Editing Nerd (section)

==Culture and perception==
===Stereotype===
====Intellect and alleged nerdiness====
Because of the nerd stereotype, many intelligent people are often thought of as nerdy. This belief can be harmful, as it can cause high-school students to "switch off their lights" out of fear of being branded as a nerd,<ref name="In Praise">{{cite news |last= Anderegg |first=Mr |title= In Praise of Nerds |url= http://www.economist.com/node/10493332 |newspaper= The Economist |date=12 January 2008}}</ref> and cause otherwise appealing people to be considered nerdy simply for their intellect. 

It has been argued that intellectuals are automatically nerdy because they were secretly envied, arrogant, or out of touch. However, [[Paul Graham (computer programmer)|Paul Graham]] stated in his essay, "Why Nerds are Unpopular", that intellect is neutral, meaning that many high school students neither admire nor deride classmates for intelligence itself. He also states that it is only the correlation that makes smart teens automatically seem nerdy, and personally defines a nerd as someone deemed not socially adept enough. Additionally, he says that the reason why many smart kids are unpopular is that they "don't have time for the activities required for popularity," since they instead prioritize intellectual, solitary pursuits, at the cost of being branded as "nerds." He also goes on to criticize suburbia and the public education system for enabling a popularity contest.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Graham|first=Paul|title=Why Nerds are Unpopular|url=http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html}}</ref>

====Stereotypical "nerd" appearance and fashion====
Stereotypical nerd appearance, often lampooned in [[caricature]]s, can include very large [[glasses]], [[dental braces]], [[malocclusion|buck teeth]], severe [[acne]] and [[Trousers|pants]] worn high at the waist. Following suit of popular use in emoticons, Unicode released in 2015 its "Nerd Face" character, featuring some of those stereotypes: 🤓 (code point U+1F913). In the media, many nerds are males, portrayed as being physically unfit, either [[overweight]] or [[:wikt:skinny|skinny]] due to lack of physical exercise.<ref name=":1">Lori Kendall. "OH NO! I'M A NERD!": Hegemonic Masculinity on an Online Forum. ''Gender Society''. '''14''': 256. (2000)</ref><ref>Ron Eglash. Race, Sex, and Nerds. ''Social Text''. '''20:''' 49 (2002)</ref> 

====The stereotype across race and gender====
It has been suggested by some, such as linguist [[Mary Bucholtz]], that being a nerd may be a state of being "hyperwhite" and rejecting [[African-American culture]] and slang that "cool" white children use.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/magazine/29wwln-idealab-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin|title= Who's a Nerd, Anyway? |access-date=2007-07-28 |author=Benjamin Nugent|date=July 29, 2007|work=[[The New York Times]] Magazine}}</ref> However, after the ''[[Revenge of the Nerds]]'' movie franchise (with multicultural nerds), and the introduction of the [[Steve Urkel]] character on the television series ''[[Family Matters]]'', nerds have been seen in all races and colors as well as more recently being a frequent young East Asian or Indian male stereotype in North America. Portrayal of "nerd girls", in films such as ''[[She's Out of Control]]'', ''[[Welcome to the Dollhouse]]'' and ''[[She's All That]]'' depicts that smart but nerdy women might suffer later in life if they do not focus on improving their [[physical attractiveness]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gateward|first=Frances K.|author2=Murray Pomerance|author2-link = Murray Pomerance |title=Sugar, spice, and everything nice: cinemas of girlhood|publisher=Wayne State University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-8143-2918-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywsajx7jqAMC&q=nerd+girl&pg=PA239|access-date=2009-07-23}}</ref>

In the United States, a 2010 study published in the ''Journal of International and Intercultural Communication'' indicated that [[Asian Americans]] are perceived as most likely to be nerds, followed by [[White Americans]], while non-White [[Hispanic]]s and [[African Americans]] were perceived as least likely to be nerds. These stereotypes stem from concepts of [[Orientalism]] and [[Primitivism]], as discussed in Ron Eglash's essay "Race, Sex, and Nerds: From Black Geeks to Asian American Hipsters".<ref>Eglash, R. 'Race, Sex, And Nerds: FROM BLACK GEEKS TO ASIAN AMERICAN HIPSTERS'. ''Social Text'' 20.2 71 (2002): 49–64. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.</ref>

====Psychosocial conditions====
Some of the stereotypical behaviors associated with the "nerd" stereotype have correlations with the traits of [[Asperger syndrome]] or other [[autism spectrum]] conditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aspergers101.com/high-functioning-autism-vs-asperers-syndrome/|title = High-Functioning Autism vs. Asperger Syndrome| date=15 October 2013 }}</ref>

===Pride===
Some measures of "nerdiness" are now considered desirable by many commentators. To some, "nerd" suggests a person who is intelligent, respectful, interesting, dedicated, individualistic, and able to earn a large salary doing what they love. Stereotypical nerd qualities are evolving, going from awkwardness and [[Social rejection|social ostracism]] to an allegedly more widespread acceptance and sometimes even celebration of their differences. Many so-called "nerdy people" have accumulated large fortunes, and many are able to find their niche in the American [[computer]] industry, concentrated in California's [[Silicon Valley]], the Greater [[Seattle]] area (working for companies like [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] or [[Microsoft]]), and the [[Silicon Slopes]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Cringely|first=Robert|title=Triumph of the Nerds: A History of the Computer|url=https://www.pbs.org/nerds/timeline/micro.html|access-date=26 June 2012|newspaper=Public Broadcasting Service}}</ref> These engineers and programmers have influenced popular culture in many ways, caught the attention of the media, and effectively designed a new category of everyday objects. 

