Nerd [nɚd] is a term often bearing a derogatory connotation or stereotype A stereotype is a phrase relating to all the members of class or set. The term is often used with a negative connotation when referring to an oversimplified, with the class due to his or her membership in it. Stereotypes can be used to deny individuals respect or legitimacy based on their membership in that group, that refers to a person who passionately pursues intellectual An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intelligence and analytical thinking, either in a profession capacity, or for personal reasons activities, esoteric Esotericism or Esoterism is a term with two basic meanings. In the dictionary sense of the term, it signifies the holding of esoteric opinions, and derives from the Greek ἐσωτερικός , a compound of ἔσω (esô): "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward", mystic. Its antonym is exoteric. In the scholarly knowledge, or other obscure interests rather than engaging in more social A Social relation is a concept in social science referring most generally to a relationship between two or more people, but that relationship can exist without those people actively and deliberately relating, communicating or associating with each other or popular activities. Therefore, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and considered a loner A loner is a person who avoids or does not actively seek human interaction or who prefers to be Alone. There are many reasons for solitude, intentional or otherwise, and "loner" implies no specific cause. Intentional reasons include religious or personal philosophies, unintentional reasons involve being highly sensitive, having more by peers or will tend to associate with like-minded people.

Etymology

The first documented appearance of the word "nerd" is as the name of a creature in Dr. Seuss's Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen name Dr. Seuss. He published over 60 children's books, which were often characterized by imaginative characters, rhyme, and frequent use of trisyllabic meter. His most celebrated books include the bestselling Green Eggs and book If I Ran the Zoo The book is written in anapestic tetrameter, Seuss's usual verse type[citation needed], and illustrated in Seuss's trademark pen and ink style. The book is likely a tribute to a child's imagination[citation needed], because it ends with a reminder that all of the extraordinary creatures exist only in McGrew's head (1950), in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo.^[1][2] The slang Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language meaning of the term dates back to 1951, when Newsweek Newsweek is an American weekly newsmagazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence'. Newsweek is published in four English language editions and 12 magazine reported on its popular use in Detroit Detroit (French: Détroit, meaning "strait", pronounced [detʁwa] (help·info)) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks, Michigan Michigan ( /ˈmɪʃɨɡən/ ) is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake".^[3] By the early 1960s, usage of the term had spread throughout the United States and even as far as Scotland.^[4][5] It was originally a synonym for "square In the parlance of jazz, a square was a person who failed to appreciate the medium, hence someone who was out of date or out of touch. In the counterculture movements that started in the 1940s and took momentum in the 1960s a "square" referred to someone who clung to repressive, traditional, stereotypical, one-sided, or "in the box&" or "drip;" at some point, the word took on connotations of bookishness and social ineptitude A social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization.^{[citation needed]}

An alternate spelling, as nurd, also began to appear in the mid-1960s or early '70s.^[6] Author Philip K. Dick claimed to have coined this spelling in 1973, but its first recorded use appeared in a 1965 student publication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a private research university located in Troy, New York, United States.^[7][8] Oral tradition there holds that the word is derived from "knurd" ("drunk Drunkenness, or inebriation, el gonzo es negro is the condition of being intoxicated by consumption of alcoholic beverages to such a degree that mental or physical faculties are altered or impaired" spelled backwards), which was used to describe people who studied rather than partied. On the other hand, the variant "gnurd" was in wide use at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological research. MIT is one of two private land-grant universities[b] and is also a sea- throughout the first half of the 1970s.

Other theories of the word's origin suggest that it may derive from Mortimer Snerd Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen's Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist ventriloquist dummy, or the Northern Electric Research and Development Nortel Networks Corporation , formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, is a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. On January 14, 2009, Nortel filed for protection from creditors in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, in order to labs in Ontario Ontario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. (Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are larger but are not provinces.) Ontario is bordered by the provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and the U.S. states (from west to east) of Minnesota, (now Nortel Nortel Networks Corporation , formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, is a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. On January 14, 2009, Nortel filed for protection from creditors in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, in order to). The Online Etymology Dictionary The Online Etymology Dictionary is a dictionary that describes the origins of English language words. The abbreviation, OED, coincides with the frequently used acronym for the Oxford English Dictionary, a coincidence unlikely to be lost on etymologists speculates that the word is an alteration of the 1940s term nert (meaning "stupid or crazy person"), which is itself an alteration of "nut."^[9]

The term was popularized in the 1970s by its heavy use in the sitcom A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms. Sitcoms usually consist of recurring characters in a common environment such as a home or workplace and can include laugh tracks or studio Happy Days Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC. The show presents an idealized vision of life in 1950s and early 1960s America.

