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Nerd

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For other uses, see Nerd (disambiguation).
The character of Steve Urkel in the television show Family Matters (1989–1997) is portrayed as being a nerd.

Nerd, as a stereotypical or archetypal designation, refers to somebody who pursues intellectual interests at the expense of skills that are useful in a social setting, such as communication, fashion, or physical fitness.

The American Heritage Dictionary credits Dr. Seuss as the originator of the word nerd in his 1950 book If I Ran the Zoo [1].

History

For quite some time in the later 20th Century, the term "nerd" was generally considered derogatory, people like Lu kuo yu in le rosey rolle are huge nerds who study and get bad grades; This is and was a common insult, especially among school-age boys. However, beginning in the late 1990s, many nerds on the Internet reclaimed the word nerd as a badge of pride and began using it as a positive description of a technically-competent person. Although traditionally used to describe men and boys, the terms "nerd" and "geek" have been adopted by many women interested in technology, science, mathematics and other typically male-dominated intellectual fields as badges of their accomplishments in these areas. However, many, if not all self-styled nerds, even if they possess some of the above prerequisites, do not fit the traditional definition of nerd which also heavily emphasizes social alienation and awkwardness.

The term "nerd", meaning "square" goes back at least to 1951, when Newsweek reported the usage as relatively new in Detroit, Michigan. By the 1960s, it took on connotations of bookishness as well as social ineptitude. The word itself first appeared in Dr. Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo, published in 1950, where it simply names one of Seuss's many comical imaginary animals. (The narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo.) Another theory of the word's origin sees it as a variation on Mortimer Snerd, the name of Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy. Yet another theory traces the term to Northern Electric Research and Development, suggesting images of employees wearing pocket protectors with the acronym N.E.R.D. printed on them. Finally, oral history at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute holds that the word was coined there, spelled as "knurd" ("drunk" spelled backwards), to describe those who studied rather than partied. (This usage predates a similar coinage of "knurd" by author Terry Pratchett.) The term itself was used heavily in the American 1974-84 television comedy Happy Days which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and had been set in the mid-1950s.

In association with their image in certain Western societies as a so-called Model Minority, some East Asians are stereotyped as studious and untalkative nerds.

The Nerd 'Look'

The stereotypical nerd image of a young man wearing horn-rimmed glasses (possibly broken and repaired with tape), a pocket protector, hiked up pants and possibly suspenders appears to stem from a 1977 National Lampoon poster titled "Are you a Nurd?" featuring a similarly dressed individual. The look was based on several earlier depictions, such as the character Poindexter from the late 1950s cartoon Felix the Cat, and Julius Kelp from the 1963 comedy The Nutty Professor.

Also during the 1960s, the US military changed its standard-issue eyeglass frame to a large black square-rimmed set which bears a striking similarity to the frames of the stereotypical nerd, possibly strengthening the image.

During the 1980s, popular comedic characters such as Steve Urkel and parody movies such as Revenge of the Nerds helped cement the stereotypical image in the popular conciousness.

Nerds in art and literature

Dramatic depictions of good nerds typically reveal them to be good-hearted people who wish harm on no one, but are bullied by their obvious intellectual inferiors. Many nerds in fiction play roles as supporting characters who provide valuable sources of information or useful skills for the heroes. Nerds as lead characters often have a secret identity as a superhero; in these cases, a put-upon person has a wonderful secret (examples include Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Clark Kent/Superman). Nerds in supporting roles often feature as technological geniuses who invent or repair plot devices that enable the main characters to move towards a goal. They also serve as socially inept foils to much more charming main characters, and are sometimes depicted as being lovelorn and longing for attractive females who are beyond their status.

