Nerd of tomarrow, Nerd of today

TNL is full of nerds. Yes, every last one of you is a nerd. Even burg with his fancy law degree, is a fucking nerd. But we aren't the nerds we used to be. There is a very big difference between today and 5 or even 10 years ago. We refer to the old nerd ways, as the gamego days, back when the board was full fagchannery.

But gamego didn't start the fagchanery. Everyone was a fagchan before there every was a gamego or even a GameFan. Those two sites were just magnets for the kind of nerdery.

But we aren't those kinds of nerds anymore. Some would say that most of us have just grown up, that we have put away childish things. I think in part that is true, but I think a big part of it is because of the internet. In real life I know kids that are still "fagchans." These kids typically don't use chat rooms and message baords for whatever reason.

There is something about getting a bunch of nerds together in one place that changes them, makes them a little bit more mature, if not jaded. And that is what I want this thread to be about; how/why boards like TNL change nerds.

This is just a theory but I think that every town has a small # of nerds. They are social rejects typically and grow their little special brand of being a dork. After a while they think they are special and pride themselves on their intrest. However, with message boards and online chatting they find that they really aren't special. They find people that are bigger dorks than they are and it sort of disqust them. Then you get a backlash.

Also it might just all be biological. Perhaps groups of people feel a need to have "cool" people and "nerdy" people. Maybe we put ourselves into those roles with out consciencely thinking about it.


I'm interested in everyone's opinion. I fully admit that I may be full of complete shit and this topic may be silly, so there really is no need to try to be clever and "own" me. Oh and yes, my spelling sucks, long hair, bad grammar, neck hair, I'm a dumb dumb head, the south sucks and eats turds, etc.

EDIT: I take one thing back. I am not interested in the opinions of SpoDaddy or Compass. You'll just say something that diff and g0zan will rape you in the ass over and as much fun as that is for the two of them to do, I really don't enjoy reading that mess.

Either that or peoples taste change as they grow older. i don't like Ghost Busters and Ninja turtles as much as I did when I was younger, and I find myself enjoying video games less now.

As for the death of FChannery I blame over saturation. When most of the board were Fchans at game go etc. there were fewer anime and video game titles coming across the sea, and for the most part the ones that made it across were good. Now that everything makes it across and there are a million import shops for the 2 that don't the homogeny has made what was once special just another Japanese game.

Also I disagree with the assessment of everyone being a nerd because they have a hobby. I think everyone despite their social standing has a hobby. I do agree that being a nerd today isn't what it was portrayed as in Revenge of the Nerds or other such cinematic masterworks on the subject.

f-channing(not to be confused with carol channing) was a lot more "special" when wal mart and basic cable didnt carry anime and sony wasnt bringing over all the weird, japanese games. it depended heavily on the idea that what we were seeing was just the tip of the iceberg,and all the weird, indecipherable japanese names you saw in the gamefan ads were these hidden, forbidden jewels to hunt down. now we get most of them and we find out that they werent very good. its like seeing jessica alba naked and finding out she has bad cellulite and cankles.

I love Tolkein, Asimov and Dungeons & Dragons.

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

Also it might just all be biological. Perhaps groups of people feel a need to have "cool" people and "nerdy" people. Maybe we put ourselves into those roles with out consciencely thinking about it.

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One thing I do notice is the overwhelming amount of nerdiness in the world today. Nobody tries to "hide it" anymore because even some jocks are into nerdy shit. Back in my fucking day, though, I was ridiculed. These whippersnappers today have it easy, dadgummit.

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Originally Posted by Jester

As for the death of FChannery I blame over saturation. When most of the board were Fchans at game go etc. there were fewer anime and video game titles coming across the sea, and for the most part the ones that made it across were good. Now that everything makes it across and there are a million import shops for the 2 that don't the homogeny has made what was once special just another Japanese game.

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I agree and would also like to add two points:
1) The quality of the average Japanese game isn't as good as it used to be.
2) Anime and Japaniness is just as prevalent as overall nerdiness today. To a degree, I'm sick of seeing people jumping onto shit I've been into on a moderate level all my life like a bat out of hell and loving in obsessively because it just became popular.
3) (I lied) Fuck G4 for everything besides XPlay.

