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Nerdiness: Was It Ever Niche to Begin With?

Hint: It's more to do with the people than the actual state of being.

By Mimo le SingePublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Photo via Tumblr

It took me many years to get over the fact that labels are just that: labels. They don't have to define anything unless we want them to, and they certainly don't have to be the be-all and end-all of everything, especially when it comes to the complex layers that come with being human.

With that in mind, I'll be totally honest: I don't understand what makes interests such as high fantasy and LEGO toys "nerdy"—and by extension, niche—when so many people around the world have enjoyed and continue to enjoy them to at least some degree. That's not even going into how very few individuals are actually passionate about many things that are considered nerdy at once.

Being nerdy in and of itself also seems to be subjected to this paradoxical battle of negative connotations and some sort of elitism these days. While nerds have always been considered outcasts—popular culture can go ahead and tell you more about that in my place—they also always seem to be the most judgmental when it comes to having opinions and articulating them. We see it all the time on Reddit and YouTube whenever anyone dares to resurrect an age-old debate about a movie, a video game, or a novel.

Maybe there's a connection between the two apparently opposite sides. We might say that nerds have quite the elaborate imagination—much like the creators of their beloved franchises—and are capable of crafting hefty explanations for things that don't seemingly matter at the end of the day. But of course, they'll argue that there's so much to learn from discussing these "unimportant" subjects that could apply to everyday life or even industry-related issues.

People who consider themselves "normal" might say they don't dwell on or look so deeply into such topics and find that they don't relate to the nerds a whole lot, if at all, because of this. So it might not be the case that everyone else just sees them as silly and promptly dismisses them; it's that they're just making it more difficult to participate in their community.

At the same time, you have people who fully enjoy being a part of some facet of the community and yet also like partaking in what's often written off as the opposite of the spectrum, like sports and modelling. Don't forget that people can have multiple passions and still be faithful members of Nerdsville.

It's all about having an open mind and even finding creative ways to combine what you love into whole new activities others would probably entertain due to higher level of accessibility. The countless challenges and skits you see on YouTube should be enough to convince you of that.

I may embrace my "inner nerd," sure, but I don't make a big deal out of it— at least, not anymore. It's one thing to enthusiastically share something you feel others may appreciate or benefit from, but it's another to dictate what they can or can't like in order to, I don't know, hang out with you or be worthy of having an audience that will take you seriously.

Besides, the most important part of all this should be that it makes you happy inside; that it inspires you; and that it takes away at least some of the stress in your life. It's better to believe in the value you see, instead of devaluing that which doesn't automatically correspond with your beliefs.

So no, nerdiness was never niche to begin with. An acquired taste is not a requirement for getting recruited; rather, it's the way the culture itself is developed that determines whether "outsiders" want to actively engage (as in, openly share their love) or stay there if they're already in.

pop culture
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About the Creator

Mimo le Singe

First, there was Mailchimp. Then, there was Wordchimp. And now, you've got a “Storychimp” sharing writing-related advice and other random musings. Happy reading! All works are written by me, not by AI.

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