Characteristics

The stereotypical nerd is intelligent but socially and physically awkward. ^[10] In film and television depictions, nerds are disproportionately white males In sociology, a white male is a male member of the so-called White ethnic group, which includes people of European descent. In the United States, whites make up a majority of the population and members of this demographic group also account for the majority of the nation's "elite" -- meaning highly educated, wealthy people who hold top with very large glasses Glasses are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes, normally for vision correction, eye protection, or for protection from UV rays, braces Dental braces are a device used in orthodontics to align teeth and their position with regard to a person's bite. They are often used to correct malocclusions such as underbites, overbites, cross bites and open bites, or crooked teeth and various other flaws of teeth and jaws, whether cosmetic or structural. Orthodontic braces are often used in, severe acne Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units, skin structures consisting of a hair follicle and its associated sebaceous gland via androgen stimulation. It is characterized by noninflammatory follicular papules or comedones and by inflammatory papules, pustules, and nodules in its more severe forms. Acne and pants highly lifted up.^[11][12] It has been suggested by some, such as linguist Mary Bucholtz Mary Bucholtz is professor of Linguistics at the UC Santa Barbara. Bucholtz received her B.A. in Classics from Grinnell College in 1990 and her Ph.D. in Linguistics from UC Berkeley in 1995, and has held previous academic positions at Stanford and Texas A&M University. She is well-known for her contributions to research on language and, that being a nerd may be a state of being "hyperwhite" and rejecting African-American culture African American culture in the United States refers to the cultural contributions of Americans of African descent to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture. The distinct identity of African American culture is rooted in the historical experience of the African American people, including the Middle and slang African American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE)—is an African American variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of American English. Non-linguists sometimes call it Ebonics (a term that also has other that "cool" white children use.^[13] However, after the introduction of the Steve Urkel Steven Quincy Urkel , generally known as Steve Urkel, is a fictional character on the ABC/CBS comedy sitcom Family Matters, portrayed by Jaleel White. Originally slated to have been a one-time guest on the show, he soon became its most popular character character on the television series Family Matters Family Matters is an Emmy Award nominated American sitcom about a black middle-class family living in Chicago. The series is a spin-off of Perfect Strangers and is known for the character Steve Urkel, a nerdy guy played by Jaleel White. It aired from September 22, 1989, to September 19, 1997, on ABC, and moved to CBS from September 19, 1997, to, nerds have been seen in all races and colors as well as more recently being a frequent young Asian male stereotype in North America.

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 Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others, through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation. Bullying can be defined in many different ways. Although the UK currently has no legal definition of bullying, some US states have laws against it. Bullying is usually done to, and social isolation Social isolation is the pervasive withdrawal or avoidance of social contact or communication. It can contribute toward many emotional, behavioural and physical disorders including anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders, addictions, substance abuse, violent behaviour and overall disease. Some nerds show a pronounced interest in subjects which others tend to find dull or complex and difficult to comprehend, or overly mature for their age, especially topics related to science Science refers to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome. In this sense, science may refer to a highly skilled technique or practice, mathematics Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, relation, change, and various topics of pattern, form and entity. Mathematicians seek out patterns and other quantitative dimensions, whether dealing with numbers, spaces, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or other entities. Mathematicians formulate new conjectures and and technology Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" and &. On the opposite end of the spectrum, nerds may show an interest in activities that are viewed by their peers as immature for their age, such as trading cards, comic books, or role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as and other things relating to fantasy Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting. Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three and science fiction Science fiction is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations on current or future science or technology. Science fiction is found in books, magazines, art, television, films, games, theatre, and other media. In organizational or marketing contexts, science fiction can be synonymous with the broader definition of speculative fiction,. They are also stereotyped for being obsessed with Star Trek Star Trek is an American science fiction show, science fiction entertainment series, and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional multiverse created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek, and eleven feature films. The franchise also extends to dozens of computer and video games, hundreds, Star Wars Star Wars is an epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels. It was originally released on May 25, 1977 by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture, and other science fiction shows or movies. Nerds are often portrayed as unfit and either obese Obesity is associated with many diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive dietary calories, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, though a limited number of cases are due or very thin. Nerds are also sometimes portrayed as having symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by involuntary intrusive thoughts. When a sufferer begins to acknowledge these intrusive thoughts, the sufferer then develops anxiety based on the dread that something bad will happen. The sufferer feels compelled to voluntarily perform irrational, time-consuming physical, such as by showing an extreme devotion to following rules.

