Nerdishness in Public

[thylasos]

Egh. I don't let it define me, and I think that's for the best. I'll wear a webcomic t-shirt occasionally, but that's about as far as it goes.

 

[Iskander_Estel]

One thing i will never understand is if people hate to be criticised for being nerds, then why they continue to show they're nerds?

If you want to be acepted, do what most people want you to do.

but if you like being criticised then... go ahead and keep looking nerd, acept what you are and how you look, and become a synical person so their reject wont hurt you.

 

[SckizoBoy]

I don't dress nerdy or geeky... at all, I don't think (just monochrome). However, I do talk nerdy & geeky.

Me and a uni friend I meet up with regularly often just walk around central London talking about GW systems, latest games, shit we read (fantasy/sci-fi), manga, anime & fan-bashing. Interspersed in such conversation is a shit-load of materials science, molecular dynamics, MonteCarlo, forcefields, solvent systems, retrosyntheses, behavioural ecology and coffee.

So, are we nerdy?
Yeah, didn't think so...

 

[Vrex360]

I once walked around a popular neighbourhood holding a plastic blue version of Sting, Frodo's sword from Lord of the Rings, if that counts.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

You sir, are an entity to be respected.

OT: I don't own any particularly nerdy clothing (though I am in the market), but I love wearing suits for no reason. I would wear a suit everyday if the dry-cleaner didn't charge so much. Though despite not owning any nerdy clothing, I naturally act nerdy/geeky in public, it's who I am, and people who don't understand just have to deal with it.

This stuff is your friend. I wear a suit several times a year, but I use Dryel instead of taking it into a professional dry cleaner, except in situations where it's dirty enough that it needs a professional's touch. Such a situation has not come up in quite a few years. Anyway, it works, and I'm not being paid to advertise it or anything like that.

I have started wearing a brown one of these [http://overlanderhats.com.au/outback.html]. It's not a fedora, but I still get called Doctor Jones by the uninformed. I guess that counts as something?

I'm not sure what that is if not a fedora; some combination of fedora and stetson? Regardless, it's a heck of a lot closer the a real fedora than those short brimmed hipster hats that people mistake for fedoras on a daily basis. I'd probably call you Dr. Jones too

OT: Is there ever a time when it's not okay to be a nerd in public? I guess it could get annoying if your talking to non-nerds and you have nothing that isn't nerdy to talk about, but there's nothing wrong with being nerdy with your nerdy friends. As for myself, I don't hide it, but I can actually talk about non-nerdy pursuits if the situation calls for it. I have a few nerdy shirts, including a nice Star Wars one, but they're mixed in with band T's, message T's, polo shirts, and a fair few other types of shirt. There is more to me than pure nerdiness, just as there's probably more to everyone in this thread.

 

[Realitycrash]

Why is this nerdy?

Huh. I've been called out as being a nerd for wearing any of that stuff. Sorry, I guess. I'll edit.

No, no. No need to edit, I was just asking a question. My point is a broad one.."What makes a Nerd", so to speak. I just can't fathom why your gaming-gear and wear makes you a "nerd", since it has since long been socially acceptable to play videogames, and there are even a "gamer-culture/lifestyle".
The old archetype of the "lone nerd that plays videogames and watches Star Trek/Star Wars, anike" doesn't exist any more. Sure, these people still exist, but the atributes (Games, sci-fi, anime, etc) have become cult or pop-classics. If enough people know about it, and enjoy it, it ceases to be "Nerdy".
You want to be a nerd, I say? Very well, go pick up a hobby like birdwatching and wear t-shirts with a picture of a rare bird and it's latin name. Atleast that hobby is far from cult and mainstream.

This is, of course, just IMO and in no way meant to be rude.

 

[Hosker]

I read quite a bit in public. Nobody seems to care, really.

