Let’s examine a social construction today.
What makes someone nerdy?
Within the close circle of friends I have accumulated in my time at USF, nerdy is generally a term used only to refer to that isolated friend whom no one has seen in months because he sits in his mom’s dark basement in his bathrobe playing World of Warcraft, emerging only when it’s time to go to Necronomicon. (If I’m insulting you here, get over it. You’re a nerd. Embrace it and move on.)
I never considered my friends or myself to belong in the same category. But recently I’ve had to reevaluate my perspective on the whole deal. After a few years of driving to St. Petersburg on the weekends to hang out with my non-nerdy friends at the beach or at one of the city’s awesome restaurants, I finally decided to just move there. Rooming with a close friend with interests nearly polar opposite of my own, I’ve gained a new view on some of my own hobbies.
When we go out with friends and I get a little silly, usually the first topic to arise on my part is the latest movie I’ve seen, which is almost always scifi. I get really excited and try to explain a complicated plot that is usually only interesting to me, leading my friend to lean over and mockingly whisper, “Sam, your nerd is showing.”
I never thought I was that nerdy before. Sure I watch and read a lot of science fiction. But I certainly don’t look or act like my idea of nerdy. But I still get described that way, lately on a near daily basis. The association is new for me, because I’ve never been classified like that before by so many people.
After pondering the subject for entirely too long, I’ve come to this conclusion: Nerdiness comes in degrees.
Nerd in the first degree:
While I may be a little on the nerdy side, you wouldn’t actually know that unless you talked to me. In the first degree, nerdy can be synonymous with intelligent or school-savvy. We watch the movies, read the books; we know our stuff. But we do have other interests to dilute the inner nerd. Need a visual? In this category I think I would place The Big Bang Theory’s Bernadette. A cute little micro-biology major, Bernadette’s vast intelligence and attraction for geeky guys is masked behind her blonde curls and trendy clothes.
Nerd in the second degree:
My friends in this category can be distinguished as nerds most of the time. They rock the steampunk goggles and batman Ts, but they aren’t so nerdy that only other nerds want to socialize with them. This is the medium between not nerdy enough and super-nerd. Who belongs in this category? Nathan Fillion, definitely. If you love him, you know he’s nerdy and may like him just for that reason, but the man is still an awesome actor in his non-nerdy roles and in real life.
Nerd in the third degree:
I do have at least one friend who belongs in this category, and he totally knows who he is and is proud of being a super-nerd. I can only describe this category by giving an example. What’s a super-nerd? The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper. A theoretical physicist, Sheldon doesn’t possess the social skills necessary to operate in a social setting other than his own living room. He couldn’t even order food if it weren’t for his accommodating roommate, Leonard.
Well, that’s how I view this whole thing. Nerdy is like a pool with multiple depths. Some of us hang out in the shallows, testing the water but not diving in completely. Others jump into the deep end and sink out of sight, embracing nerd culture as a way of life. Is either side the right side? Absolutely not. Embrace the level you feel most suits you.