|
|
Nerds!
"Nerds were begotten from the spring-cleaning of the sofa of society - we are the miscellaneous of the planet."
I am a nerd and proud of it. However, this was not always true.
In my sixth grade Young Scholar's class, I deemed everyone "stupid." I thought nothing of labeling people as stupid or weird just because others judged them as such. I did not question their supreme judgment - I did not think for myself. Not only that, I was miserable. The cool kids teased me because I did not fit their definition of cool; yet, I still tried desperately to satisfy them. I was not willing to make friends with those whom I thought were "below me." Such an approach continued throughout junior high.
However, in my sophomore year, I discovered this arrogance was not working. In fact, it never had. I did not have friends in any of my classes - I was lost and lonely. Then I noticed three guys in my World Culture/World Literature class. One was tall and extremely skinny with glasses, another was a young Russian guy, and the last was a short Asian kid. The only one I recognized was the Asian kid - he had been in my Young Scholars class four years before. They were always talking animatedly, but were separate from the class - they were nerds, as I defined them. After swallowing my pride a bit, I walked up to them one day in class, and just joined the small circle they had formed. From then on, I spent my time before class with them, talking about subjects ranging from Japanese animation to great literature. It was bizarre - they accepted me without question, without some prerequisite. It was something I had never experienced before, and it was wonderful. Now, I have terrific relationships with the people I once shunned - the "tall, skinny kid" is now my boyfriend whom I adore, and the other two are close friends.
Through them, I met other friends. I was accepted into a circle of people who were unlike anyone I had ever known before. It is a group of individuals - a group in which there is hardly a single opinion accepted by all. There is a Christian, a Jew, several atheists, and many Catholics who don't really care about religion. We listen to drastically different music -- ska, metal, folk, rock, classical, techno, and funk. The group that wrote the quote in the beginning is an excellent example of our diversity. When asked to form a stereotypical group for an exercise during a seminar on tolerance, we formed the nerds. The group consisted of an activist who listens to Black Sabbath, an atheist obsessed with Japanese culture, a blond flirt fond of Hawaiian shirts and telling outrageous stories, and a devoted Christian that loves to write and holds some radical ideas despite her religion (me). The only thing that holds us together is the pleasure we find in each other's friendship. We are diverse in the best ways possible. I have laughed more, had more fascinating discussions, and been happier in their company than I ever could have imagined before.
Not all nerds watch Star Trek, wear glasses, obsess about computers, play video games and know all the words to "Weird Al" Yankovich's songs. But it's okay if they do. So one might ask, "What makes someone a nerd?" A nerd is simply someone who is a unique individual and recognizes it, a person who refuses to compromise herself for the sake of others, a person who can tell the world her feelings and opinions. If a person is willing to do that, then she can be proud to declare herself a nerd!
|
|
|