Stereotypical nerd qualities have evolved in recent years, from awkwardness and social ostracism to a more widespread acceptance and sometimes even celebration of their abilities. This is largely attributable to the rise of the computer A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions industry, which has allowed many "nerdy" people (most notably Bill Gates William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, philanthropist, author, and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. He is ranked consistently one of the world's wealthiest people and the wealthiest overall as of 2009. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief) to accumulate large fortunes and other measures of social prestige. Some measure of nerdiness is widely considered desirable, because it suggests a person who is intelligent, respectful, interesting, and able to earn a large salary. This evolution has dovetailed with waning emphasis on the social awkwardness of nerds, with more attention placed on their intelligence and academic enthusiasm.

Nerd pride

In the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds Revenge of the Nerds is a comedy film from 1984 depicting social life in the United States on a college campus. The movie stars Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, with Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley, Julia Montgomery, Brian Tochi, Larry B. Scott, John Goodman, and Donald Gibb. The film was directed by Jeff Kanew, starring Robert Carradine Robert Reed Carradine is an American actor. He may be best known for portraying Lewis Skolnick in the successful Revenge of the Nerds series of comedy films and Sam McGuire on the Disney Channel sitcom Lizzie McGuire and Anthony Edwards Anthony Charles Edwards is an Emmy Award-winning American actor and director. He has appeared in various movies and television shows, including Top Gun, Zodiac, Revenge of the Nerds, Northern Exposure and ER, Carradine in particular worked to embody the nerd stereotype and, in doing so, helped create a definitive image.^[14] Additionally, the storyline presaged, and may have helped inspire, the "nerd pride" that emerged in the 1990s. American Splendor regular Toby Radloff claims this was the movie that inspired him to become "The Genuine Nerd from Cleveland, Ohio."^[15] In the American Splendor film, Toby's friend, American Splendor author Harvey Pekar, was less receptive to the movie, believing it to be hopelessly idealistic. Many seem to share Radloff's view, as "nerd pride" has become more widespread in the years since. MIT professor Gerald Sussman, for example, seeks to instill pride in nerds:

The popular computer-news website Slashdot uses the tagline "News for nerds. Stuff that matters." The Charles J. Sykes quote "Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one" has been popularized on the Internet and incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates.^[16] In Spain, Nerd Pride Day has been observed on May 25 since 2006.^{[citation needed]}

An episode from the animated series Freakazoid, titled "Nerdator", includes the use of nerds to power the mind of a Predator-like enemy, who delivers a memorable monologue on the importance of nerds:^{[citation needed]}

The Danish reality TV show FC Zulu, known in the internationally franchised format as FC Nerds, established a format wherein a team of nerds, after two or three months of training, competes with a professional soccer team.

