Nerdiness in your daily life. Are you "out"?

[Zeus]

They way I learned it is simpler than any defintion. Nerds are those who are smart and capable in am academic enviroment but lack the social skills to be "cool". If you like nerdy things and you're not a true nerd (I.e. Have gotten laid), youre just a guy who likes [nerd thing].

That being said, I'm not a nerd, but I dabble in the arts of nerddom. Video games, fantasy books, etc. 

[The Larch]

That being said, I'm not a nerd, but I dabble in the arts of nerddom. Video games, fantasy books, etc.

Going back to the gay paralel, that sounds like "I'm not homosexual, I only enjoy being fucked in the butt by other fellas". 

[dps]

I'm not sure that either of those can be considered proven.  Note that I'm not saying that being gay is a choice, just that simply because something isn't a choice doesn't mean you are necessarily born that way.

FWIW I've never met a gay person who didn't claim to be born gay.  I suppose it's possible that some or all of them are lying, but seems pretty unlikely as I'm not sure why one would choose an orientation that would bring them ridicule, discrimination, and in some cases physical harm.

I didn't say that it was a choice--I merely was pointing out that there are other possibilities than either being born that way or chosing to be that way.

I'm somewhat inept socially, but I don't think that I consciously choose to be socially inept.  OTOH, I don't think that I was born that way, either. 

[Josquius]

Its a choice?
I can't help what I'm interested in. I just find history fascinating and cars thoroughly meh (and heaven knows I've tried to get into cars).

[Ape]

Hi I am Ape and I am a 32 year old nerd.

I play P&P RPG at least once every month and have done so since I was eight years old, I paint tin figures and have two large glass cabinets full of them open to display in my apartment. I am the vice chairman for the Sverok district of lower Norrland (Sverok being an acrynom and translates to Swedens role- and conflict players). I do not hide my hobbies and I am not ashamed of them, if someone is mocking my hobbies or anyone that do them I tell them to go fuck themselves. I do not dress up as an elf, jedi or whatever.

My girlfriend supports me in my hobbies, though she does not play any P&P RPG she do play them on the computer (had to buy her an own copy of Dragon Age:Origins so I could have my computer to myself).

[Maximus]

So, I don't agree on "nerd" being a good thing or a positive attribute. So what?

Present me arguments on why being a nerd is a quality or a positive thing for an individual being so, and we'll debate.

They are free to pursue what interests them unhampered by social acceptance or the need to fit in?

I can see why this would be ostracism-worthy in the seduction community, but to those of a more intellectual bent it is clear why someone might choose this path.

[Pedrito]

Hmmm, it's not a simple question.

For some things, my nerdiness evaporated with time and now I laugh about my fondness for stupid shit, and can laugh about it with others, too;
for other things, my heart still misses a beat when I think of them, and not even my wife knows the depths of some of my nerdy obsessions.
It depends on the shifts in social acceptability of an obsession: in my circle of friends/acquaintances there's still people who see comics as a lower, almost ground-level form of brainless entertainment, the same can be said for science fiction and fantasy literature; when this people see the part of my library devoted to comic books, they raise an eyebrow: I don't even start a discussion about it 

The only person I was ever truly honest about my nerdiness was my best friend, a guy that shared with me lots of my obsessions (Star Wars, D&D, LOTR, Magic: THe Gathering, obscure music, comics, computer games and many others), who I lost some years ago (not literally, I hope he's still alive!) and who I sorely miss. 

Ok, and now for some really tough confessions:

- I can recite all the dialogue of Young Frankenstein
- There was a time when I dreamt of having a son to teach him to play D&D with his friends
- I eagerly await the bi-yearly LEGO catalogue to see the upcoming Technic boxes
- In two boxes in the attic I still have all my old Magic cards; sorted by expansion, then colour, then mana cost, then rarity, then alphabetical order. And yes, when I closed the boxes I put several silica gel bags, to prevent the forming of mold on the cards 

L.

[Slargos]

It depends on the shifts in social acceptability of an obsession: in my circle of friends/acquaintances there's still people who see comics as a lower, almost ground-level form of brainless entertainment, the same can be said for science fiction and fantasy literature; when this people see the part of my library devoted to comic books, they raise an eyebrow: I don't even start a discussion about it 

Yeah. See, I understand why people do this since most people aren't very open minded even if it's in vogue to claim you are, but I will never be able to accept it. Why the fuck should anyone frown on what kind of books I like reading? I think reading gossip magazines is fucking stupid, but if someone wants to do it I won't give them shit about it and I certainly won't think less of them for it.

[The Brain]

I suppose I am out. I don't go around and tell everyone that I paint little military men but I happily talk about it if it comes up.

[Legbiter]

I'm semi-closeted, only close friends know the whole picture.

[Valmy]

- In two boxes in the attic I still have all my old Magic cards; sorted by expansion, then colour, then mana cost, then rarity, then alphabetical order. And yes, when I closed the boxes I put several silica gel bags, to prevent the forming of mold on the cards 

Dear God man!

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Most people think I'm pretty "nerdy" but often they don't realize the full extent, as they only know me as a Film nerd, a D&D nerd, a Comic book nerd, or a music nerd, actally I'm all those things as well as a SF/fantasy nerd.... I'm nerdy about all the things I'm into.

[Malthus]

I paint little military men

The hard part is getting them drunk enough, right? 

[grumbler]

To me, there is nothing to be proud to be labeled a nerd, period. It's by definition derogatory; if you are labeled a nerd, you are doing something wrong and should get your shit together. Geek is just an attempt to put a positive spin to it to make it easier to live with, but they remain nerds by any other name.

I think your definition of the term is a bit behind the times.  Nerd isn't by definition derogatory in the society at large; books are aimed at "nerds," there are "nerd" websites, etc - none of this would be true if people were ashamed to self-identify as nerds.

[Slargos]

To me, there is nothing to be proud to be labeled a nerd, period. It's by definition derogatory; if you are labeled a nerd, you are doing something wrong and should get your shit together. Geek is just an attempt to put a positive spin to it to make it easier to live with, but they remain nerds by any other name.

I think your definition of the term is a bit behind the times.  Nerd isn't by definition derogatory in the society at large; books are aimed at "nerds," there are "nerd" websites, etc - none of this would be true if people were ashamed to self-identify as nerds.

Not to the same extent as it used to be, but I think mostly the definition has shifted a bit in that you're no longer a nerd simply for having an interest in computers.