Difference between revisions of "nerd"

Latest revision as of 02:17, 24 April 2012

Template:Redirect Template:Original research Template:wiktionarypar Nerd as a stereotypical or archetypal designation, refers to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual or esoteric knowledge or pastimes rather than engaging in social life, participating in organized sports, or other mainstream activities. The Merriam-Webster definition is an "unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person: especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits." A Nerd is often excluded from physical activity, and is often considered a loner by other peers.

History[edit]

The word "nerd" first appeared in Dr. Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo^[1], 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.)

The use of the "nerd" as slang goes back at least to 1951, when it was reported as a relatively new usage in Detroit, Michigan first by Newsweek^[2] and then the St. Joseph, Michigan, Herald-Press^[3]. By the early 1960s, usage of the term spread through the United States^[4] and as far as Scotland^[5]. Throughout this first decade, the definition was consistent—a dull person, a synonym of "square", "drip" and "scurve". During the next decade, it took on connotations of bookishness as well as social ineptitude, and the spelling "nurd" began to appear. The University of South Dakota's journal, Current Slang, contains four entries for "nurd" and one for "nerd" in 1970 and 1971. ^[6][7][8]

The first recorded use of the "nurd" spelling appeared in 1965, in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Bachelor^[9]. Oral tradition at RPI 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, but has not been documented prior to the "nurd" spelling in 1965.

Other theories of the word's origin include a variation on Mortimer Snerd, the name of Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy and the Northern Electric Research and Development labs in Ontario, suggesting images of engineers wearing pocket protectors with the acronym N.E.R.D. printed on them, and a claim by Philip K. Dick to having coined "nurd".^[10] The term itself was used heavily in the American 1974 – 1984 television comedy Happy Days which was set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the mid-1950s.

The Online Etymology Dictionary speculates that the word is an alteration of a 1940s term nert meaning "stupid or crazy person," itself an alteration of nut.^[11]

Popular culture[edit]

Template:unreferencedsect Dramatic depictions of good nerds typically reveal them to be good-hearted people who wish harm on no one (such as the music video for White and Nerdy), but are bullied by their obvious intellectual inferiors (who are also their physical superiors, usually jocks). 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 various 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 (examples include Geordi LaForge and Lewis Skolnick).

Nerds are often used for comic relief, for example by overconfidently making advances towards a woman they like but being rebuffed in a rude (but funny) manner. Sometimes they are made to be overconfident to the point of obnoxiousness, to make them seem deserving of their poor treatment.

Evil nerds, typically embittered from a lifetime as a social outcast and 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. This seems to be the modern equivalent of the portrayal of scientists in the science fiction "bug movies" of the 1950s, representing societal fears about the harmful effects that nuclear power might cause.^[unverified] A more modern example of the evil nerd is enemy computer programmer Boris Grischenko in the James Bond film GoldenEye.

Characteristics[edit]

The stereotypical nerd is intelligent but socially and physically awkward. In film and television depictions, nerds are disproportionately male and white. ^[12][13] However, after the introduction of the Steve Urkel character, nerds have been seen in all races and colors. They typically appear either to lack confidence or to be indifferent or oblivious to the negative perceptions held of them by others, with the result that they become frequent objects of scorn, ridicule, bullying, and social isolation. They show a pronounced interest in subjects which others tend to find dull or complex and difficult to comprehend, especially topics related to science, mathematics and technology, but also other domains, such as comic books and anime, complicated board games (such as Risk or Stratego) (the computer game "Minesweeper"), role-playing games (some of which would be MMORPGs, such as World of Warcraft), FPSs such as Counterstrike, or strategy games, horror and fantasy literature, Star Trek and competitive debate. They generally maintain encyclopedic knowledge of their chosen subject, easily recalling obscure or archival details.

