Comments on: On Nerds, and Cultures Counter. . .

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:53:07 +0000

I AGREE LET’S BE FWIENDS!

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:13:01 +0000

I take it back, I think it is fair to say that Nerds are a sub-culture. I think the argument I was trying to make is that they are not a counter-culture. After all, Bird Watching societys and High School Debate are sub-cultures. I think the difference is that a sub culture is a group of people who have banded together and formed their own culture within a culture, whereas, a counter culture is created in opposition to a given culture. Sorry for the confusion in terms.

Although, I do think the term “Nerd” is a bit slippery, and even a bit contradictory. It’s cool to be bit of a nerd, in the right places (music, geek chic clothing) but uncool to be too much of a nerd(playing too much wow, cosplay). Also, I think two people who have very little in common might both be considered nerds. Take, for example, a buttoned down, young, female asian design major on the fast track to success versus a forty year old obese man playing mmorpgs in his parents basement all day. The only thing they have in common is that they are not what is traditionally considered cool.

By: Steven

Steven — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 17:20:23 +0000

Why don’t you marry him Sam.

By: patrick

patrick — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:32:33 +0000

I disagree with your statement that a subculture has to agree to a particular ideology counter to it’s parent culture. Granted maybe nerds aren’t entirely cohesive, but i think they are just as cohesive as other groups. I think the main problem with the nerd subculture is that until very recently you would never self-identify with as a nerd rather, the label was given by the mainstream culture as a pejorative. I could maybe buy the fact that nerds were not a subculture then. However, nowadays with so many people self-identifying and networking as nerds I feel you would be missing the point if you claimed they were not subcultures, even if they don’t really challenge assumptions of the parent culture (sexism, materialism, and homophobia). If you claim a subculture must have a cohesive ideological goal then you can’t really include a bunch of sub-cultures.

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:02:30 +0000

I think it’s because “nerds” are paraiahs, rather than an actual subculture. There is not an ideology that goes along with it, just a series of habits, pursuits and stereotypical characteristics. Nerds don’t seek to reject societys values, they just get really passionate about things most people see as unhealthy escapism. I don’t think your stereo-typical dungeonmaster scorns society (unlike us), they simply find escapism more rewarding. Therefore, the anti-intellectualism and objectification of women found in mainstream society carry over, because there is no reason to shed them. There is no ideological goal attached to being a nerd, unless you call playing warcraft in your basement an ideological goal.

This has come off to harsh, because I consider myself a nerd. I play video games from time to time, I read tons of comics, and I LOVE Batman. The problem with identifying yourself as a member of a group is that you have to feel responsible for the dumb shit coming out of the mouths of the people who also claim to be in your same group. I know reading comics and even playing video games are intellectually rewarding for me, yet very stupid people spend their time doing the same stuff. I think this fact merely speaks to how effective these things are as art forms that seek to include rather than exclude.