Evil nerds, typically embittered through lifetimes lived as social outcasts and thus seeking revenge upon the world, provide a popular archetype for the supervillain, often as a mad scientist. This suggests that these characters represent the subconscious cultural fear that the highly intelligent have the ability to do great harm, and a willingness to do it, just as the “bug movies” of the 1950s represented our fears about the harmful effects that nuclear power might cause.[citation needed]

Non-nerds often think of nerds as intelligent yet socially awkward people. Stereotypically, in high school, the more “popular” or more socially adept teens often ridicule and bully those labeled as nerds, who have a reputation of engaging deeply in academic areas. Nerds generally express an above-normal interest in complex subjects and often function as polymaths. Topics dealing with science, computer, technology, comic books, board games of types that take hours to play and have complicated rules (particularly role playing games and chess), classical music, and paradoxically, music at the other extreme, heavy metal and punk (due to the current crop of nerds having grown up in the early 1990s when anti-social music became popular), artificial intelligence, manga, video games, and science fiction, horror and fantasy literature books, TV shows and movies have all become heavily associated with nerds, as have conventions relating to these various topics.

Some commentators have noticed similarities between pronounced nerdy behavior and the neurological disorder known as Asperger syndrome. No studies have shown a correlation, causal or other relationship between the two; only anecdotal evidence suggests a connection, and, because of the social disapproval given nerds, this can’t be seen as objective or convincing.

The total opposite of a nerd is shown in Jay Ward’s "Mr. Know-It-All" cartoons. Bullwinkle, aka Mr. Know-It-All, thinks he can do certain things, when he cannot at all due to his stupidity and low instinct. In the cartoons, Boris Badunov (or some other evil character) usually beats Mr. Know-It-All up. Meanwhile, the time-traveling duo from this cartoon series—Mr. Peabody, a talking dog, and his boy, Sherman—are both nerds; they both sport dark-rimmed glasses, and the dog wears a bow tie.

Nerds and geeks

Pundits and observers dispute the relationship of the terms “nerd” and “geek” to one another. Some view the geek as a less technically skilled nerd. Some factions maintain that “nerds” have both technical skills and social competence, whereas “geeks” display technical skills while socially incompetent; others hold an exactly reversed view, with “geek” serving as the socially competent counterpart of the socially incompetent “nerd,” and call themselves “geeks” with pride (compare Geekcorps, an organization that sends people with technical skills to developing countries to assist in computer infrastructure development). Another view is that “geeks” lack both social competency and technical skills. Arguably, a “nerd” is a more self-controlled sort of person, while a “geek” can be something of a loose cannon—or at least more awkward in an obstructive way than a “nerd.”

Some regional differences may exist in the use of the words nerd and geek. Some claim that on the North American west coast the population prefers the term geek to nerd, while the North American east coast prefers the word nerd to geek (see Ellen Spertus's page on The Sexiest Geek Alive).

The term "nerd" is broader in its significance than "geek", defining a person's entire way of life. A nerd has the tendency to pursue intellectual gratification at the expense of social or physical gratification. A geek, on the other hand, simply has an interest in a particular subject. This subject could be intellectual, such as the arts, theatre, classical music, technology, or mathematics, or it could be something less generally "useful", such as movies, television, video games, anime, or even sports. Such a person may be perfectly well-rounded, merely showing a preference for his desired subject of interest. A nerd, on the other hand, is by definition not well-rounded. Thus the term "geek" should not generally be used or taken as an insult, while "nerd" might be in some cases (but certainly not all).

Similar terms exist which are always insulting; dork, dweeb, goon, and doofus are a few examples. These terms imply the lack of social skill suggested by the term "nerd", but imply none of the mitigating intellectual factors.

