Thread: Does anyone NOT find nerdiness endearing?

Originally Posted by djwolford

They do, however, remind me of what Rush would be if Rush wasn't insanely talented.

They are not Rush

Originally Posted by djwolford

Well you pretty much just proved his point sir. I mean I like Cake personally, but they're terrible. Other than that I think less of your musical taste than I did before.

You are knocking Charles Mingus? Really?

I don't even know you anymore.

Mr. E you are the the whitest black I have ever had the opportunity to internet with.

Everyone here has a terrible taste in music because its not mine.

I haven't read all of the posts here but there is 1 area I'd like to talk about. Video games. A love of video games is usually stereotyped as a nerdy passtime, although not as nerdy as others, it is still by large considered geekish.

I have a problem with this. In the past, people had literature to entice their imaginations and take them on fantastic journeys. Then we had the theatre and eventually movies and TV. These mediums allowed for us to not only express ourselves but also to escape from the harshness of reality. Video games are just an extension of this, the desire for entertainment, mental stimulis of sorts and to have our imaginations totally enthralled.

Why should video games be considered any geekier than books/tv/movies? Granted, some genre's of each of those are considered geeky, but not the actual medium. Games however are. I can't help but feel its title is something to do with it, you play games, games are for kids, therefore you are a saddo. This is unfair. The reason I and so many love games, especially the RPG genre and other games with a half decent yarn is they can teleport you to another place where you can forget your woes and enjoy something fantastic, like a good book, movie or TV show does.

There is nothing geekish about this, the need to find something to escape in is pervasive in human behaviour, whether it be partying hard at the weekend, drug and alcohol abuse, or hardcore gaming, we enter into a reality that is different, which we derive pure joy from. This isn't geeky. Its being human.

I dunno about all of that. Video games have become so mainstream that even grandma plays them at the senior citizen center. PC video games might still be considered a nerdy, but as far as console games, no way.

Originally Posted by KT.

I dunno about all of that. Video games have become so mainstream that even grandma plays them at the senior citizen center. PC video games might still be considered a nerdy, but as far as console games, no way.

Agreed. All kinds of people play video games now on consoles.

Video games are seen to be about as nerdy as movies and TV. It's only nerdy if you're a "gamer", just like if you're really into movies or really into TV.

Originally Posted by gwahir

Video games are seen to be about as nerdy as movies and TV. It's only nerdy if you're a "gamer", just like if you're really into movies or really into TV.

At this point in America, or at least my area, even "gamers" aren't really ostracized or thought of as nerdy. Even World of Warcraft players are becoming more and more accepted, although WoW is still nerdy.

On the other point though, there is a line, even for console gamers. I have met console gamers far more nerdy than any WoW player, and honestly, most of them are Xbox fanboys. Sony fanboys still exist, but they seem much rarer now with the release of the PS3. Be this because the PS3 is inferior or superior to the 360 I don't know. But I don't see all the douchebag Sony fanboys everywhere anymore, just the douchebag Microsoft ones.

Originally Posted by Shinysides

At this point in America, or at least my area, even "gamers" aren't really ostracized or thought of as nerdy. Even World of Warcraft players are becoming more and more accepted, although WoW is still nerdy.

On the other point though, there is a line, even for console gamers. I have met console gamers far more nerdy than any WoW player, and honestly, most of them are Xbox fanboys. Sony fanboys still exist, but they seem much rarer now with the release of the PS3. Be this because the PS3 is inferior or superior to the 360 I don't know. But I don't see all the douchebag Sony fanboys everywhere anymore, just the douchebag Microsoft ones.

WoW is considered the epitome of video game nerdiness in America. Not saying that's true(although that game is so fucking stupid) but when people think of WoW players they think of sweaty nerds chompin on doritos, drinkin redbull and staying in their room all the time. The sad thing is that stereotype is true in so many cases.

