About Being a Nerd

Yes, I am waving a nerd flag and I don’t care. I’m proud of it. Always have been. I never tried to hide it and as a result I was never ostracized, but surrounded by others who I could relate to. My freshman year of high school, I went on a rant about Resident Evil and all of my theories. Shockingly, the girl I was talking to didn’t run away never to talk to me. Sure, she turned out normal, but she’s still a good friend of mine (Love her to death, in fact).

It wasn’t the first time I inflicted my weird on someone else. A few years earlier, I along with two other friends coerced my best friend in the world to watch lord of the rings. From that sprung a love and obsession of Legolas (Orlando Bloom).  Actually, I am just a torturous fool when it comes to my best friend because I also urged her to watch Harry Potter. Now she is as big a Harry Potter fan as I am, and in some respects more knowledgeable.

I do this to many people, I get people in to and obsessed with things that I like. Maybe its my passion for whatever topic I am pushing. Maybe I’m just spurring people to embrace something they’ve simply been putting off. I did it to my boyfriend too. He didn’t watch half the shows we currently watch until I bombarded him with subtle urging (aka repeatedly bringing it up). What would his life be like if he didn’t know the wonder of Supernatural or Doctor Who? It is somewhat rewarding, taking something I like and opening up that world for a new person. Not only do they get something they like, but I get someone to talk to about it.

I know that convincing people to liking something isn’t what it means to be a nerd, but with so many people claiming the title, it is getting diluted. Here is how I think of it. If you are obsessed with something to a degree most others don’t understand, you are a fanatic. You are not a nerd simply because you have an obsession and know the ins and outs of one particular subject far beyond most people. Most people would just consider that an expert. When I think of a nerd, I’m not thinking of people in cosplay or wearing glasses and suspenders. I think of a person who loves a world and is willing to debate the pitfalls and upsides. When I say world I mean the fantasy world, or horror world, or science fiction world. These are people who are looking for more things in their world to be interested in. It isn’t a single fanatic franchise these people cling to, but multiple.

I’m a nerd because I love science fiction and fantasy. If they are presented to me, I want to consume them. I love Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Zombie novels, and stories of the supernatural. When the day gets boring, that’s what I think of; that’s why I’m a nerd. What makes you a nerd (if you are one)?