Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperNerd256
1. "Nerd" doesn't mean you're socially awkward, or strange in any way. I have no idea where you've been, but at every competition I've been to, all of the "Nerds" are there, being more social than any other person I've known! They're there, dancing and singing, talking with other teams, and doing the coolest and funniest things no one else would ever be able to do!
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It's been the same way at every competition that I've been to as well. Anyone who considers themselves a nerd will feel at home in FIRST. Anyone who doesn't can also feel at home. Within FIRST, "nerd" has no derogatory meaning.
However, I've also attended public schools for the past 13 years of my life. Being classified as a nerd in my school isn't a good reputation to have. My brother is three years younger than I am, yet is only half a year behind me in math classes (I'm in regular precalculus, and he's in "Honors Accelerated Algebra II"). He does all of his work in his head - he doesn't own a graphing calculator. I'm glad to hear that he understands the work and is good at it. But, more than once has he been called a nerd for that, usually in the form of a sneer. "Your brother is such a nerd" isn't music to my ears when I know that it has a negative connotation to most of the school.
As part of one of our spirit weeks, one of the days was "nerd day." Kids showed up to school with thick-rimmed glasses, socks and sandals, and pants pulled up to mid-chest. I know that that's how movies and other media outlets stereotype nerds, but I was slightly offended. I do consider myself a nerd in the "intellectual badass" kind of sense - I wore a shirt that I own that says "NERD IS THE WORD" with a picture of Spongebob on it. But I was offended that, if I were to widely broadcast myself as a nerd, I would be perceived as socially inept, "behind the times," and as someone who is "supposed to" be shoved in a locker. When I was younger, anyone who was considered a nerd, geek or dork was essentially disowned by the rest of the class. Had they wanted to play four-square or kickball at recess (though they usually chose not to), they would have been laughed at on the spot. In the classroom, they were generally made fun of behind their backs. As ashamed as I am of it now, I did take part in some of it. At that age, kids don't usually have an understanding of anything but the social norm, and unless acted upon by some kind of outside influence, they maintain that attitude in high school.
2 cents.