Also irl fanboys aren't even a big deal. I mean no one who isn't a complete nerd is going to sit there and argue about which console is better. The most you get is "I wish you had x system so I could play y game" or maybe an occasional x console sucks. Plus I don't think most console gamers are fanboys at all and if they are saying they are microsoft fanboys is dumb. The only way you could say that is because the biggest competitive gaming league (MLG) chooses Microsoft games(halo 1,2 and 3 being the biggest games of their respective times by far). However, in my experience those players aren't xbox fanboysk, they are fanboys of whatever game they are playing. They don't play many other games just get as good as possible in one particular one.

Overall casual video gaming is not considered nerdy, it's people who play competitively(or try) or people who just play constantly, just like Gwahir said.

Originally Posted by Killuminati

The only way you could say that is because the biggest competitive gaming league (MLG) chooses Microsoft games(halo 1,2 and 3 being the biggest games of their respective times by far). However, in my experience those players aren't xbox fanboysk, they are fanboys of whatever game they are playing. They don't play many other games just get as good as possible in one particular one.

I might as well throw out there too that 90% of the people you see at MLG events don't fit the stereotype at all. Like you said, instead of being a gamer that plays a bunch of games, most of them just play 1 or 2 games in their free time and get good at them.

I love World of Warcraft and I am not a dorito chomping sweaty nerd. Well, I mean, I am sweaty a lot, but it is because I work out. I am the nerd jock, the rarest strain of nerd. People find me endearing just because of that. Running on the treadmill while singing Flight of the Conchords, lifting weights while talking on my bluetooth with a friend asking when he's getting on Xbox Live, and that was just yesterday.

Originally Posted by Mr. E

I love World of Warcraft and I am not a dorito chomping sweaty nerd. Well, I mean, I am sweaty a lot, but it is because I work out. I am the nerd jock, the rarest strain of nerd. People find me endearing just because of that. Running on the treadmill while singing Flight of the Conchords, lifting weights while talking on my bluetooth with a friend asking when he's getting on Xbox Live, and that was just yesterday.

To be fair until recently you were a dorito chompin sweaty nerd. The weight and lifestyle was lost but the nerdiness stuck around. Now my one friend was a jock his entire life and at any point in his life you would never suspect nerdiness. He does all his nerd shit in secret, including WoW. I couldn't believe it when I found out he played that. That's a rare strain of nerd.

I do suppose that is true. I am a convert. However, in high school and before I was also pretty jocky and still nerdy. I was on the football team and everything.

I think many people who do not play WoW would be surprised to see most people who do. I mean, you do realize something like 10 million people play this game right? Plenty of people just keep their WoW lives separate from everything else. I met a guy at the midnight gamestop release of the expansion who was like 50 and he had called off work the next day. Very few of the people who showed up were sweaty, greasy, nerdy kids. It's a stereotype, just like saying potheads are stupid dirty kids.

More than 1 in 30 people in America play WoW. It is a shocking statistic.

Originally Posted by Killuminati

WoW is considered the epitome of video game nerdiness in America. Not saying that's true(although that game is so fucking stupid) but when people think of WoW players they think of sweaty nerds chompin on doritos, drinkin redbull and staying in their room all the time. The sad thing is that stereotype is true in so many cases.

Originally Posted by Shinysides

I think many people who do not play WoW would be surprised to see most people who do. I mean, you do realize something like 10 million people play this game right? Plenty of people just keep their WoW lives separate from everything else. I met a guy at the midnight gamestop release of the expansion who was like 50 and he had called off work the next day. Very few of the people who showed up were sweaty, greasy, nerdy kids. It's a stereotype, just like saying potheads are stupid dirty kids.

Ok maybe it's not true even the majority of the time, it doesn't change what people think of WoW players.

Originally Posted by Mr. E

More than 1 in 30 people in America play WoW. It is a shocking statistic.

Shockingly innacurate maybe. Although whatever the actual statistic would shock me I'm sure.

The trick about games is that if you are good at them you can't brag and if you play them all day you can't talk about them because video games are nerdy when they take over your life.

Oh, I assumed most subscribers were American, but it turns out most of them are asian. The actual number is more like 1 in 100

research ftw

Originally Posted by Mr. E

Yes, because the Beatles, Charles Mingus, Muse, Barenaked Ladies, RJD2, Led Zeppelin, NERD, Blur, Cake, and Mahavishnu Orchestra (my top 10 most frequently listened to bands according to winamp) are all shitty.

