The nerd stereotype is well known throughout the American culture. We see it all over television, the internet, and occasionally our schools. The stereotypical “nerd” look is almost always the same. Although there are many qualities that make a nerd what they are there are only a few things that really stand out. When someone says the word “nerd,” I immediately imagine a person who is socially awkward, has thick glasses, and of course one who is very smart. I believe being socially awkward plays a huge part in the stereotype. The reason being is simply because they would rather be at home studying than taking the time to meet other people. Nerds tend to isolate themselves and begin to lack a social life, therefore meeting or talking to other
High school can be a place full of cliques and groups of friends but some people aren’t always in cliques. If there is a person who doesn’t always like the same things as other people they might not fit in with a group of people. In high school a person may become different and not find a group of friends that they fit in with. With no group of friends a person in high school may start to become an outcast. Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Speak used Melinda to show that any high school student can become an outcast.
In the opening two paragraphs of the passage, Fridman brings up two points of view of what a nerd is; his opinion and a dictionary's definition. His personal definition is that a nerd is someone who is “intellectually curious and academically serious.” (3-4). Whereas in the Webster’s New World Dictionary a nerd/geek is “a street performer who shocks the public by biting off heads of live chickens”(6-7). There is a great disconnect between these two definitions.
Many also perceive smart people "nerds" as been unpopular social outcasts. This is not true many smart people are actually quite popular in school and society.However, these are also those handful of smart people who are unpopular but most of the times these people are overachievers. The reason these overachieving smart people are unpopular is because of the ones lack of time to participate in popular activities and not for been smart.
Many stereotypes are used throughout the series. One of the first stereotypes that are introduced is portrayed through Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj. These four men would be classified as “nerds”; socially awkward, unstylish, and not attractive. The men in this show are not the only ones that are portrayed as “nerds”. Amy, another physicist, is super smart when it comes to the universe around her, but she too is unattractive and doesn’t know how to go about attracting men. Another stereotype that includes the image of “nerds” is Raj. He has a problem when it comes to speaking to women, he can’t. He freezes up and just stares at them, sometimes he even walks away or hi...
In a society that likes to put people into categories based on certain defining characteristics, Leonid Fridman highlights how “nerds” and “geeks” receive unfair treatment for being smart. In his argument, Fridman goes to highlight how our culture, especially in the United States, looks down upon people who are “intellectually curious and academically serious.” Leonid Fridman is able to construct a compelling argument by illustrating how children are dissuaded from being smart and hardworking at an early age, depicting intellectuals as the damsel in distress, and by illuminating the ostracization of intellectuals in the U.S. specifically.
depict nerds how I described them are just reinforcing that definition and basically making it permanent. Second, when kids grow up seeing how nerds are depicted and that they get made fun of, it will make them not want to be like that. But, in reality nerds are the real winners. Nerds will be the happy ones with the stable job and bright future. We do not want our future kids growing up with this image of nerds in their head. One could say that nerds have been seen like this since the beginning and that hasn't affected how kids grow up. Lastly, if a kid that looks like the stereotypical nerd and he gets treated like one he will brand himself like a nerd. That could wouldn’t be able to reach his full potential if he feels mistreated or
Imagine being alone with no friends and no one to talk to. Now, place yourself in a location where you are surrounded by closed tight-knit groups where acceptance from those groups is a challenge to obtain. Then, picture yourself back when you were in high school, but this time, apply the image you have created for yourself. Do you wish for acceptance? Or friendship? Do you feel confident in taking the challenges that high school will bring? High school has a significant impact on an individual’s development. Whether it is their personality or behavior, an individual who goes through high school can see changes in their characteristics. A common stereotype in high school that is largely portrayed in the media is the existence of cliques. Cliques can give an individual a sense of belonging or a sense of betrayal. These two behaviors are commonly seen with the acceptance or rejection from these groups. An immediate result from these two actions is a change in morale or confidence for that individual. Cliques exist in high school due to individual conformity. An individual conforms to the group in order to feel accepted or to feel secured. Groups or cliques in high school have a significant negative effect on an individual’s development of characteristic and personality and the reasons as to why individuals join these types are not justified.
The meaning of the word nerd has made big changes since being first used in the late 1900’s. Like education scholar, Tracy L. Cross, I agree that nerds “were generally considered as socially inadequate, shy or overbearing, smart…Nerds were also perceived as being very focused on academic endeavors, physically
One very common school stereotype archetype is the loner. They say a loner is one that prefers not to deal with others. People often refer to the loner group as hermits, recluse, introverts, and outsiders. Those people are the extreme loners. A loner is normally very quiet and just observes events that are going on around them.
Have you ever met someone who acted just as teens are stereotyped? Not many people have because they do not exist. Real teens are poorly portrayed in the media and are the complete opposite of their stereotypes. Books and TV shows make teens out to be wild or crazy, irresponsible and out of control. One hardly ever hears about teen-heroes. Instead, newspapers and magazines are plastered with stories of teens and crime. And while looking at commercial billboards and other related media, the regular teen seems to be sex-crazed and image-obsessed.
Everyone knew these people in high school, the popular one, the wannabe, the nerd and the one who is always sleeping. The popular one tends to always have someone to talk to in the hallways and has a full weekend planned. The wannabe is in the popular group but never talks much and just seems to laugh along with the cool kids because they are afraid to be kicked out of this group. The nerd is always studying and never has time to do anything else but study. The sleepy one doesn’t do very well in class because... they are always sleeping.
Adolescence and high school years are marked by the development of identity, relationships, and societal roles. It is during this time that adolescents begin to place a significant amount of importance to whether they belong or not, their physical appearance, and friendships. During this time, everyone experiences being labeled or classified into a category that more than likely, they do not belong to. This is because society tends to place people in groups according to hobbies, personality traits, and common interests. In most cases, stereotypes motivate this kind of behavior. For example, there is a saying that says, “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.” In other words, your companions say a lot about who you are as an individual. These assumptions are what
In today's society, our natural reaction is to put people into a specific class that we feel they fit into upon our first impression. When we were in high school, they were called clicks. There were your jocks and your cheerleaders, who were usually the most popular students. Along with stoners, nerds, and then the people who really didn't fit into any crowd, they were just there. When we were in high school, all of us wanted to be in the "cool crowd". As described in When I was growing Up by Nellie Wong, "I discovered the rich white girls...imported cotton dresses...and thought that I too should have what these lucky girls had..." In stereotyping people, we perhaps have ruined some great minds.
The term stereotype is usually referred to be a term of abuse. It gives society a short cut to identify and categorize people. The word also evokes a consensus among all of society. According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, the word geek was introduced as the lowest of carnival performers, often displaying acts of swallowing live animals. It evolved in the 20th century to represent a person who is highly intelligent yet lacks the ability to socialize. This representation inflicts psychological and social behaviors that often consider geeks as outcasts and victim to abuse from the ...
In this society, both introverts and extroverts may feel different as that lack the valued characteristics of the other group. Introverts may be criticized for their lack of social participation as they tend to be over stimulated and overwhelmed when attempting to follow the pace of extroverted peers. Extroverts on the other hand would feel impatient and lonely when energizing situations are not available to them. In conclusion, being an introvert doesn’t make one more inferior than extroverts, both traits are needed in order for a well-balanced society. Regardless of what personality trait you may have, it is important to nurture your own type of personality and adjusting to life as one’s life path should be measured according to your own purpose and values, not external achievements.