July 18, 2010

Embracing your nerdiness t-shirts

OK, I get it. Being a nerd is now cool. But why did it have to go so far?

Going back and forth from UBC on the bus these days and even just walking around Vancouver I can't help but notice all the t-shirts that have something to do with being a "nerd". There are so many different ways of showing your nerdiness. Whether it is through math equations, chemistry symbols or physics diagrams. But why oh why did it have to be cool?

Making nerdiness the new "cool" has totally detracted from it's uniqueness. I used to be proud to be a nerd. And, although I think I was one of many geeks, people were still surprised when I would straight up admit to playing board games. Or liking math. Or not drinking alcohol. At the time, most people preferred to be geeks on the inside, but fit in with the masses on the outside. Those who admitted to being geeks normally didn't have many friends who didn't also admit to being geeks. Those kinds of geek spent most of their time playing dungeons and dragons. I was one of a handful of math/physics lovers who also played sports, went on ski trips and went to parties and the like. We were a rare breed. And that was nice. One had some honour and distinction (and probably used to get "honours with distinction" in high school!).

OK, I'll admit that this new fashion of embracing your nerdiness isn't all that bad. I had once thought of starting my own line of t-shirts revolving around the number pi. In fact, I'm pretty sure I made a "pi" t-shirt before anybody else (with friends) had socially announced that they even liked math. So maybe that's it, maybe I'm just jealous. Damn you people for stealing my ideas!

With all this said I would hereby like to renounce my acceptance of being a nerd. I am no longer a nerd. I am now too cool to be a geek. I can't just be another guy with a "nerds 2² ever" shirt. I normally don't fight too hard to be unique. I really don't have much to prove, but this may just be an exception. I can't just fit in with everyone as they submit to their inner nerd. It makes me feel so plain.



Bah! Who am I kidding? I can't renounce being a nerd!! When I wrote the word "exception" just now I couldn't help but think of mathematical formulae that are "exceptions to the rule"! It's ingrained in me. My geekiness surrounds me!

Math calculates the tips.
Physics gets me around the pool table.
Biology helps me understand bowel movements (and how whales eat).
Chemistry... well chemistry still sucks.
I wear glasses.
I like the movie "The Matrix" for more than its crazy story.
I've played Agricola more times Einstein has been quoted.
I write blog posts about Google and Apple.
Heck, I write blog posts with the word "heck" in them!

The nerd in me cannot die...
But please, pretty please, stop making those dang nerd-lovin' t-shirts!

7 comments:

  1. This is what happens when guys like you make being a nerd look so cool for so many years...everyone ends up wanting to be a nerd. Next time you see a wannabe nerd (with a nerd-shirt) just ask them some math question, or find out how many digits of pi they really know, or see how much of a rubik's cube they can complete (and how long it takes them), etc.. The real nerds will shine through, the posers will be embarrassed in front of their friends and stop wearing so many nerd t-shirts. It is hard work being a real nerd.

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  2. Hey! why do you have to be able to answer math questions to be a nerd! We all know I can't do that. But that doesn't mean I don't like staying home on Friday nights to play Agricola three times in a row!

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  3. Good point, I was hoping the "etc." would cover all the other subjects that one can be a nerd in. I guess I should have included a broader list of potential questions. Feel free to expand on it ;).

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  4. How about I just go up to them and ask them to prove their nerdiness. If their shirt is math based I can ask them a math question. If it's rubiks based then I'll ask a rubiks question. Etc. There's just too many flavours of nerd so I can't ask just one question!

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  5. On another note I actually am very happy that it is the socially accepted cool to finally be who you are. It tops the so called previous cool of having to wear the 'right clothes' listen to the 'right' music, and have the 'right' friends. If the worst thing is that we finally have realized that we are all a little nerdy and feel the need to express it via t-shirt then fine. I can live with that.

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