 

[Arrrgh_Bruce]

I love my nes controller design belt buckle. Also love my pacman shoes. I often talk 'nerd' with my mates in front of my girlfriend and while she doesnt quite get it all, she still likes the fact im passionate about it and finds it cute.
I just think its actually becoming more common in society with people accepting it and even even growing in populatrity. Take Mana Bar, (yes im Australian), for instance with its success. Though some may argue that people have taken on nerd culture for shallow purposes and infact dont understand or actually know anything about it. I hate the people who do that and its pretty easy to see when they are.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

No, no. No need to edit, I was just asking a question. My point is a broad one.."What makes a Nerd", so to speak. I just can't fathom why your gaming-gear and wear makes you a "nerd", since it has since long been socially acceptable to play videogames, and there are even a "gamer-culture/lifestyle".
The old archetype of the "lone nerd that plays videogames and watches Star Trek/Star Wars, anike" doesn't exist any more. Sure, these people still exist, but the atributes (Games, sci-fi, anime, etc) have become cult or pop-classics. If enough people know about it, and enjoy it, it ceases to be "Nerdy".
You want to be a nerd, I say? Very well, go pick up a hobby like birdwatching and wear t-shirts with a picture of a rare bird and it's latin name. Atleast that hobby is far from cult and mainstream.

This is, of course, just IMO and in no way meant to be rude.

Oh damn! I'm sorry, I just thought I'd completely got the wrong end of the stick there and I didn't wanna come off as something I didn't mean to put out. Well, I suppose it depends where you go. Here it's socially acceptable sure, but you're still outright called a nerd. But you hold a perfect point there, that really does seem more nerdy but the problem is, when you pick up an less known hobby and you're proud of it, you get branded a bloody hipster and only doing it to be 'Ironic'.
So, it's like catch-22, you can stay mainstream and be called a nerd, or try more nerdy, independent hobbies and get branded a hipster.

 

[Serving UpSmiles]

To be honest, you should have told him to fuck right off, i live in glasgow, and i need to do this sometimes in school or in the street.

 

[Realitycrash]

No, no. No need to edit, I was just asking a question. My point is a broad one.."What makes a Nerd", so to speak. I just can't fathom why your gaming-gear and wear makes you a "nerd", since it has since long been socially acceptable to play videogames, and there are even a "gamer-culture/lifestyle".
The old archetype of the "lone nerd that plays videogames and watches Star Trek/Star Wars, anike" doesn't exist any more. Sure, these people still exist, but the atributes (Games, sci-fi, anime, etc) have become cult or pop-classics. If enough people know about it, and enjoy it, it ceases to be "Nerdy".
You want to be a nerd, I say? Very well, go pick up a hobby like birdwatching and wear t-shirts with a picture of a rare bird and it's latin name. Atleast that hobby is far from cult and mainstream.

This is, of course, just IMO and in no way meant to be rude.

Oh damn! I'm sorry, I just thought I'd completely got the wrong end of the stick there and I didn't wanna come off as something I didn't mean to put out. Well, I suppose it depends where you go. Here it's socially acceptable sure, but you're still outright called a nerd. But you hold a perfect point there, that really does seem more nerdy but the problem is, when you pick up an less known hobby and you're proud of it, you get branded a bloody hipster and only doing it to be 'Ironic'.
So, it's like catch-22, you can stay mainstream and be called a nerd, or try more nerdy, independent hobbies and get branded a hipster.

Are you sure you get branded as a "hipster"? To my awareness, hipsters just wear old-fashion clothing (Or, as I describe it, "Something you find in your mom's closet that even she hasn't worn for 30 years"), but maybe there is more to it than that?
Sure, you can still be called a "Nerd", but the "Nerd"-term has somehow lost its meaning. Before, it meant social outcast (more or less), now it is just "Something that social outcasts used to like, but now has become cult and is thus socially acceptable".
I don't know the literal, dictionary translation, but I think it says something about "overly interested in certain things", like "Computer-nerd" or "Gaming-nerd". But if such is the case, then there would be fotball-nerds or wrestling-nerds.
It just bugs me out a bit that people now, when it is socially acceptable, seem to almost jump on the wagon and proudly say "Hey, I'm a Nerd, I play video-games and have gaming-references on my clothing".
Once again, not aimed at you per se, just a general observation.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

Are you sure you get branded as a "hipster"? To my awareness, hipsters just wear old-fashion clothing (Or, as I describe it, "Something you find in your mom's closet that even she hasn't worn for 30 years"), but maybe there is more to it than that?
Sure, you can still be called a "Nerd", but the "Nerd"-term has somehow lost its meaning. Before, it meant social outcast (more or less), now it is just "Something that social outcasts used to like, but now has become cult and is thus socially acceptable".
I don't know the literal, dictionary translation, but I think it says something about "overly interested in certain things", like "Computer-nerd" or "Gaming-nerd". But if such is the case, then there would be fotball-nerds or wrestling-nerds.
It just bugs me out a bit that people now, when it is socially acceptable, seem to almost jump on the wagon and proudly say "Hey, I'm a Nerd, I play video-games and have gaming-references on my clothing".
Once again, not aimed at you per se, just a general observation.

