does not want a boyfriend/girlfriend, always quiet, wears stupid clothes, wont hit back and is overly obsessive about something like star trek etc. I am in middle school am smart and have 30 something friends and have already gotten 6 girlfriends. If a nerd is a word for smart person than thats a good thing and I am one. If its someone who does all that stuff I said than I am definently not a nerd!
Posted by: what the on September 3, 2009 11:02 PMOkay you guys need to get something. A nerd is someone who hates having friends, does not want a boyfriend/girlfriend, always quiet, wears stupid clothes, wont hit back and is overly obsessive about something like star trek etc. I am in middle school am smart and have 30 something friends and have already gotten 6 girlfriends. If a nerd is a word for smart person than thats a good thing and I am one. If its someone who does all that stuff I said than I am definently not a nerd!
Posted by: what the on September 3, 2009 11:03 PMat my school, a nerd is anyone who is smart or who gets compliments from teachers. and its not that they dont want m8s its cuz "popular" people dont want 2 b friends with nerds so nerds have to be friends with other nerds. nerd is a word invented by stupid people whos to lazy to bother to try and act like its a good thing to be stupid and not try, and like being smart is a bad thing so they just made up a word for smart people to insult them to make them look good but it should be the other way round smart people should be popular. im pretty, i dress well, but im a nerd i dont put up with any bullshit from jealous people well at the end of the day im gona hav a good job and house your gona live on the street im gona walk past u and say so maybe being a nerd aint so bad
if ur the kind of person to bully nerds think again, ur the one in the wrong so just GET A LIFE.
Posted by: anonymous on November 15, 2009 05:52 PMi agree being stupid doesnt make you cool or give you the right to be tight to clever people.
Posted by: tess on November 15, 2009 06:06 PManyone who calls themselves popular, fuck off.
Posted by: david on November 15, 2009 06:12 PM