Most of us have good jobs, are in a relationship, exercise and try to keep our body fit, and even like "non-nerdy" things like sports and beer. Just because we like to play games and chat about them with like-minded individuals it's a big deal? I don't get it. You can find forums for any interest online.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

Most of us have good jobs, are in a relationship, exercise and try to keep our body fit, and even like "non-nerdy" things like sports and beer. Just because we like to play games and chat about them with like-minded individuals it's a big deal? I don't get it. You can find forums for any interest online.

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Ooh! I have that second one!

...but that's about it. :(

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Originally Posted by frostwolf ex

its like seeing jessica alba naked and finding out she has bad cellulite and cankles.

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BLASPHEMY! :cry:

Really, I think most people are nerdy about something. There's some hobbies we associate as less nerdy than others, but it's really pretty arbitrary. If you know sports statistics from 20 years ago, you're every bit as much a nerd as someone who imported all the Sakura Taisens. If you collect antique furniture and know everything about it, you're a nerd. We all have our interests and indulgences that we know too much about.

TNL has changed but I don't feel that I have changed much as a gamer. In the GameGO!/early TNL days I felt like the rare person trying to get people to play various Western-made/PC games, to appreciate both sides. I didn't expect or want TNL to invert itself and go on a Japan bashing spree/witchhunt.

The term "faggot chan" was awesome and hilarious when it first appeared. It was perfect when it only referred to people like Recap. Now people will call you an f-chan for liking a domestic Nintendo game. The meaning has been lost.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

Really, I think most people are nerdy about something. There's some hobbies we associate as less nerdy than others, but it's really pretty arbitrary. If you know sports statistics from 20 years ago, you're every bit as much a nerd as someone who imported all the Sakura Taisens. If you collect antique furniture and know everything about it, you're a nerd. We all have our interests and indulgences that we know too much about.

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I agree with this. As games gain popularity and it's core userbase gets older, having video games as a hobby will seem less strange and become more "acceptable."

For example, it's perfectly acceptable for grown men to obsess over sports - gathering for sporting events, donning their favorite team's uniforms, dedicating rooms in their homes to memoribilia, etc. But people who throw LAN parties and collect video games are considered wierd because it's not as common.

Everyone's a nerd in their own special way.

That's partially my fault :( I use it way too much. I'm so sorry Neozeedeater, can you forgive me?

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

TNL has changed but I don't feel that I have changed much as a gamer. In the GameGO!/early TNL days I felt like the rare person trying to get people to play various Western-made/PC games, to appreciate both sides. I didn't expect or want TNL to invert itself and go on a Japan bashing spree/witchhunt.

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It's not just TNL. The gaming market in general has shifted somewhat. The top selling games in the US have long been japanese, and this gen we got the likes of Halo, GTA(3+), and Splinter Cell, and japan's powerbase in the console industry weakened substantially.

I've never been an f-chan so this discussion, by and large, doesn't involve me. I didn't and still don't even really notice or care where a game was made.

I learned that these things are somehow meaningful from TNL.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

The gaming market in general has shifted somewhat. The top selling games in the US have long been japanese, and this gen we got the likes of Halo, GTA(3+), and Splinter Cell, and japan's powerbase in the console industry weakened substantially.

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The #1 trait in evolution isn't being the quickest, or being the strongest, or being the biggest. It's being the most adaptive that matters most.

I don't understand the argument that people who post here are social rejects.; you should clarify that. I think diff has a better point. Also your intro didn't win me over.

I really haven't changed much.

Stuff like comic books, fantasy novels, action figures, and science fiction haven't interested me since I was a teenager.
However, other nerdy things like physics, electronics, computers, videogames, traditional martial arts(it's nerdy, admit it), and to a lesser extent, anime and CG films still manage to hold my interest.

Also, despite the fact that I'm in better than average shape physically, party almost every weekend, and am relatively secure financially, I still feel like I'm one of those fat, friendless dorks who live in their parents' basement.

It's time to embrace yourself and realize you are not a loser.

IP was worried about this thread, I'm glad it's not a bashfest.

I think the advent of the internet has really...glorified individual lives, you know livejournal and stuff, and the act of being online and finding people of like mind online has destigmatized a lot of nerdly activities. Maybe. Perhaps it's just easier to find your niche now, so people are less angsty and isolated.

I like to imagine that as time passes everyone in the USA...nay, the world now with the global information age... becomes more accepting of races and eccentricities, but in reality people find new things to be exclusive about, and that's a human thing. It seems society (as reflected by popular culture at least) here in the US is becoming more accepting as a whole, but when you think about the seventies you'd think that people today are a lot more conservative in their thinking.