Nerdcore hip hop is a genre of hip hop music that has risen in popularity over the last few years, often expressing nerd themes with pride and humor. Notable artists include mc chris, MC Plus+, MC Hawking, MC Lars, and MC Frontalot. 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 without inhibition.^{[citation needed]}

Although the idea of nerds is popular, those adapting the characteristics of nerds are not actually nerds by definition. One cannot be an authentic nerd by imitation alone; a nerd is an outsider and someone who is unable to follow trends. Popular culture is borrowing the concept and image of nerds in order to stand out as individuals. ^[17]

See also

• Anorak (slang)
• Boffin
• Geek
• White & Nerdy

References

1. ^ American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, p. 1212, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston - New York - London, 1992
2. ^ Geisel, Theodor Seuss, If I Ran the Zoo, p. 47, Random House Books for Young Readers, New York, 1950
3. ^ Newsweek (1951-10-8), p. 16
4. ^ Gregory J. Marsh in Special Collections at the Swarthmore College library as reported in Humanist Discussion Group (1990-6-28) Vol. 4, No. 0235.
5. ^ Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday Mail (1957-2-10)
6. ^ Current Slang: A Quarterly Glossary of Slang Expressions Currently In Use (1971), Vol. V, No. 4, Spring 1971, p. 17
7. ^ Personal Correspondence (1973-9-4) reported on the web
8. ^ RPI Bachelor (1965), V14 #1
9. ^ The Online Etymology Dictionary. "Nerd." [1]
10. ^ Kids Called Nerds: Challenge and Hope For Children With Mild Pervasive Developmental Disorders, by Nicholas Putnam, M.D.
11. ^ Lori Kendall. "OH NO! I'M A NERD!": Hegemonic Masculinity on an Online Forum. Gender Society. 14:256. (2000)
12. ^ Ron Eglash. Race, Sex, and Nerds. Social Text. 20: 49 (2002)
13. ^ Benjamin Nugent (July 29, 2007). "Who’s a Nerd, Anyway?". New York Times Magazine. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/magazine/29wwln-idealab-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
14. ^ Singer, Jon (2005-08-28), "Carradine hits the jackpot as Lewis Skolnick", Lumino, http://www.luminomagazine.com/mw/content/view/341/10/
15. ^ [|Hensley, Dennis] (2003-09-02), "Revenge of the nerd: American Splendor's Toby Radloff is out and proud about his sexuality and his nerddom" (), The Advocate, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2003_Sept_2/ai_110737685
16. ^ Mikkelson, Barbara; Mikkelson, David P. (2000), Some Rules Kids Won't Learn in School, http://www.snopes.com/language/document/liferule.asp, retrieved on 2007-07-22
17. ^ Chicago Tribune

Further reading

• Bucholtz, Mary. ""Why be normal?": Language and identity practices in a community of nerd girls." Language in Society (1999), 28: 203-223. Cambridge University Press.
• Frayling, Christopher. Mad, Bad And Dangerous?: The Scientist and the Cinema. Reaktion Books, 2005.
• Genuine Nerd (2006) - Feature-length documentary on Toby Radloff.
• Kendall, Lori. "'The Nerd Within': Mass Media and the Negotiation of Identity Among Computer-Using Men." The Journal of Men's Studies, 7(3) (1999): 353-69.
• Kendall, Lori. "Nerd Nation: Images of Nerds in U.S. Popular Culture." International Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 2, No. 2, 260-283 (1999)
• Kendall, Lori. "'Oh No! I'm a Nerd!': Hegemonic Masculinity on an Online Forum." Gender & Society, 14 (2) (2000): 256-274.
• Nugent, Benjamin. American Nerd: The Story of My People. 2008. ISBN 978-0743288019
• Newitz, A. & Anders, C. (Eds) She's Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff. Seal Press, 2006.
• Okada, Toshio. Otaku Gaku Nyumon (Translated: 'Introduction to Otakuology'). Ohta Verlag. Tokyo, 1996.

External links

• "The Well-Dressed Geek: Media Appropriation and Subcultural Style" (Paper by Jason Tocci presented at the MIT5 conference. PDF, 180kb).
• Media in Transition 5
• "Why Nerds are Unpopular", an essay by Paul Graham about the conformist society in American high schools.
• "The Nerds Have Won", an article by Brian Hayes in American Scientist, September-October 2000.

Categories: Stereotypes | Slang expressions | Anti-intellectualism | Stock characters | Academic culture | Computing culture | Internet culture | Pejorative terms for people | Reclaimed words

See Also:

• Nerd
• Nerds
• Nerdy
• Nerdish
• FC Nerds

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