What Is a Nerd

You know the tone. You know the look; the large destroyed thick-framed glasses, the pleated shorts that exposes some thigh, the childlike laugh, the intense self-seriousness (Nugent 11). Wikipedia states that a “nerd, as a stereotypical or archetypal designation, refers to somebody who pursues intellectual interests at the expense of skills that are useful in a social setting such as communication, fashion, or physical fitness.” (Wikipedia) To many people who are not “nerds”, this definition sounds about right, but according to Benjamin Nugent, a man who calls himself a nerd, that is not only what nerds are. The graphic designer you recently met at a gathering arrives at your barbeque and talks for an hour about the mating of insects, then relates himself to the framed Rolling Stones autograph poster you have hanging in your living room by saying that he is also in a band and is bragging about him having been on a tour with his own band. That guy that brags for what feels like forever about a band tour that went on for 2 weeks and about his new soft khaki pants would be labeled a socially awkward intellectual, but would not be called a nerd. Wikipedia’s definition does not fit the real definition of a nerd because real nerds wouldn't say that nerdiness is necessarily a matter of intellectualism and social awkwardness. So then what really is a nerd? There are two main types of nerds. The first type is disproportionately male, which include men who are often related to machines. Members of this category tend to remind people of machines by: 1) Having an interest in technically sophisticated activities that do not excite passion in non-nerds. They do not revolve around confrontation, sex, food, or beauty. 2) Speaking a language that makes no sense to people who speak regular English 3) Seeing to avoid any confrontation, whether it is physical or emotional 4) Favoring logic and rational communication over thoughts that do not involve