I know my imaginings are from a completely skewed viewpoint because I personally am very acceptive. There's lots of evidence to the contrary everyday in the news.

Hey. IP made a good thread.

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Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

The term "faggot chan" was awesome and hilarious when it first appeared.

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Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Cowutopia

It's time to embrace yourself and realize you are not a loser.

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:lol:

http://www.tvsquad.com/images/2005/10/dr%20phil.jpg

You shouldn't give two shits (or even one, no less) whether you're considered a loser or not. Do whatever the fuck you want and be confident about it.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

even like "non-nerdy" things like sports and beer.

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the things you like are not what make you a nerd, but how you like them. A person can be a beer nerd, or a sports nerd. It is really how you carey yourself when you really really like something.

Me and Tracer observed this on our trip to Atlanta together. We saw a lot of people who acted the very same nerdy way. The only difference was what they were geeking out about.

I guess that makes me a food and wine nerd?

I'm a synth nerd.

Let's not get carried away here. Nerd is exclusively for nerdy activities. It doesn't matter how trivial the sports fanaticism is, how stupid you or I think it is, it is not nerdy like caring about unreleased video game systems. There are aficionados and then there are nerds (see Max Anime).

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Originally Posted by Punky Skunk

Let's not get carried away here. Nerd is exclusively for nerdy activities. It doesn't matter how trivial the sports fanaticism is, how stupid you or I think it is, it is not nerdy like caring about unreleased video game systems. There are aficionados and then there are nerds (see Max Anime).

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Don't kid yourself. Anyone who goes to a sporting event dressed up like a Viking or a covered completely in paint is not morally superior to your average Naruto cosplayer. They're both nerds, you're a nerd.

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

the things you like are not what make you a nerd, but how you like them. A person can be a beer nerd, or a sports nerd. It is really how you carey yourself when you really really like something.

Me and Tracer observed this on our trip to Atlanta together. We saw a lot of people who acted the very same nerdy way. The only difference was what they were geeking out about.

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What were they geeking out about? metal?

Let me be clear here: metal is the absolute nerdiest thing ever. Its nerdier than dungeons and dragons and cosplay combined.

I'm an aspiring vagina nerd.

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Originally Posted by diff

Let me be clear here: metal is the absolute nerdiest thing ever. Its nerdier than dungeons and dragons and cosplay combined.

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And in the case of some metal bands, they do pretty much just that.

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Originally Posted by g0zen

Don't kid yourself. Anyone who goes to a sporting event dressed up like a Viking or a covered completely in paint is not morally superior to your average Naruto cosplayer.

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Moral superiority (wtf) has nothing to do with it. Getting hyper-involved with sports is a lot more socially acceptable than pretending to be a cartoon.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

What were they geeking out about? metal?

Let me be clear here: metal is the absolute nerdiest thing ever. Its nerdier than dungeons and dragons and cosplay combined.

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Exhibit A:
Can I play with madness?

Give me the sense to wonder
To wonder if I'm free
Give me a sense of wonder
To know I can be me
Give me the strength to hold my head up
Spit back in their face
Don't need no key to unlock this door
Gonna break down the walls
Break out of this bad place

[Chorus]
Can I play with madness?
The prophet stared at his crystal ball
Can I play with madness?
There's no vision there at all
Can I play with madness?
The prophet looked at me and laughed at me (ha ha) He said:
Can I play with madness?
He said you're blind, too blind to see

Said you're too blind to see

I screamed aloud to the old man
I said don't lie, don't say you don't know
I say you'll pay for this mischief
In this world or the next
Oh and then he fixed me with a freezing glance
And the hellfires raged in his eyes
He said you wanna know the truth son?
Lord, I'll tell you the truth
Your soul's gonna burn in a lake of fire

[Chorus]

Listen to me, said the prophet

[Chorus]

Can I play with madness?

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Originally Posted by Punky Skunk

Moral superiority (wtf) has nothing to do with it. Getting hyper-involved with sports is a lot more socially acceptable than pretending to be a cartoon.

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No, both are outside of the mainstream. Your average banal moron American would see a cosplayer and a sports nut as both being deviant from the norm.