Absolution has shitty taste in music, which is why he thinks I do.

I know it already has been concluded that Mr. E is wrong here, but I'm curious, what bands do you think I listen to because they are ALL awesome.

Originally Posted by Mr. E

Oh, I assumed most subscribers were American, but it turns out most of them are asian. The actual number is more like 1 in 100

research ftw

Us Westerners tend to forget that virtually everyone who has anything to do with video games is Asian.

I'm not really nerdy in any way at all. I'm a fan of Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn who are very nerdy themselves but I don't think you could call their stand up nerdy. I'm not into video games at all. If I can find a working PSone memory card any time soon then I'll probably bust out the FF7 or FF8 for old times sake but my friends were always much more into that stuff than me.

I don't find nerdiness appealing either. All of my friends 'cept a couple are probably nerdy in some way but we're friends in spite of this, not because of it. I definitely don't find nerdy chicks hot. I hate boring average girls and only really go for quirky girls but nerdy is where I draw the line. If I went to a chick's place and there's comics and pokemon toys and sailor moon DVDs on the floor then I would leave.

Ok, I'd fuck her first, but then I'd leave.

Sailor moon dvds = I'm out also.

Oh Jesus, one time after a night out I stayed at a friend's place (female) with a mutual friend (also female) and I just crashed out and fell asleep but they kept disturbing me by staying up for hours watching Sailor Moon videos and Jeff Dunham clips. I felt really sorry for any of the poor dicks who have to fuck those two.

Originally Posted by gwahir

Yes, but you're a southerner.

And obviously there can be too much. You can have too much of anything. That's what too much is: that quantity which is excessive.

your the single most pretentious person ive ever encountered.

Originally Posted by gwahir

I mean, obviously in here we all do. But out there, do you know anyone who actually would think less of you for liking nerdy things?

I find that, where I come from, at least, "nerdy" has just lost all meaning. It's cute (if anything) to like Star Wars, and if you say you read comics, people either say "Oh cool; which ones?" or "I've never really been able to get into it, myself". I mean, not everyone I know likes nerdy things, but nobody I know looks down on me for liking them.

I do get made fun of for liking Buffy and other such shows because that goes beyond nerdy into girly, which some people feel compelled to make fun of, but that's separate.

Does anyone really not find nerdiness endearing?

I see "nerdy" as knowing about stuff that actually matters, and "geeky" as knowing about/liking stuff that doesn't matter at all, like a fictional universe.

Originally Posted by jack burden

I see "nerdy" as knowing about stuff that actually matters, and "geeky" as knowing about/liking stuff that doesn't matter at all, like a fictional universe.

That really doesn't cross over into my definitions, but that really doesn't matter at all, because nobody's yet come up with any distinctions between nerdy and geeky that enough people agree on.

My distinction basically relies on social competence and personality; nerds like those traditional things that they like (from comics to programming) but are cool, well-adjusted, interesting people, whereas geeks are socially awkward and absorbed into whatever world that takes their geekish/nerdish fancy.

Being nerdy is something it's okay to be proud of, or happy with. Being geeky, not so much.

Originally Posted by Sion

your the single most pretentious person ive ever encountered.

No need to get all snippy because what you were going to say was already fairly badly said and then dismissed.

Also, I borrowed that phrase from a really funny A Bit of Fry and Laurie sketch, not that it matters.

Originally Posted by Absolution

I know it already has been concluded that Mr. E is wrong here, but I'm curious, what bands do you think I listen to because they are ALL awesome.

Yes, because djwolford is clearly the bottom line on what is good music

I can't think of anything you've said off the top of my head, but I remember your history with shitty taste. I like nerdy music, because nerd music is awesome (BNL, Flight of the Conchords, TMBG). I also listen to other good music, as I have stated before. My taste is beyond criticism, because it is right. Self-absorbtion ftw.

Originally Posted by clownsocs

I live in california. Everyone smokes too much weed to make fun of me for being nerdy.

Everyone smokes too much weed to make fun of you? wut

I do not understand. Do potheads lose the ability to point out other's flaws