# Nerds are Smothering American Culture!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977 "2019-03-11T23:30:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/21 "2019-03-12T09:32:03Z")
Yes, Will, power fantasies are the domain of castrated nerds for sure. Non-nerdy heroes slash sexual tyranosauruses like Dirty Harry or John McClane were political heroes who fostered trust in institutions rather than the power fantasies of jocks. Zero red scare, either. And the government damn sure is heroic in Rambo ! Fuck’s sake, you’re not even wrong, old man. ---
**Author:** ![DerNils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerNils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerNils)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/22 "2019-03-12T10:02:57Z")
Yeah, the Mission Impossible Franchise, James Bond or Bourne are sure all pro-Government… Hero Worship is not exactly a new phenomenon, neither world-wide nor specifically in the US. I mean, most of the Old West myth is build upon the Lone Hero Trope. I do admit that the rise of social media has made elections even more of a personality contest that it has been before, and larger than life candidates and disruptive Messages capture the attention of the population easier than well thought out Arguments. Obama mentioned during one of his interviews that the only thing he regrets about his using social media for his campaign was that they didn’t think far enough of the power and ramifications of this new way of campaigning. But that is a Problem inherent in all Major new technologies - you cannot rely on People using it only for good or in the way you intended them to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/23 "2019-03-12T10:22:40Z")
“Nerd” fandom (however it’s defined) is not a fraction as harmful to culture as sports fandom, at long as sports fandom keeps getting cities to pay for stadiums they can’t afford and goes on destructive riots when their team wins. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/24 "2019-03-12T10:52:06Z")
**[Moderating]** > [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > Huh, go figure, as your contributions here strike me as coming from a happy, well-adjusted, balanced person, doubtless with a wealth of close, supportive friends and a thriving, fulfilling professional career and personal life. Personal insults are still personal insults, even if they’re phrased sarcastically. This is an official Warning for use of personal insults. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/25 "2019-03-12T11:02:13Z")
Brought to you from the same guy who advertised for taking up smoking instead of meditation: > [@Will Lloyd](#): > > Seventy years ago a man in his position wouldn’t need to parachute into another country and sit on a hard wooden floor in silence in order to chill out. He would have smoked 40 or 50 or 60 cigarettes a day instead. Sure, he would have ended up dying earlier, but the effects of nicotine – regular hits of dopamine, raised alertness, speedy reaction times and powerful anti-anxiety and antidepressant qualities – would have given him everything he gets from meditation and more. I mean, you gotta admire the troll game if nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/26 "2019-03-12T11:59:31Z")
It’s a phase. I’m happy to be out of the war-mongering, football-obsessed, car culture we were in when I was a kid. Not that those have gone away, they just no longer dominate in the same way. In 50 years there will be an equilibrium. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/27 "2019-03-12T12:17:02Z")
As a life long nerd and geek I say YAY! NERD POWER!!! Our culture for the WIN! PWN! ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/28 "2019-03-12T12:33:56Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > I’ll take a WAG that fantasy football, pro wrestling fandom, and obsession with baseball statistics don’t count as the same kind of sad nerd culture to this writer. As usual, the Onion to the rescue: > **[Walking Sports Database Scorns Walking Sci-Fi Database](https://www.theonion.com/walking-sports-database-scorns-walking-sci-fi-database-1819566197)** > > PASSAIC, NJ—Scott Moreland, a walking database of sports facts and figures, scorned Tim Dansby, a walking database of science-fiction anecdotes and trivia, Monday afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/29 "2019-03-12T15:48:15Z")
I think the author is not really looking deep enough. I mean, look at Batman and James Bond. They’re both mortal men who use a bunch of high tech gadgetry and cool cars to take on supervillains. Only difference is one wears a tuxedo, and the other wears a cowl. Yet James Bond is considered an icon of cool, not a representative of a genre only considered suitable for children. And as others have pointed out, there’s precious little difference between being a fantasy sports player and playing other games based on fantasy. At least with the other games, they’re honest about the fantastic part, and not trying to cloak it in whatever respectability professional sports has. I also think the rise of “nerdy” stuff is a sign of a set of cultural shifts- the Internet connecting people who do actually like this stuff, but were afraid to speak out and people having children later, and having the time and money to indulge in this stuff. I suspect a lot more people have liked this stuff all along, but just never really had a way to connect with anyone else who did. Hell, just look at the box office success of prior superhero movies for proof- the 1978 Superman and 1989 Batman movies cleaned house and spawned several sequels each. The main thing is that the Marvel universe was essentially unexplored in cinema until the 21st century. (think about how many Superman and Batman films, TV shows and what-not there have been over the years?) As for the having kids later, most people really get into their nerdy fandoms in their 20s, and if you were having kids and becoming parents in your early 20s, people probably just didn’t have time for it back in the day. I know that even having had children in my 30s, my videogaming, nerdy movie watching and general engagement with the nerdy universe is a LOT lower than it had been prior to children. I suspect that if it had happened right when I got out of college or even before, I’d have had to build that anew as an adult, and in the face of whatever competing leisure activities I’d got used to in the intervening decade while raising the kids. It’s not a competition with sports fans, and I don’t think it’s really that it’s a matter of jocks vs. nerds. It’s more that the nerds were always there, but due to inadequate communication and other societal factors, they weren’t able to effectively concentrate themselves and make their presence and desires known. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/30 "2019-03-13T00:44:53Z")
