Nerd Enough? American Nerds and Nerd Stereotyping: How Caricature Imperils American Society

Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them by David Anderegg, Ph.D.
Hardcover, 274 pages
Publisher: Tarcher/Penguin
Price: $24.95
Publication Date: 2008


Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them by David Anderegg, a clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychology at Bennigton College in Vermont, is a provocative examination of the American nerd/geek stereotype. In Nerds, Anderegg asserts that this ubiquitous typecasting is a "prejudice unlike any other in American culture at present." It's a social pejorative that knows no color or ethnicity, and its negative influence on American society carries far-reaching consequences for the nation's future success.

Most of us can identify the prototypical nerd, can't we? American popular culture perpetuates the nerd/geek stereotype so pervasively that whether it's by way of television, film, literature, or human interaction we're inundated with oversimplified images of individuals whose quirky mannerisms and displayed intelligence are reduced to caricature. Nerd-bashing is overt. We rarely admit that our jibes are degrading and faulty. Antinerd prejudice is consistently tolerated—and therein lies the harm.

"You don't need to belong to any particular class or ethnicity to be a nerd," writes Benjamin Nugent in his perceptive book American Nerd: The Story of My People. It's true. Think of the bookish Steve Urkel of the television sitcom Family Matters, America's favorite black nerd who bore the brunt of the show's comedic insults. Or, the placating and puerile Asian-American math-and-science whiz, Toshiro Takashi, from the classic Revenge of the Nerds. Consider ABC's TV comedy series Ugly Betty featuring Betty Suarez, an awkward Latina who's outfitted in requisite nerd gear: wide-rimmed glasses; braces on her teeth, and unfashionable clothes. "Nerdity," as Anderegg terms it, embraces all—and has for centuries.

If we revisit nineteenth-century American literature and modes of thought—as Anderegg and Nugent do—we discover that nerds and nerd/geek intolerance are not a contemporary phenomenon. It's where we "find the seeds of the modern prejudice," Nugent writes. Anderegg cites Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," which introduces us to the anti-intellectual hero Ichabod Crane, "America's first nerd." Nugent identifies the scientifically brilliant "anti-hero" Victor Frankenstein of Mary Shelley's gothic Frankenstein.

This culturally iconic literature denigrates learning and the learned and venerates physicality and sociability—a persistent attitude of the era that established the nation's longstanding "tradition of being suspicious of intellectual achievement," Anderegg affirms. This standard man of reason versus man of action dichotomy—or, in common parlance, the nerd versus jock opposition—has maintained its impact on our culture. Time and again we devalue those who are technologically inclined and passionate about obtaining knowledge and elevate those who are attractive and exude self-assurance and social poise.

"It's not cool to be smart or to be successful through high achievements in school [or otherwise]," says David Adewumi, CEO of Heekya, a web-based collaborative social storytelling platform, freelance writer for VentureBeat, and author of the blog 3000 Years Later. "Where in several other countries, some form of social pre-eminence is directly related to scholarly achievements and results, in the U.S. the affect is almost nil. From a socio-psychological perspective, in 2008 there is not much social or peer incentive to be considered a very bright young person."

Our 200-year-old promulgation of anti-intellectualism fosters this lack of inducement, while unchecked nerd stereotyping conveys countermotivational messages about self-identity that corrupt and impoverish children. "The kids who will really be hurt by nerd/geek stereotypes are the kids who will shut down parts of themselves to fit in," Anderegg cautions. This curbing of skills is widespread among students throughout the country, and it's predominately in the study of math and science where this pinch of nonparticipation inflicts the most damage. When "Americans are being out-smarted by their international peers," as Adewumi declares, it's not hyperbolic to suggest that math and science illiteracy imperils America's future global competitiveness.

Underachievement of the nerd-labeled isn't solely an academic issue. It's also social, which impacts individuals of diverse ethnicities differently. For many college-bound Asian-Americans, participating in varsity sports and other non-technical pursuits is a way to dismantle Asian nerd stereotypes and appear as well-rounded as their non-Asian contemporaries. For some blacks, as Adewumi notes on his blog, societal acceptance is paramount. "I would say as a young black male, there is a strong inverse correlation between being a nerd and black, and being popular. I’ve seen many black friends who are fairly intelligent that were mediocre students in high school, and either failed out or were equally mediocre at the University level. Why? Popularity is . . . often times a choice of priorities—some sacrifice intelligence for popularity—and for blacks, this probably happens for 9 out of every 10."

American society cleaves to nerd/geek stereotyping. Is it at all surprising then that the "dumbing-down of American culture" prevails? Nerd prejudice disparages as it stigmatizes, and to "understand [the concept of] nerds," writes Benjamin Nugent, "is to enrich our understanding of many demons."