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| Gerard, pronounced G/rahd is a nerd. Despite hiss broad knowldge in the field of screwing lids he is quite dumb. He posses many nred-like traits. | |||
| {{otheruses}} | |||
| {{Redirect|Nerds|the candy|Nerds (candy)}} | |||
| {{Original research}} | |||
| {{Unreferenced|date=February 2007}} | |||
| {{wiktionarypar|nerd}} | |||
| '''Nerd''', as a ] or ] designation, refers to somebody who passionately pursues ] or ] knowledge or pastimes, rather than engaging in a ], participating in organized sports, or other mainstream activities. The ] definition is an "unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits." | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The use of the word "nerd" goes back at least to ], when it was reported as a relatively new usage in ], Michigan first by '']''<ref>'']'' (1951-10-8), p. 16</ref> and then the St. Joseph, Michigan, ''Herald-Press''<ref>St. Joseph, Michigan, ''Herald-Press'' (1952-6-14), p. 14</ref>. By the early ], usage of the term spread through the United States<ref>Gregory J. | |||
| Marsh in Special Collections at the Swarthmore College library as reported in (1990-6-28) Vol. 4, No. 0235.</ref> and as far as Scotland<ref>Glasgow, Scotland, ''Sunday Mail'' | |||
| (1957-2-10)</ref>. Over time, it took on connotations of bookishness as well as ]. The word itself first appeared in ] book '']''<ref>], '']'', p. 47, Random House Books for Young Readers, New York, 1950</ref>, published in ], 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.) | |||
| By 1965, the word was also spelled "nurd", as seen in the ] (RPI) ''Bachelor''<ref>RPI ''Bachelor'' (1965), V14 #1</ref>. 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 "]" by author ], but has not been documented prior to the "nurd" spelling in 1965. By 1970, the "nurd" spelling is reported in the ]'s quarterly, ''Current Slang''. | |||
| Another theory of the word's origin sees it as a variation on ], the name of ] ventriloquist dummy. Yet another theory traces the term to '']'', suggesting images of engineers wearing ]s with the acronym N.E.R.D. printed on them. In the 1933 film, '']'', ]'s character replies to her husband's suggestion that she might enjoy mingling with Washington "cabinet members' wives" by saying, "Nerds!... A lot of sour-faced frumps with last year's clothes on, pinning medals on ]s and pouring tea for the ]s..." (However, this may be an intentional softening of the ] "Nuts!", which was considered vulgar at the time.) | |||
| The term itself was used heavily in the American 1974 – 1984 television comedy '']'' which was set in ] in the mid-1950s. | |||
| In the ], the word "weakling" or "whimp" was used before the word "nerd" was used widely. Comic book ads for ] weights and workout books were often accompanied by a short comic strip about a skinny "weakling" and his girlfriend at the beach. In the strip, a muscular bully kicks sand on the weakling. His girlfriend leaves him for the bully. The weakling exercises (using Atlas's trademarked "Dynamic Tension" method) until he has bigger muscles than the bully. He then defeats the bully in a fist fight. The girl leaves the bully, and joins the former weakling again as his girlfriend. This simple comic strip may have shaped nerd-versus-bully storylines thereafter. The nature of the strip tapped into men's fears, hormones, and competitive instincts over women. | |||
| ==Popular culture== | |||
| 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 ] as a ]; in these cases, a put-upon person has a wonderful secret (examples include ]/] and ]/], as well as ]/]) | |||
| . 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. | |||
| 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 ], often as a ]. 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.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. A more modern example of the evil nerd is enemy computer programmer ] in the ] film ]. Grishenko also embodies the obnoxious aspect in some nerds, with his catchphrase, "Yes! I am invincible!" after having cracked a computer code. | |||
| The total opposite of a nerd is shown in ] "]" cartoon segments. Bullwinkle, aka Mr. Know-It-All, thinks he can do certain things, when he cannot due to his stupidity. In the cartoons, ] (or some other evil character) usually beats up Mr. Know-It-All. Meanwhile, the time-traveling duo from this cartoon series — ], a talking dog, and his boy, Sherman — are both nerds; they both sport dark-rimmed glasses, and the dog wears a bow tie. | |||
| The artist ] composed a song entitled '']''. In the song he lists typical characteristics of a nerd, such as being an avid '']'' viewer, knowing ], playing ], and editing ]. | |||
| ==Characteristics== | |||
| Non-nerds think of the stereotypical nerd as being intelligent yet socially awkward. Nerds generally express a pronounced interest in complex subjects and often function as ]s. Topics dealing with ], ], ], ], complex board games, ]s, ], ], ] and ] literature, ], television programs and movies have all become heavily associated with nerds, as have conventions relating to these various topics. | |||
| ===Personality tests=== | |||
| In the practice of ], geeks and nerds can be said to be ] ], ] or ], and, in various cases, ]. 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 '''I'''ntroverted i'''N'''tuitive '''T'''hinkers. 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) ] type 5. | |||
| ==Contemporary pride== | |||
| Many nerds are proud of their title as a nerd. As early as the mid-], "nerd" developed distinct positive connotations within social spheres connected to ] and the ], to denote with pride a technically skilled person. This also extended toward financial success in these fields, with ] 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 ] 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. | |||
| ] professor ] aims to instill pride in nerds: | |||
| <blockquote>"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."</blockquote> | |||
| :: — Gerald Sussman, quoted by Katie Hafner, '']'', ] ] | |||
| The ] movie '']'' explored the concept of "nerd pride" to comical effect. '']'' regular ] claims this was the movie that inspired him to become "The Genuine Nerd From ]". | |||
| An episode from the animated series '']'' titled "Nerdator" has a plot line that involves the use of nerds to power the mind of a ]-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 ] 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 ] cartoon, ] ], in which ] is referred to as a "geek school". | |||
| ] 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 ], ] and ], including ]'s "]". As well, there is a film showing Nerd pride called '']''. | |||
| ==Notes and references== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ], a short film about Nerds | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| <!-- Wikipedians: because of recent spam-links (a form of Misplaced Pages vandalism), please discuss external links on the talk page first. Thanks. --> | |||
| * A discussion forum for nerds. | |||
| * The Geek Syndrome | |||
| * An essay by Paul Graham about the conformist society in American highschools. | |||
| * A discussion forum for nerds. | |||
| * A short description of the differences between geeks and nerds. | |||
| * , an article in the ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
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| {{Link FA|he}} | |||
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Revision as of 11:35, 24 February 2007
Gerard, pronounced G/rahd is a nerd. Despite hiss broad knowldge in the field of screwing lids he is quite dumb. He posses many nred-like traits.