Nerd

For other uses, see Nerd (disambiguation).

"Nerds" redirects here. For the candy, see Nerds (candy).

Nerd as a stereotypical, archetypal and frequently used informally as a derogatory designation, refers to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual or esoteric knowledge or pastimes rather than engaging in social life, such as participating in organized sports or other mainstream social activities. The Merriam-Webster definition is an "unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person: especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits." While Nerd, Dork and Geek share in passionate pursuit of knowledge, the Australian colloquialism dag shares the association with the unfashionable and socially inept with the added feature of being affable and amusing. A Nerd is often excluded from physical activity, and is often considered a loner by other peers.

Steve Urkel is a famous fictional nerd.

History

The word "nerd" first appeared in Dr. Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo, published in 1950, 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.)

The use of the "nerd" as slang goes back at least to 1951, when it was reported as a relatively new usage in Detroit, Michigan first by Newsweek and then the St. Joseph, Michigan, Herald-Press. By the early 1960s, usage of the term spread through the United States and as far as Scotland. Throughout this first decade, the definition was consistent—a dull person, a synonym of "square", "drip" and "scurve". During the next decade, it took on connotations of bookishness as well as social ineptitude, and the spelling "nurd" began to appear. The University of South Dakota's journal, Current Slang, contains four entries for "nurd" and one for "nerd" in 1970 and 1971.

The first recorded use of the "nurd" spelling appeared in 1965, in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Bachelor. 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 "knurd" by author Terry Pratchett, but has not been documented prior to the "nurd" spelling in 1965. A spelling variant "gnurd" was in wide use at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by 1971 and continued at least until the mid-70's.

Other theories of the word's origin include a variation on Mortimer Snerd, the name of Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy and the Northern Electric Research and Development labs in Ontario, suggesting images of engineers wearing pocket protectors with the acronym N.E.R.D. printed on them, and a claim by Philip K. Dick to having coined "nurd". The term itself was used heavily in the American 1974 – 1984 television comedy Happy Days which was set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the mid-1950s.

The Online Etymology Dictionary speculates that the word is an alteration of a 1940s term nert meaning "stupid or crazy person," itself an alteration of nut.

Characteristics

The stereotypical nerd is intelligent but socially and physically awkward. For example, nerds usually have comb-overs. In film and television depictions, nerds are disproportionately male and white. However, after the introduction of the Steve Urkel character, nerds have been seen in all races and colors, especially, in recent years as a recurring young Asian male stereotype. They typically appear either to lack confidence or to be indifferent or oblivious to the negative perceptions held of them by others, with the result that they become frequent objects of scorn, ridicule, bullying, and social isolation. They show a pronounced interest in subjects which others tend to find dull or complex and difficult to comprehend, especially topics related to science, mathematics and technology.

Nerds and Asperger Syndrome

Many traits associated with the nerd stereotype, in particular an unusual penchant for accumulating highly specialized or technical knowledge, impaired social ability and/or occasionally poor motor coordination, are characteristics of Asperger syndrome, an autistic spectrum disorder. The existence of the nerd concept in popular consciousness might be attributed to a tendency for certain behavioral and cognitive predispositions to covary, which at the extreme results in forms of autism. In support of this possibility, studies using a measure of autistic tendencies, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) developed by Simon Baron-Cohen, find that occupations commonly linked to the nerd stereotype, especially fields of science and engineering, are associated with elevated AQ, with the highest average AQ seen among computer scientists, mathematicians and physicists. Other studies have found associations between heightened AQ and prenatal testosterone exposure as well as genetic factors, suggesting a distinct genetic and developmental basis for traits associated with the nerd stereotype.

Contemporary pride

The popular computer-news website Slashdot uses the tagline "News for nerds. Stuff that matters." Similarly, the Charles J. Sykes quote "Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one" has been popularized on the Internet and incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates.

MIT professor Gerald Sussman aims to instill pride in nerds:

"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."

— Gerald Sussman, quoted by Katie Hafner, The New York Times, 29 August 1993

Nerd Pride Day has been observed every May 25 in Spain since 2006. The holiday tries to vindicate the right to be a nerd and to express it in public without shame.

The 1984 movie Revenge of the Nerds explored the concept of "nerd pride" to comical effect. American Splendor regular Toby Radloff claims this was the movie that inspired him to become "The Genuine Nerd From Cleveland, Ohio".

An episode from the animated series Freakazoid titled "Nerdator" has a plot line that involves the use of nerds to power the mind of a Predator-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 Hollywood 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."

Nerdcore hip hop 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 MC Plus+, MC Chris, and MC Frontalot. "Weird Al" Yankovic has also recorded "White and Nerdy". The term "nerdcore" has seen wider application to refer to webcomics (most notably Penny Arcade, User Friendly, PvP, and Megatokyo) and other media that express nerd themes uninhibited.

See also

• Anorak (slang)
• Dork
• Boffin
• Geek
• Geek chic
• High school subcultures
• Nerd Pride Day
• Asperger Syndrome
• Fear of Girls, a short film about Nerds
• List of nerds in media

External links

• NerdPoint A discussion forum for nerds.
• "Why Nerds are Unpopular" An essay by Paul Graham about the conformist society in American highschools.
• Wikihow.com A short description of the differences between geeks and nerds.
• "The Nerds have won", an article in the American Scientist