17 May 2013, 9:26 am
17 May 2013, 10:12 am
17 May 2013, 10:13 am
17 May 2013, 10:21 am
JanuaryMan wrote:
I think according to people at WP it has to be a very black and white definition of nerdy to be a nerd (why am I not surprised?).
The people here seem to think you have to be the "whole package" so to speak to be a nerd.
The people here seem to think you have to be the "whole package" so to speak to be a nerd.
No, I am trying to pin down the very sneaky way a lot of people want to engage in a particular interest/behaviour without actually being what would be seen as a stereotypical nerd - it's a paradox - they want to be nerdish but not an actual nerd as nerds are people they look down on
Despite this being an Aspegers board
There's a three-tier system going on
1. people who are nerds/geeks/(whatever the term is this week) and not ashamed of it
2. people who are the above and ashamed of it so pretending they aren't
3. people who aren't nerds/geeks but like the type of things stereotypically associated with nerds so have to get the
term redefined/messed about with to make themselves feel better/to ensure they don't get lumped in wth actual nerds,
which would cramp their style
No's 2 and 3 are all about saving face socially
No 1 is often a typical person with Aspergers who is just being themself
No's 2 and 3 seem more common to me than 1 on here
17 May 2013, 10:30 am
17 May 2013, 10:34 am
marshall wrote:
So, the definition of "nerd" is based on how someone looks? You're not a real nerd unless you dress nerdy and look like a nerd? You can't just have nerdy interests and behaviors?
No; but despite the lack of a proper definition, I think that someone who spends a lot of effort trying to look "cool" is not a nerd.
This doesn't mean that nerds don't care about their appearance. For example, it would be really nerdy to wear something like this:
I'm not sure if that's considered "cool", but I doubt so.
A nerd would wear such a tie because he likes 8-bit graphics (provided that he does), even though he risks looking ridiculous (provided that he's aware of that).
If wearing something like that became cool, the nerd would still do it, but it wouldn't suddenly make him "one of the cool guys".
Last edited by Vectorspace on 17 May 2013, 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
17 May 2013, 10:34 am
PsychoSarah
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17 May 2013, 11:04 am
17 May 2013, 11:25 am
Vectorspace wrote:
marshall wrote:
So, the definition of "nerd" is based on how someone looks? You're not a real nerd unless you dress nerdy and look like a nerd? You can't just have nerdy interests and behaviors?
No; but despite the lack of a proper definition, I think that someone who spends a lot of effort trying to look "cool" is not a nerd.
This doesn't mean that nerds don't care about their appearance. For example, it would be really nerdy to wear something like this:
I'm not sure if that's considered "cool", but I doubt so.
A nerd would wear such a tie because he likes 8-bit graphics (provided that he does), even though he risks looking ridiculous (provided that he's aware of that).
If wearing something like that became cool, the nerd would still do it, but it wouldn't suddenly make him "one of the cool guys".
That guy wouldn't automatically be a nerd. He could just be a hipster dressing weird for attention. The nerd stereotype is not dressing weird but looking unkempt and disheveled because you simply don't care at all about making yourself aesthetically pleasing. It's a stupid stereotype because not all nerdy/intelligent people don't care at all about having a presentable appearance.
PsychoSarah
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17 May 2013, 11:34 am
17 May 2013, 11:46 am
17 May 2013, 11:48 am
PsychoSarah
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17 May 2013, 11:49 am
17 May 2013, 11:55 am
OMG - I want that 8-bit tie!! ! 
PsychoSarah
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17 May 2013, 11:57 am
17 May 2013, 12:05 pm
marshall wrote:
That guy wouldn't automatically be a nerd. He could just be a hipster dressing weird for attention.
Yes, it's a problem to distinguish a nerd from a hipster. But there is a clear difference:
If a nerd wears it, it's because he understands what it's about and he likes it. A hipster, on the other hand, wears it for his "style".
BlueMax wrote:
OMG - I want that 8-bit tie!! !
Me too, but they don't ship to Europe. I do, however, own this shirt:
Last edited by Vectorspace on 17 May 2013, 12:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