Personality tests[edit]

Template:Unreferencedsect In the practice of personality psychology, geeks and nerds can be said to be Myers-Briggs Type Indicator INTP, ENTP or INTJ, and, in various cases, ENTJ. However, due to speculation over the difference of nerds and geeks, the types cannot be sorted into their subsequent classifications. Also, all types have the ability to be nerds, whereas the INTJ, INTP, ENTP, and ENTJ are near definites for being nerds. However, due to the stereotypical shyness and social ineptitude associated with nerds, the INTP and INTJ are more likely to be classified into that group than their Extroverted counterparts. 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 toward 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. Both INTJs and INTPs tend to be outwardly nerdy and actively rebel against social rules they view as irrational and meaningless. However, INTJs tend to learn to put on a degree of surface conformism to draw less attention to themselves. For example long hair is, not surprisingly, common with INTP men, whereas INTJ men would keep their hair cut low, and dress conservatively.

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

Nerds and Asperger Syndrome[edit]

Many traits associated with the nerd stereotype, in particular an unusual penchant for accumulating highly specialized or technical knowledge, impaired social ability, occasionally poor motor coordination, are characteristics of Asperger syndrome, an autistic spectrum disorder. The existence of the nerd concept in popular consciousness might be attributed to a tendency for certain behavioral and cognitive predispositions to covary, which at the extreme results in forms of autism. In support of this possibility, studies using a measure of autistic tendencies, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) developed by Simon Baron-Cohen, find that occupations commonly linked to the nerd stereotype, especially fields of science and engineering, are associated with elevated AQ^[14], with the highest average AQ seen among computer scientists, mathematicians and physicists. Other studies have found associations between heightened AQ and prenatal testosterone exposure^[15] as well as genetic factors^[16], suggesting a distinct genetic and developmental basis for traits associated with the nerd stereotype.

Contemporary pride[edit]

Many nerds have embraced the "nerd" label. As early as the mid-1980s, "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 toward 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 uses the tagline "News for nerds. Stuff that matters." Similarly, the quote "Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one." — Charles J. Sykes, has been, ironically, popularized by the Internet and incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates.

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 competing for social dominance, which can unfortunately cause the downward spiral into social rejection."

— Gerald Sussman, quoted by Katie Hafner, The New York Times, 29 August 1994

The 1984 movie Revenge of the Nerds explored the concept of "nerd pride" to comical effect. American Splendor regular Toby Radloff claims this was the movie that inspired him to become "The Genuine Nerd From Cleveland, Ohio".

An episode from the animated series Freakazoid titled "Nerdator" has a plot line that involves the use of nerds to power the mind of a 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, including women ( a historically underrepresented demographic in the science and tech fields), who self-identify with the term nerd as badges of honor in their field, usually science, computers, and other technology. Many who style themselves thus may not necessarily represent the traditional profile that emphasizes the accompaniment of high intelligence with a degree of social alienation. The negative image of nerds has traditionally been more associated with men than women due to the stricter standards of masculine behavior.

A recent incident of "nerd pride" stems from a Doonesbury cartoon, 26 October 2005, in which Rochester Institute of Technology is referred to as a "nerd school".

Nerdcore hip hop is a genre of hip hop music that has risen in popularity over the last few years. Nerdcore typically express nerd themes often with pride and humor. Notable artists include MC Plus+, MC Chris and MC Frontalot, including "Weird Al" Yankovic's "White and Nerdy". The term "nerdcore" has seen wider application to refer to webcomics (most notably Penny Arcade, User Friendly, PvP, and Megatokyo) and other media that express nerd themes uninhibited.

Notes and references[edit]

See also[edit]

• Anorak (slang)
• Dork
• Boffin
• Geek chic
• High school subcultures
• Asperger Syndrome
• Fear of Girls, a short film about Nerds

External links[edit]

• NerdPoint A discussion forum for nerds.
• "Why Nerds are Unpopular" An essay by Paul Graham about the conformist society in American highschools.
• Wikihow.com A short description of the differences between geeks and nerds.
• "The Nerds have won", an article in the American Scientist