What IS a nerd?

What is a nerd really? I was listening to some people talk, and they said that anybody who went to go see the new Star Wars movie was a nerd. I think that’s kind of unfair. Just because somebody wants to go see a movie that is associated with nerds (people who take sick days off work and ignore their family for 3 weeks to be the first ones to see it) doesn’t mean that everybody who goes and sees it is a nerd. Going back to my original question, what classifies a nerd in the first place? Somebody with glasses who is smart and has an aptitude for science yet lacks public social behavior? I don’t think that it’s fair to call all these people nerds because I know some people like this, and they aren’t nerds at all. Now of course everybody is a nerd to somebody else but they don’t necessary have to fit this description. I think nerds are cooler then the “cool” kids at school because all the football players think that they are the best and that they can get any girl in the world and the nerds will never get anything. Little do they know that while they are out partying and drinking, the nerds are playing chess or dungeons and dragons or studying for the SAT’s and someday the nerds will be the bosses of these “jocks” and then the tables will have turned.
But lets look at another scenario; would you rather have your daughter or sister dating a jock or a nerd? On one hand, you have the jock who thinks he can get whatever he wants from her and if she ever does anything to make him mad, he can dump her because he know about 5 other girls who like him. On the other hand you have the nerd who will probably respect your daughter or sister because he knows he doesn’t have a lot of girls who like him, he doesn’t get many opportunities to go out with girls, or even people for that matter. (Except for his little nerd crew and their calculators) In this situation, I’d pick the nerd. Its like who would you rather date: The Fonz or Bill Gates? I think the choice is obvious. These are some definitions to go by when looking for nerds: One whose IQ exceeds his weight. A stereotypical label used to describe a person that is socially inadequate. A four letter word, but a six figure income. the group of people who will most likely make a life changing invention that will radically change the world. An individual persecuted for his superior skills or intellect, most often by people who fear and envy him.
Now nerds are not to be confused by Geeks. Geeks are Someone who spends a lot of time on the computer, watching sci-fi, reading fanasty but DOES have an actual life. A NERD is someone who also does these things but does NOT have a life. Nor to be confused with a DORK, whom both the geeks & the nerds beat up.

I hope we all learned something here.
~Ian




P.S. Please notice that I did not mention Napoleon Dynamite anywhere in this article. I have two reasons: I don’t know enough about it to make a honest, truthful, well thought out comment. And the other reason is because I know everybody who even reads this post would stop talking to me, threaten me or simply kill me if I down talked good ole ND in any way, because everybody in Grass Valley practically worships him, and I hate it.
~ian