The Importance Of Being Intellectual

In recent years, being a nerd has become popular to the point where many people have tried to dress like nerds and they pretend to be nerds. No longer is being intellectual seen as being different and weird. As Richard Hofstadter points out, the actual intellectual fear that they are losing what makes them them because now it is difficult to distinguish an intellectual from a poser. Nerds do not feel alienated anymore, Hofstadter points out that they do not appreciate that. I agree with him that being intellectual is more popular, however I do not agree that it is something to fear and it is easy to distinguish intellectuals and non-intellectuals. Because there is more representation of nerds, more people feel more comfortable being nerds, although that does not mean that intellectuals ought to conform.

Intellectualism has become more accepted to the point where intellectuals are not mocked and are seen as cool. For example, Big Bang Theory is a popular television show about a group of intellectuals. In the show, the intellectuals are the main characters and not background characters who are teased or bullied. Also in the new Disney show “Girl Meets World,” there is a main character who is seen

Like Benjamin Nugent points out in “Who’s a Nerd, Anyway?” intellectuals use language as a way of standing out. While others are using slang or “vernacular English”, intellectuals use “Standard English.” From what Mary Bucholtz studied, intellectuals do not try to fit in, they try to be different. “By cultivating an identity perceived as white to the point of excess nerds deny themselves the aura of normality… nerds may even be viewed as ‘traitors to whiteness,’” (Nugent 2). Nugent is referring to how Caucasians tend to appropriate African-American culture, on the other hand Caucasian nerds refuse to do that. Instead the nerds make their own identity instead of appropriate another culture to fit