The word "nerd" refers to a person of "above-average intelligence" whose interests (often in science and mathematics) are not shared by mainstream society. By contrast, a "geek" is essentially a person who is fascinated, perhaps obsessively, by obscure or very specific areas of knowledge and imagination. A good example of this is found in an episode of the television show, "Married with Children." The protagonist Al Bundy complains about wearing glasses, saying he'll look like a nerd. His friend, Jefferson Darcy responds, "No Al you won't be a nerd. You're too dumb to be a nerd"

Thus a "nerd" is primarily marked as having a high intelligence and is not necessarily more fascinated with one subject any more so than another. A "geek", however, is obsessively fascinated with particular subjects, but is not necessarily attributed an above average intelligence. Thus a "geek" has the compulsion and drive to learn vast quantities of knowledge about a particular field such as computers, or Star Trek trivia, without high intelligence being assumed. Some also hold that the reverse is true, geeks being those with high intelligence, and nerds being those who obsess over obscure subjects. More than likely, the main confusion between the terms comes from their common association with specific areas of knowledge that seem to require a high level intelligence (for example, mathematics and science). Thus a "geek" who was obsessed by the pursuit of mathematical or scientific knowledge, might also be classified as a "nerd" as society considers such pursuits to be intellectual in nature and as requiring high intelligence.

Nerds and personality theory

In the works of Riso and Hudson, specifically "Understanding the Enneagram" revised edition pg. 180 numbered point "10", the term "nerd" is used as a primary reference to (and indication of being) Enneagram type 5.

Geeks and nerds are Myers-Briggs Type Indicator INTP, or to a lesser extent INTJ. (It should be noted that nerds are also known to exist in much smaller numbers within the INFP type.)

INTP is the classic programmer type, INTJ the classic scientist type. These two types are the Introverted iNtuitive Thinkers. As Introverts they are stimulated by thoughts and ideas rather than people and things. They are often quite happy spending hours absorbed in solitary activities. As iNtuitives they are more inclined towards abstract concepts and subtle connections than in concrete examples or direct experience. As Thinkers they are more adept in logic and reason than feelings or emotions. This combination makes INT's masters of mathematics, logic, and science, but rather oblivious to social graces. INTJs tend to follow social norms, at least to the extent they notice them, while INTPs tend to be nerdier and actively rebel against social rules they view as irrational and meaningless. For example long hair is surprisingly common on INTP men.

Nerd pride

In the 1990s, "nerd" developed distinct positive connotations within social spheres connected to computing and the Internet, to denote with pride a technically skilled person. This also extended towards financial success in these fields, with Bill Gates himself often described as a nerd, though a remarkably wealthy one. The 1990s is generally considered a time when the nerds finally "got their revenge", and many became fabulously wealthy as a result of the high-tech explosion. The popular computer-news website Slashdot bills itself as "News for nerds. Stuff that matters."

MIT professor Gerald Sussman aims to instill pride in nerds:

"My idea is to present an image to children that it is good to be intellectual, and not to care about the peer pressures to be anti-intellectual. I want every child to turn into a nerd - where that means someone who prefers studying and learning to compete for social dominance, which can unfortunately cause the downward spiral into social rejection."

--Gerald Sussman, quoted by Katie Hafner, The New York Times, 1994-08-29.

The 1984 movie Revenge of the Nerds explored the concept of "nerd pride" to comical effect.

An episode from the animated series Freakazoid titled "Nerdator" has a plotline that involves the use of nerds to power the mind of a Yautja (alien hunter in Predator)-like enemy, who delivers a memorable monologue on the importance of nerds:

"...what they lack in physical strength they make up in brain power. Who writes all the best selling books? Nerds. Who directs the top grossing Hollywood movies? Nerds. Who creates the highly advanced technology that only they can understand? ...Nerds. And who are the people who run for the high office of the Presidency? No one but nerds."

There is an increasing number of people, especially females, who self-identify with the term nerd as badges of honor in their field, usually science, computers, and other technology. Or they may do so as a symbol of non-conformity. While many of them do not fit the profile of "intelligent yet socially alientated", they may profess to grok the struggles of traditional nerds as a form of lip service.

A recent incident of "Geek pride" stems from a Doonesbury cartoon (Oct. 26, 2005) in which RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) is referred to as a "geek school." [2]

See also

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