Depending on what generation you grew up in, the word "nerd" (or "dork") is either a slander or a quirky compliment. Somewhere between Baby Boomers and Millennials we became lost in translation as to exactly what "nerdom" means and how you obtain it. When did the term "Nerd" become cool? And if someone refers to themselves as a nerd how can you be sure they're not lying about the stack of comics and manga under their bed?
Q: Does a 'nerd' have to have comics and where glasses? Or could they just be truly devoted to acquiring an education and good grades? Perhaps you could explore varying degrees of "nerdom"through your writing or perhaps you could explore multiple definitions. – melpetrinack9 years ago
In the GenX day we used nerd as an insult and most of us went through a nerdy phase. But now it is kind of a compliment and I have noticed that the teenagers of today don't seem to be going through the ugly duckling phase. Lucky!! Also even if someone does look nerdy it is more like geek chic. – Munjeera9 years ago
Most nerd culture has become mainstream these days, and I think in general people don't tend to be made fun of anymore for things like watching anime or Game of Thrones or playing Pokemon or Dungeons and Dragons. As a group, the millennial generation seems to have realized that some of these things that have been labelled as "nerdy" are actually lot of fun for the average person. – darapoizner9 years ago
In addition to darapoizner's point that a lot of things that were considered 'nerdy' are really fun, I think the word 'nerd' has come to be viewed as less of an insult, and more as a recognition of knowledge. Nerds get really involved in the things they like, so they end up amassing tons of information about that specific interest. Now when someone refers to someone else, or increasingly commonly themself, as a nerd, it's a way of telling you that they're an expert, but it sounds less self-aggrandizing than straight out calling themselves an expert. – chrischan8 years ago