Wednesday, 01 July 2009

• Currently Revenge of the Nerds: The Atomic Wedgie Collection By Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Curtis Armstrong, Timothy Busfield, Andrew Cassese see related

  "Nerd" is used too loosely these days....!

  Talking to people everyday and browsing around online, I see and hear people constantly refer to their interests as “nerdy.”   

   

  “I’m really into foreign films.  It’s dorky, I know.” 

  “I like these nerd-glasses.  They’re so cool.” 

  “I just know these things.  I’m a big geek like that.” 

   

  But that’s not really the right use of those terms, is it?  At least not in the conventional sense; they’re used more these days to refer to things that are just “not trendy.” 

   

  Now I hate to be a geek about this, but shouldn’t we really be using the correct terms for saying what we mean instead of using these all-encompassing phrases to describe counter-culture and smart people who have interests? 

   

  Below is the definition of “Nerd” 

   

  1.  Pejorative defining an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit:

  2. [SLANG] Term of praise applied (in conscious ironic reference to def. 1) to someone who knows what's really important and doesn't care to be distracted by “trivial chatter and silly status games.”

   

  Now some geek could argue that the slang definition is a shifting in the connotation of phrases like “nerd” so that it now actually can be considered a compliment.  But, as a “nerd” myself, I’m not really sold by that explanation…..OR that definition.  These words still have a mostly negative (“nerd-gative?”) connotation because everytime you call someone a nerd to their face, aren’t you insulting the dork when you say it?  So why is it that when you refer to yourself as a  dork / geek / nerd, it’s supposed to a compliment? 

   

  Aren’t you really just asking for someone to say that you’re not a nerd when you call yourself one? 

   

  And what kind of lame-ass geek does that? 

   

  Bottom line is - nobody likes to be called a nerd.  Not with either definition because it all eventually goes back to that first pejorative one.  So we should really stop using it so much.  It’s the social equivalent of that other “N word.”  (You know which one I’m referring to)  Maybe I just have a huge chip on my shoulder, but this is how I feel.  And while some gaylords might try to change its meaning, I think doing so is totally lame and misguided.  Maybe what we should be doing is just stop using the word altogether and being more precise with our “labels” so that they’re more accurate and less insulting. 

   

  It would certainly help improve our vocabulary. 

   

  History of the word “Nerd”   

   

  • 10:39 AM
  • 29 Views
  • 6 eProps
  • 4 Comments