Ever felt once in your life that you were interested in a film or a television series that you loved but were afraid to talk to your friends about it? In today’s society people who enjoy talking about their interests has always led to negative stereotyping by the media. This affect has then catagorised people who are fanatically interested in something as a nerd. But really is being a nerd wrong? Is it wrong if you like something that makes you feel you want to quote every line of dialogue or dress up in the most bizarre way made to seem that you're just weird?First of all I consider myself as a casual nerd. This means that I am interested in something that is seen to be linked to nerds but I do not go all the way. I like watching Star Trek but don't want to dress in outlandish costumes. I read comics but only specific ones that I like. But really does this mean that I am one – a nerd; and more importantly is it wrong? Also is nerdism a word that evokes a negative view point with other people? The answer is yes, but still who hasn't seen an episode of the original Star Trek or played a videogame once in their lives? A lot of people that’s who! I know lots of people who like watching films and playing videogames who do not follow the slightest generic traits of a nerd. But it is the media which portrays these people with a mild interest in a negative way.

The problem with society today is the way that the media uses stereotypes to pigeon hole people into a specific group. Stereotypes have always been used in media as it is easy to distinguish a character within a generic stereotype which means the audience can relate to them easier. However, stereotyping can be seen as lazy writing as a character who is easily stereotyped can only behave in a certain way and not display any other emotions. That's it! They are now just generic character 100021. As media corporate’s believe that it is the only way that people can understand them. Stereotyping is now becoming a common threshold making it increasingly hard for a sitcom or a type of film to have any fresh characters. Also since these stereotypes are used in the media the general public label people they meet as stereotypes, for example in television characters.

Thus nerds are often seen as fat, ugly people who wear glasses, still living at home and spend most of their time shutting themselves from the world. So can this relate to you or anyone you know that shares these traits are they deemed to be nerdish?
Let’s go with videogamers. Videogamers have always been stereotyped as nerds who spend most of their time playing on their PC in the dark and on their own, with no social interactions with other people. The topic, of videogames, has always been relatable to nerdism so that if you blurt out anything to do with videogames you expect everybody would see you as a geeky anti social wanker who should be locked up in a freakshow and forced to be seen by people laughing and sneering at you.

The truth is that videogames are no longer seen as nerdy since most games these days consist of social interactions. The new consoles can be seen as something that breaks every trait of nerdism. Everyone now plays socially. You can connect to other people around the world. Even health freaks who say videogames make people lazy are blown away by the Wii which uses motion control and the new Wii Fit that uses almost every part of your body to play. Hell even families like playing on it, grans and grandads even buy one just to keep fit. So really, is everyone who plays it considered a nerd? Hell no.

Now for those who can be considered a nerd do you think it's wrong to be one? Of course not it's your damn given right if you want to dress in an outlandish fashion and collect what you want. There are even social events like the Comic- Con and E3 that promote things considered nerdy. Not all the people dress up but they still seem to have a good time meeting other people with the same interests. These events are a way in which directors and publishers can say thank you to the fans that gave support to their visions. They also help in breaking down stereotypical views. To show ordinary people that they can be different but it doesn’t make them weird but just having fun in their own way.

Sadly at the end of the day the media will always have an influence in society's views of the world around them. As such individuals will always see a certain group with a certain interest as the wrong people to interact with. This is a hard barrier to break down but still nerdism in it's own right should not be seen as negative. In fact people who like something relatable to nerdish should still like and enjoy what they do. Also for those people who watch films, play videogames and read comics who deny they are a nerd should perhaps be proud to be considered a nerd – it’s not a negative thing but a good thing. Really everyone is a nerd at heart.

Written by Tom Pearce for younilife.com

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