Being adept with computers, often considered a "nerdy" interest, is now widespread and even an expectation in professional and academic spaces. Many celebrities in the first decade of the [[2000s]] publicly expressed interest in smartphones and other handheld devices. Similarly, many stereotypical "nerdy" interests, such as [[video games]], [[tabletop RPG]]s, [[comic book]] franchises, and [[fantasy]] and [[science fiction]] works, are now international popular culture hits.<ref>{{cite news|last=Woyke|first=Elizabeth|title=Celebrity Nerds Come Out|url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/09/19/celebrity-geeks-gadgets-tech-personal-cx_ew_0919celeb.html|access-date=26 June 2012|newspaper=Forbes|date=19 September 2008}}</ref> 

[[Johannes Grenzfurthner]], researcher, self-proclaimed nerd and director of nerd documentary ''[[Traceroute (film)|Traceroute]]'', reflects on the emergence of nerds and nerd culture:
{{blockquote|I think that the figure of the nerd provides a beautiful template for analyzing the transformation of the disciplinary society into the control society. The nerd, in his cliche form, first stepped out upon the world stage in the mid-1970s, when we were beginning to hear the first rumblings of what would become the Cambrian explosion of the information society. The nerd must serve as comic relief for the future-anxieties of Western society. ...The germ cell of burgeoning nerdism is difference. The yearning to be understood, to find opportunities to share experiences, to not be left alone with one's bizarre interest. At the same time one derives an almost perverse pleasure from wallowing in this deficit. Nerds love deficiency: that of the other, but also their own. Nerds are eager explorers, who enjoy measuring themselves against one another and also compete aggressively. And yet the nerd's existence also comprises an element of the occult, of mystery. The way in which this power is expressed or focused is very important.|Johannes Grenzfurthner, interviewed by Thomas Kaestle, ''[[Boing Boing]]'', 14 April 2016<ref>{{cite news|url=http://boingboing.net/2016/04/14/the-story-of-traceroute-about.html|title=The story of Traceroute, about a Leitnerd's quest: Johannes Grenzfurthner talks about Traceroute|publisher=[[Boing Boing]]|first=Thomas|last=Kaestle|date=14 April 2016|access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref>}}

In the 1984 film ''[[Revenge of the Nerds]]'', [[Robert Carradine]] worked to embody the nerd stereotype; in doing so, he helped create a definitive image of nerds.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Singer | first = Jon | title = Carradine hits the jackpot as Lewis Skolnick | magazine = Lumino | date = 2005-08-28 | url = http://www.luminomagazine.com/mw/content/view/341/10/ | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101085415/http://www.luminomagazine.com/mw/content/view/341/10/ | archive-date = 2016-01-01 }}</ref> Additionally, the storyline presaged, and may have helped inspire, the "nerd pride" that emerged in the late 1990s.{{speculation inline|date=November 2021}} ''[[American Splendor]]'' regular [[Toby Radloff]] claims this was the movie that inspired him to become "The Genuine Nerd from [[Cleveland, Ohio]]".<ref>{{Cite news | last = Hensley | first = Dennis | title = Revenge of the nerd: American Splendor's Toby Radloff is out and proud about his sexuality and his nerddom | magazine = The Advocate | date = 2003-09-02 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2003_Sept_2/ai_110737685 | access-date = 22 July 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071117062557/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2003_Sept_2/ai_110737685 | archive-date = 17 November 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref> In the ''American Splendor'' film, Toby's friend, ''American Splendor'' author [[Harvey Pekar]], was less receptive to the movie, believing it to be hopelessly idealistic, explaining that Toby, an adult low income file clerk, had nothing in common with the middle class kids in the film who would eventually attain college degrees, success, and cease being perceived as nerds. Many, however, seem to share Radloff's view, as "nerd pride" has become more widespread in the years since. [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] professor [[Gerald Sussman]], for example, seeks to instill pride in nerds:
{{blockquote|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<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/29/business/woman-computer-nerd-and-proud.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm|title=Woman, Computer Nerd – and Proud|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Katie|last=Hafner|date=29 August 1993|access-date=11 June 2011}}</ref>}}

=== Bullying ===
Individuals who are labeled as "nerds" are often the target of [[bullying]] due to a range of reasons that may include physical appearance or social background.<ref name=":1" /> Paul Graham has suggested that the reason nerds are frequently singled out for bullying is their indifference to popularity or social context, in the face of a youth culture that views popularity as paramount.<ref name=":0" /> However, research findings suggest that bullies are often as socially inept as their academically better-performing victims,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nicholson|first=Christie|date=2010-07-10|title=Bully or Victim? More Similar Than We Might Think|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/bully-or-victim-more-similar-than-w-10-07-10|journal=Scientific American (Supplemental Podcast)|access-date=2017-07-06}}</ref> and that popularity fails to confer protection from bullying.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/04/01/297700322/being-popular-doesn-t-protect-kids-from-bullying-in-high-school|title=Becoming More Popular Doesn't Protect Teens From Bullying|access-date=2017-07-06|author=Mannvi Singh|date=April 1, 2014|work=NPR Health Shots – Health News From NPR}}</ref> Other commentators have pointed out that pervasive harassment of intellectually-oriented youth began only in the mid-twentieth century.<ref>{{cite web|last=Evans|first=RJ|title=A Short Illustrated History of the Nerd|url=http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/06/short-illustrated-history-of-nerd.html|access-date=2017-07-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Thanks Always Returns|title=The origin of nerds|url=http://www.thanksalwaysreturns.net/TheOriginOfNerds.html|access-date=2017-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907033545/http://www.thanksalwaysreturns.net/TheOriginOfNerds.html|archive-date=7 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>