Good thread. I am about as nerdy as I was in High School except now I found like-minded people. I play D&D every other weekend (I am going to be DM for the first time next weekend). I love video games, comic books, anime, Star Trek and just about any other nerdy hobby you can think of. Well, I don't write fanfics or cosplay, I do have some standards. I do have an active social life though and keep myself in pretty good shape.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

What were they geeking out about? metal?

Let me be clear here: metal is the absolute nerdiest thing ever. Its nerdier than dungeons and dragons and cosplay combined.

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I never thought about it, but you're right.

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Originally Posted by Punky Skunk

Let's not get carried away here. Nerd is exclusively for nerdy activities. It doesn't matter how trivial the sports fanaticism is, how stupid you or I think it is, it is not nerdy like caring about unreleased video game systems. There are aficionados and then there are nerds (see Max Anime).

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No, sports nerds are nerds. They are not jocks, they are not doing it to get pussy, they are doing it sheerly out of a dorky desire to know too much about their chosen hobby. They are not afficionados either, as memorizing stats goes beyond trying to have a finer appreciation for the game. If this knowledge had any practical application or was of use to anyone not likewise obsessed out of nerdy self-indulgence, I might take exception, but as far as I'm concerned they're no better than people that memorize Star Trek episode numbers.

I really really really like Star Trek.

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/451/kirk15lz.jpg

NERD!!

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

No, sports nerds are nerds.

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Sports nerds are called "fans." They say "we won" when referring to people on a team who don't know them. That is normal.

Nerdy things:
anything brainy (science)
technology (computers)
escapist fantasy (LOTR)
things children can like, adults expected not to (toys, cartoons, video games?)

Sports does not figure in in any way, unless it is a nerdy sport like fencing.

The nerf of tomarrow?

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/8...zzzzzzz2nq.jpg

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

What were they geeking out about? metal?

Let me be clear here: metal is the absolute nerdiest thing ever. Its nerdier than dungeons and dragons and cosplay combined.

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i have noticed a lot of european metal bands that are basicly larpers with guitars, its kind of funny. some of thema re pretty good too.

I have nothing to really add to this thread except kudos to IP on a good topic.

I think what's changed in all of us is that we've become more comfortable with who we are. We've learned when to shut up about things we like, when to play it up, and how and where our nerdy interests fit into our lives. Everyone goes through this. We just had a slightly tougher time acclimating.

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Originally Posted by Punky Skunk

Sports nerds are called "fans." They say "we won" when referring to people on a team who don't know them. That is normal.

Nerdy things:
anything brainy (science)
technology (computers)
escapist fantasy (LOTR)
things children can like, adults expected not to (toys, cartoons, video games?)

Sports does not figure in in any way, unless it is a nerdy sport like fencing.

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I dunno, I think g0zen and the others are right. When you break it down it's really the same thing.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

What were they geeking out about? metal?

Let me be clear here: metal is the absolute nerdiest thing ever. Its nerdier than dungeons and dragons and cosplay combined.

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We saw history nerds, vehical nerds, music nerds, anime nerds and a few others. We saw two guys that could tell the difference between the 1945 and 1946 run of a truck baised on the lower part of it's tailgate. They found great joy in talking about it too.



Anyway, one thing I've noticed changing about "nerdom." is that the "trekie"(sp?) type of nerd is dying, at least online. I'm not talking about star treck only, but the kind of the nerd that LIVES for the hobby.

TNL itself went from being all "OMG THIS IS TEH BEST STUFF EVER OMG OMG OMG" to a place that really discourages losing your shit over something. It is kind of like a special kind of apathy is cool around here. Its ok to like it, but not to much or you will get the snot agrivated out of you by someone until you stop. The board expects everyone to be a Fonze. All laid back and cool.

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Originally Posted by Hubbitron

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/451/kirk15lz.jpg

NERD!!

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I loled.

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Originally Posted by Andrew

You shouldn't give two shits (or even one, no less) whether you're considered a loser or not. Do whatever the fuck you want and be confident about it.

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This is relatively true. Everyone that matters is a nerd of some sort. The same ability to gather tons of info on something not important can get you through life.

Everyone I knew from school that didn't geek out over something, ended up being a pretty bland person with a pretty bland job. Hell, tonight was my little sisters graduation. I met one of the guys that was in the "cool" group back in middle school. He was a real jerk about me and a few other guys geeking out over Star Wars and Next Gen back in like the 6th grade. Well now he is fatter that I am, just got done with his teaching degree. He coaches and teaches history in a mississippi public school....yeah he really hit it big.