Oh no, I've never been called a hipster. Ever.
But this is just what I've noticed, having total pride in something not well known is more seen as doing it to be 'original' and 'ironic' rather than just for the sheer purpose of liking something and having pride in liking it. Thus the clothing that looks like it should've been buried in the 60s and left there.

Spoiler: Here's the definition in the dictionary, but it's definitely changed over time.

nerd |nərd|
noun informal
a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious : one of those nerds who never asked a girl to dance.
? an intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession : he single-handedly changed the Zero image of the computer nerd into one of savvy Hero.

I guess nerdiness is more of a pride in the culture of gaming/ internet/ comics/ anime/ etc, now. Hell, people who aren't even to the 'less socially accepted hobbies' call themselves nerds for the hell of it. Truly strange.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I have a few Rooster Teeth RvB shirts I wear out and about.

 

[Iwata]

I have a visible Warhammer 40K tattoo, I wear t-shirts with Megatron and ninjas on them and have a shit-ton of gaming clothing, and I've worn zombie make-up in public. And no, it wasn't in the anonymous safety of a Zombie Walk. Oh, and I've walked around Europe's largest mall dressed like a Nazgul.

Be proud, my friend. Next time someone judges you, kindly tell them to fuck off.

 

[XxSummonerxX]

People give me weird looks when I walk down the street with my "Gaming ruined my life, fortunately I have another two lives" shirt. But otherwise it's cool.

 

[Double A]

I have started wearing a brown one of these [http://overlanderhats.com.au/outback.html]. It's not a fedora, but I still get called Doctor Jones by the uninformed. I guess that counts as something?

I'm not sure what that is if not a fedora; some combination of fedora and stetson? Regardless, it's a heck of a lot closer the a real fedora than those short brimmed hipster hats that people mistake for fedoras on a daily basis. I'd probably call you Dr. Jones too

It's definitely not a fedora. It's made of kangaroo leather, y'see, and fedoras are strictly felt, as are stetsons.

 

[chris89300]

I've always been one to carry my DS around in my backpack and wear my Project Teva hat with pride, but occasionally I meet people who don't respect that. I love talking about games and movies and awesome books in public, but sometimes I talk to those that don't understand. I was walking with my friends and talking about Kirby's Air Ride, when some random guy walks up to me and tells me that I "need to find a better way to socialize" and "find a more productive use of my time". Things like this happen to me quite a lot (maybe it's just where I live?) and I really have a hard time controlling myself around these strangers. If you have a good suggestion of how to deal with them, this would be the place to put it.

On the other hand, I really appreciate it when people recognize my nerdy appeal and often join in the fun. I've gotten quite a few girls with my seemingly-endless knowledge of Scott Pilgrim trivia and occasionally have a "nerd-off" with a fellow geek. My favorite event was when I was humming "The Trial of the BSD Knights"(look it up) when someone next to me on the bus started singing it.

So, does the ridicule outweigh the reward? Or is it better to be 100% nerd in public rather than 40-50%?

Dude, if some dumbass wastes their time coming to see you just so they could tell you what to do with your spare time, tell them to go fuck themselves. Not liking nerds is their problem, not yours .

 

[little.09]

I wear my Tennant trenchcoat in public with no shame

you sir win at life

 

[darthotaku]

I travel everywhere on a unicycle. wearing DnD t-shirts. normally carrying manga. And I will probably be riding public transit back from the anime convention I'm going to with a crapload of swag and wearing a kawaii hat.

public Nerdishness is awesome.

 

[retterkl]

I go out wearing 3D glasses most of the time, either red and cyan or stereoscopic depending on what's closest.

Apart from that my favorate hoodie is my Star Wars: Live in Concert one that I got at the O2 Arena. When I wear that with my Space Invaders tee I get a few looks