By Jolyn Garcia and Karen Esparza, Posted February 19, 2014
Geek, dork, nerd, dweeb, bookworm; all these words have been used to describe a group of people. A group of people that tend to be a part of fandoms, read more than sleep, and dream of one day attending Comic-Con. Now, we nerds get made fun of because of the way we carry ourselves and the subjects we care about, but honestly, we would rather be nerds than just another boring, ordinary person.
Band nerd, choir geek, and future Aerospace Engineer, Chris Barta, believes being a geek is something more people should be proud of.
“I don’t think it is a bad thing to be a nerd at all. Everybody is a geek or a nerd in their own way. Some people are just really into everything. Everybody has it, just use it. Don’t be afraid to show it,” stated Barta.
We don’t judge you for obsessing over what NFL team won the Super Bowl. So, don’t judge nerds when they freak out that Matt Smith is leaving “Doctor Who”. If you can own your favorite player’s jersey, why is it weird for someone to have their own Harry Potter wand? Also, what’s the difference between playing poker and playing Magic? They’re both card games, the only difference is you don’t lose money in one.
Brainiacs and geeks can excel not only in the classroom but also in the realm of athletics. While being able to maintain a high grade-point average, some nerds are able to be Varsity athletes. On every sports team, you can find members who are referred to by their teammates as “nerds.” There is even one team that is completely dominated by nerds, the Academic Challenge team. The Academic Challenge team has won two State Championships and has been runner-up for three years.
One of the reasons we enjoy being nerds is because, as John Green states, “Nerds are allowed to love stuff, as jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it.”
We get excited when we hear that our new favorite comics will soon be released, count down the days until the new seasons of our favorite shows air, and feel superior when we ace the test that everyone else failed.
“My favorite thing about being geeky is that you figure things out and you feel really good about it and it is really impressive,” added Barta.
Author John Green sums up how nerds feel about embracing who they are in a video blog.
“Saying ‘I notice you’re a nerd’ is like saying, ‘Hey, I notice that you’d rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you’d rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. Why is that?’ In fact, it seems to me that most contemporary insults are pretty lame. Even ‘lame’ is kind of lame. Saying ‘You’re lame’ is like saying ‘You walk with a limp.’ Yeah, whatever so does 50 Cent, and he’s done all right for himself.”