Of course nerds are ruining American culture. Sports requires an actual person to perform actual feats of athleticism. Back in the day, people got rich building massive structures and contraptions out of steel that could get them killed if they did it wrong. You worked your way up the ladder as you gained skills, knowledge and experience. If people said half the shit they post on Twitter or Facebook to someone’s face, they’d catch a fist. There was a time people didn’t go to work dressed like a 15 year old. You actually had to walk up to a woman and ask her out instead of using an app. And sometimes you didn’t have a way of summoning a car to take you home afterwards! Nerds have taken attributes like strength, courage, charisma, leadership, sex appeal and handshakeitude and projected them onto the various subjects of their fantasy culture. Largely because they do not possess these traits themselves. Instead, they possess a nerdly cunning, honed from years of celibacy, hiding behind screens trying to figure out ways to “hack” or “disrupt” their way through life. I mean, what do you think would happen if you consistently took the most disliked kids in school and gave them a billion dollars? ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/31 "2019-03-13T01:50:19Z")
That’s right! And I’m going to keep smothering American culture, too! HAHAHA! ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/32 "2019-03-13T02:05:51Z")
A lot of people who people might call nerds are, in fact, geeks. Myself, I am not a nerd. I am a geek. “Geek” originated as a term for people who go around with carnivals and swallow small bits of glass and nails. This usage has broadened over the years to include anybody with a skill that other people don’t possess, and aren’t interested in learning for themselves. Programmers are geeks mostly and I imagine accountants and car mechanics are probably too. Plus it’s still true we have to swallow a lot of crap. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/33 "2019-03-13T04:06:09Z")
> [@pmwgreen](#): > > A lot of people who people might call nerds are, in fact, geeks. Myself, I am not a nerd. I am a geek. “Geek” originated as a term for people who go around with carnivals and swallow small bits of glass and nails. This usage has broadened over the years to include anybody with a skill that other people don’t possess, and aren’t interested in learning for themselves. Programmers are geeks mostly and I imagine accountants and car mechanics are probably too. Plus it’s still true we have to swallow a lot of crap. I’ve always felt that the distinction between “nerd” and “geek” is that nerds possess specialized, esoteric knowledge that’s actually useful. If you can write your own OS in Unix, you’re a nerd. If you can name every guest star who ever appeared on any iteration of Star Trek, you’re a geek. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/34 "2019-03-13T08:20:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I mean, what do you think would happen if you consistently took the most disliked kids in school and gave them a billion dollars? Bill Gates? Steve Jobs? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/35 "2019-03-13T08:36:47Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’ve always felt that the distinction between “nerd” and “geek” is that nerds possess specialized, esoteric knowledge that’s actually useful. If you can write your own OS in Unix, you’re a nerd. If you can name every guest star who ever appeared on any iteration of Star Trek, you’re a geek. I think as the English language stands today, the distinction is that while a geek can be specialized, a nerd is the whole package. In other words, you can be a well-adjusted, socially adept person and still be, say, a Tolkien geek… but if you’re a nerd, you’re a nerd. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/36 "2019-03-13T13:56:24Z")
I don’t know about America, but I was never bullied or even made fun of for nerdy pursuits in high school. Being into comics, Tolkien, computers and science were not social blockers where I grew up. Hell, it was a sporty kid who introduced me to Pratchett… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/37 "2019-03-13T14:09:00Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I think as the English language stands today, the distinction is that while a geek can be specialized, a nerd is the whole package. In other words, you can be a well-adjusted, socially adept person and still be, say, a Tolkien geek… but if you’re a nerd, you’re a nerd. Yep, that’s how I always understood it. Someone like a Joe Mangianello can be a total D&D geek, but not be a nerd in the least bit. Geekery is more about passion in a specialized field- there are woodworking geeks, auto mechanic geeks (gearheads), baking geeks, etc… and it’s not a… state of being like nerdiness is. And someone can be a nerd and not even be a geek. Nerdiness is more about being socially awkward, and unconcerned/unaware of how they don’t fit into “normal” life. Generally this takes the form of being an academic type whose interests are not mainstream, and who just doesn’t care, or has no idea that they aren’t in the mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/38 "2019-03-13T14:23:21Z")
I view it as the reverse, and self-identify as a nerd but not a geek. That said, I understand that others use the terms differently, and take no offense at being called a geek. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/39 "2019-03-13T14:34:29Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Yep, that’s how I always understood it. Someone like a Joe Mangianello can be a total D&D geek, but not be a nerd in the least bit. Geekery is more about passion in a specialized field- there are woodworking geeks, auto mechanic geeks (gearheads), baking geeks, etc… and it’s not a… state of being like nerdiness is. And someone can be a nerd and not even be a geek. > > Nerdiness is more about being socially awkward, and unconcerned/unaware of how they don’t fit into “normal” life. Generally this takes the form of being an academic type whose interests are not mainstream, and who just doesn’t care, or has no idea that they aren’t in the mainstream. I agree with this. Today “geek” just implies being a fanatic about some subject and having specialized knowledge. You can be a geek and still be (mostly) cool. Being a nerd originally just indicated someone who was uncool and a social misfit. Today it has gained the implication that someone is also smart, but the main criterion is being unhip. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977/40 "2019-03-13T15:29:55Z")
[Tim Allen stand-up voice] Yeah, nerds are sick, maladjusted, sad individuals. Too bad we own the world! Hahahahaha! **AHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAAH!** [/] 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nerds-are-smothering-american-culture/830977.md?page=3)