First off, what exactly is a nerd? I think there are different levels of “nerd”. The “nerd” I’m talking about is not that weirdo with asthma, high-water pants, enormous glasses, who loves math and science, and gets “kick me” stuck to their back. Someone like this guy:
Although those guys often fall into the category I'll be talking about. I’ll explain in a moment.
The nerd I’’m talking about is the “fangirl/boy” except one step beyond. You see, nerds “fangirl” over certain things like Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, and other things similar. While there are fangirls for Twilight or for certain actors and such, these things are not considered nerdy. Do you see my point?
Then, there’s a degree of loving something so much that you fall into the nerdy category. I mean, some people like Star Wars, but they are not Star Wars nerds. You are a Star Wars nerd when you have seen every single movie, know all the actors’ names and their birthdays, know all the trivia behind the scenes, can find hidden easter eggs, know the “extended universe”, keep up on actor’s and director’s lives, have very firm opinions on certain controversial subjects (“Han shot first!”, “the seventh film was too much like the fourth one”, “the prequels were terrible”), you know all the “inside jokes” that other fans have made, and so on. That is a Star Wars nerd. This can apply to basically anything. Not just the “nerdy” subjects I brought up earlier, but anything. There are Twilight nerds out there. I am a Disney nerd.
I attribute this behavior to the “obsessive personality”. I can’t really explain this fully, but I know for a fact that many people are afflicted with it. When you find something you really like, you latch onto it and you just have to know more. It literally consumes your life. A lot of people will watch a movie and they’re like “Yeah, that was a good movie” and then don’t watch it again except maybe years later. Then there’s the obsessive people who will watch the same movie and think “OMG! That was freakin’ FANTASTIC!!! I need to watch it again!” and then will. Then after watching it again, they’ll feel deprived, so fill the void with looking up random trivia online, facts about the actors, see what other people had to say about the movie, and so on.
The same goes for TV shows. This is is especially bad with TV shows because they are dragged out over a long period of time. A nerd will start a TV show then will get sucked in. However, because there’s no new episode, they have to fill the void will the same examples I gave above. The internet is a great source to fill that obsessive craziness you feel bursting within you. (Nerds are especially good binge watchers if all the episodes are already out, because they HAVE to know what's going to happen next and/or it's just SO good.)
Books are no different. You read a book, you get invested and you HAVE to find out more, you HAVE to talk to other people and share your opinions on the matter.
Believe me, when there’s no one around to do that with for a long period of time, it feels very isolating. There’s all this pent-up energy and feelings inside you. Even if you haven’t necessarily watched or read anything new recently, it’s still so awesome to talk to someone and “fangirl” over your passions (because, for real, they are passions). Even if you're repeating yourself over and over again, it's just so awesome! Notice that "normal" people do this all the time with "regular" subjects. How often do people talk about their shopping escapades, their dating life, or the sport they play. Think about that for moment. What do you enjoy talking about? You must have repeated yourself at least once, maybe even to the same person. There is absolutely nothing wrong with talking about what you love!
I think that a large majority of the time, this trait is found in the introverts. My theory why this is is because introverts have a difficult time connecting with real people, so they turn to fictional ones. Also, I, as a naturally sympathetic person, find it easy to relate to the people I watch and read about. Also as a writer, I am fascinated by all the different personalities and ways people are portrayed. As an artist, I love different film styles, lighting, colors, cinematography, etc.
My point is, the key to understanding this is not to judge because it literally does rule and consume our lives. It's a sensitive topic. Think of something you really love or are really passionate about... How would you like it if someone began insulting your newborn child, or the way you did your hair, or your golf swing? Imagine if you could never ever talk about it to anybody even though you're bursting with pride and happiness because you love it so much.
While with other people, you might go about your everyday lives without even thinking of a book or TV show, we nerds do not. I can’t go a day without thinking about one of my fandoms. So I ask you to not be thrown when we might look at you like a crazy person when we find out that you “haven’t watched Doctor Who!?!???” or “haven't read Harry Potter!???!” or whatever, but that’s only because we’re so literally consumed by it and maybe even a bit upset that we can’t talk about it to you. (I, personally, am only surprised when it’s a pop culture phenomenon like Harry Potter or Star Wars, not when it’s something more obscure.) And yes, we will chastise you if you insult the show/book, or characters in it because we take it very seriously. They are like our precious babies that we will defend to the death.
So please, do not misunderstand these nerds. They just really love the things they’re passionate about. It's just different from how you live your lives. They don’t really think lowly of those who don’t happen to watch/read whatever they do, so you shouldn’t think lowly of them.
I have never seen a video that more accurately describes
me. (OK, so maybe it's slightly exaggerated, but still)
Only nerds will find this truly hilarious because of all the
references, but others will be able to understand our mindset.
No comments:
Post a Comment