A Place For All Nerds

“Pshh, what a nerd!”

Many of us have been on the receiving end of that comment. We express enthusiasm for a particular show, movie, videos game, you name it. When we tell people what we’re in to, we get one of several responses.

“Dude, that’s so cool! Me too!!!”

“That’s not really my thing.”

“Are you kidding? What a nerd.”

“Never heard of it.”

And the list could go on and on. Growing up, my mother always told me to never refer to myself as a nerd. It was self-deprecation. It was a negative term, one that one should avoid being the recipient of.

Well, do I have news for you.

The status of the Nerd has greatly changed in the past few years. Now, we who fit the description wear the label with pride. We understand that who we are is nothing to be ashamed of. We are as justified in our Nerdiness as the football fan is justified in his seasonal enthusiasm for contact sports. And we have several things to thanks for that, including (but not limited to) the advent of superhero movies, The Big Bang Theory (regardless of your feelings about the show), video games, and high-profile Nerd celebrities. So now we have such a thing as Nerd Culture, as well as parameters that place you within that culture.

Being a Nerd propels you in a vast company of others who, though they may not share your particular affinities, welcome you with open arms and say “Hey, you like Supernatural? I know something else you might like…”

This is because true Nerd Culture is one of sharing. I like Star Wars, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and a score of other things. I share them with people who may or may not have had a direct encounter with said interests. I recently began hanging around a new group of friends, who all share a love for Professional Wrestling. They have been more than happy to share their love of manly soap operas with me. And I have indulged them happily in return.

In October of this past year, I created Facebook group Talkin’ Nerdy. Last week, we crossed 200+ member mark (231 as of this writing). This told me something profound: all Nerds want a place for community. A place to share their love for all things Nerdy. And this group has been a blast and I hope it continues to grow. But until the advent of this group, most groups and pages I had seen were very specific in what they were about. One group was for Superheroes, one for fictitious battles, another for fans of a certain show. There has been no cohesion. No unity. 

It’s high time we change that.

This is just a introductory post to launch our new blog, but I am writing this to establish our philosophy. And it is this: 

No matter what you like, if it’s Nerdy, you have a place with us.

No matter what it is, if it exists, it will be discussed.

No matter how obscure you think your interests are, if you like it, we will help you find someone else who does to.

This is the goal of Talkin’ Nerdy. And this is what it will always be.

So Say We All.