Proud to be a Nerd

We all know about it. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all experienced it. The dreaded “it” is the common but highly unpopular high school stereotype of nerds. In high school television shows and stories, this stereotype is one of the more commonly used ones, along with the equally popular ones of cheerleaders, jocks, Goths, punks, and, nowadays, emo kids. As common as it is, though, the nerd stereotype remains one of the least popular of all high school stereotypes. But this poses a question: why? The nerd stereotype is probably one of the best high school stereotypes to ever exist, and it should be considered to be more of a compliment.

Let’s start with a definition: what is a stereotypical nerd? For people who watch plenty of high school television shows, nerds are usually the smartest kids in the school. They usually wear white or light-colored plaid dress shirts, pocket protectors with pens in them, wear glasses with thick, rectangular black frames, and are obsessed with games such as Dungeons and Dragons, Yu-Gi-Oh, the like. Considering this definition, may I ask you, what’s so bad about being a nerd? The most important thing about nerds is that stereotypically, they’re smart. Isn’t there a part in all of that wants to be smart and acknowledged for our intelligence? And don’t the smart kids usually get into the best schools and have good careers? If this is true, and if nerds are these future successful persons, then why does the idea of you being a nerd make you flip?

Oh, I get it. It’s the clothes and the whole “obsessed-with-cards-games-or-board-games-or-RPG-games” thing that turns you off, right?

Here’s another question for you. Do you believe that real-life cheerleaders and jocks follow their exact stereotypes? Of course not! Cheerleaders and jocks are both stereotypically dumb. Cheerleaders are tall, blond, pretty, skinny, and Caucasian. They are either completely ditzy, or they’re mean-spirited and think they own the school. Jocks are muscled, strong, but not too intelligent upperclassmen. Are these stereotypes true? No! I know lots of cheerleaders at my school who are not blond, not tall, and not Caucasian. Several of them are smart. They have the same classes as I do, and I’m in AP and honors classes. Same with the jocks, some of who are not so heavily muscled and some of who are smart and underclassmen.

Your point being, some of you may ask. My point is that if the stereotypes of cheerleaders and jocks aren’t always true, then why should all stereotypes of nerds be true? Do you see anybody walking around the street in real life dressed like a stereotypical nerd? I’m pretty sure you don’t. And while a lot of people are obsessed with Warcraft, Yu-Gi-Oh, and the like, such as my friends, the majority of them don’t talk about their interests in those to people who don’t want to hear it, besides, they aren’t that obsessed anyway.

This essay might not be as convincing to the most of you, but this is for some school competition coming up this Saturday, and it’s my topic. Onto the conclusion: I hope that my essay at least managed to make you see a little that being a nerd is not a bad thing. The next time someone calls you a nerd, turn around and say, “Thank you, I appreciate you telling me that I’m smart and will be successful.”