It is such a common element of culture but when I look closely it doesn't make too much sense.

What are the general characteristics of a nerd?

  • Smart and interested in academics.
  • Physically underdeveloped and bad at sports.
  • Socially awkward and unattractive.

Does this cluster make sense to you?

Sure, health problems can make you both unattractive (and subsequently awkward) and small/weak/uncoordinated. But what do smarts have to do with this? I'm guessing statistically a healthy kid is likely to do better at school than an unhealthy one.

So how do nerds come to be?

Is that because kids who don't do well socially are more motivated to excel academically?

Do smart cool athletic kids refrain from getting into nerd stuff because it's frowned upon in the cool circles?

Is being a nerd a sort of a "mild" autistic spectrum thing?

Also, a follow up question. Are nerds actually smarter on average by any measurement? Why or why not?

    • sooper_dooper_roofer [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      For decades, programming and much of computer science was considered “women’s work” (while “real men” did mathematics and engineering

      how does that work though? They're both indoor activities that require no physical fitness

      • WaterBear [they/them, comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Women computer back then we're not mining coal, but it was still a demanding physical job. Sure it had mental components, but for 10 hours calculate shit with tools and a bad posture has physical requirements which were worse in terms of ergonomics than what was possible with computers, screens and not expensive chairs.

        In times before that eye strain came into being, too, since the amount of light needed to not go blind or get trouble with your eyes was only codified into regulation after modern worker movements fought for unionizations and follow-ups. However female work was devalued even within unions often, not seldom cause it wasn't real work, but just "busy work" which in my eyes means work you don't know shit about cause child care, organizing a shop as secretary, birthing kids, care work, reproductive work are not nothing. This has effects that wages were lower and even today with the same task set in Germany university secretaries (typically women role) are lower paid than equivalent make worker jobs in the same sector.

        So what we should always try to do is be intersectional in how we don't lose marginalized people and those we ourselves marginalize and be willing to support self acting marginalized classes in society.