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

It is really how you carey yourself when you really really like something.

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Jesus Christ.

Yep. I'm a dumbass with out my Microsoft word :(

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

Everyone I knew from school that didn't geek out over something, ended up being a pretty bland person with a pretty bland job. Hell, tonight was my little sisters graduation. I met one of the guys that was in the "cool" group back in middle school. He was a real jerk about me and a few other guys geeking out over Star Wars and Next Gen back in like the 6th grade. Well now he is fatter that I am, just got done with his teaching degree. He coaches and teaches history in a mississippi public school....yeah he really hit it big.

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Yea... there was a great comic in PA last year when they went to talk to a high school. It had Tyco telling a bunch of nerds, "outside of here... we run shit". Nerds get the good jobs, the high salaries, and women that would've scoffed at them in HS.

That is why I say that this type of stuff doesn't matter... it's all labels, fuck it.

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We saw history nerds, vehical nerds, music nerds, anime nerds and a few others. We saw two guys that could tell the difference between the 1945 and 1946 run of a truck baised on the lower part of it's tailgate. They found great joy in talking about it too.

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But they were there for a metal show, right? That trumps everything.

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Originally Posted by Cowutopia

Exhibit A:
Can I play with madness?

Give me the sense to wonder
To wonder if I'm free
Give me a sense of wonder
To know I can be me
Give me the strength to hold my head up
Spit back in their face
Don't need no key to unlock this door
Gonna break down the walls
Break out of this bad place

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NERD TEST PASSED!!!!!!!!

What do you think japan calls their nerds who are into Halo and Half-Life?

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Originally Posted by Punky Skunk

Sports nerds are called "fans."

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No, there's a difference between fan and nerd. A fan watches the game and gets excited about it. Just like it's not nerdy to play videogames (anymore), but it is nerdy to know entirely too much about them and post about them on the internet.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

What do you think japan calls their nerds who are into Halo and Half-Life?

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People with better taste.

This is a good thread. I think the advent of game companies catering to the mainstream helped Gaming going from nerdy to even jocks getting excited over Madden or any sports title. The Western titles also helped in catering to the American male; violence, women, political upheaval, etc. And these games attracted not the game nerds, but people who used to make fun of them. Once gaming became socially acceptable to parents. They realized its not so nerdy to like gaming, because they would start playing too. Its like the way to a woman is through the parents. When the mother/father likes you they will try and influence their child to liking you.

The rise of the internet helped as well, because of what everyone said it gathered all the people who have the same likes into one place. From there people realized that they are in all walks of life; lawyers, accountants, comp programmers, cooks, jocks, musicians, etc. At this point, people in general started to realize its not so geeky to like games, comics, anime, etc. Because you may at one time liked comics, but you didn't want everyone to know how much you liked it; due to the stigma attached. But with the 'Net it was okay to say anything, because your hiding behind a persona. The name listed on the screen is a persona, Subconciously its NOT you. When people started to use AIM and started to use avatar names like; Advocate005, or Maverick, etc. It was okay to let loose and tell everyone how much you like "such and such" and how much you hated "f-chan title". Its not just one thing that cause Nerds to be acceptable. It was a combination of things. IMO.

TLDR

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

I met one of the guys that was in the "cool" group back in middle school. He was a real jerk about me and a few other guys geeking out over Star Wars and Next Gen back in like the 6th grade. Well now he is fatter that I am, just got done with his teaching degree. He coaches and teaches history in a mississippi public school....yeah he really hit it big.

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Teaching and coaching with a college degree sounds fine to me, unless being a teacher in the south is somehow a bad thing. The fatness is lol though, I've heard similar things about the guys who were jocks in my high school.

I've got my 10 year HS reunion next month - it will be interesting to see how everyone held up and if the nerds did end up ruling the world as we're predicting.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

What do you think japan calls their nerds who are into Halo and Half-Life?

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Round eye.

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Originally Posted by K3V

Teaching and coaching with a college degree sounds fine to me, unless being a teacher in the south is somehow a bad thing. The fatness is lol though, I've heard similar things about the guys who were jocks in my high school.

I've got my 10 year HS reunion next month - it will be interesting to see how everyone held up and if the nerds did end up ruling the world as we're predicting.

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I'd rather shoot myself in the face than live my life out as a fat middle school history teacher that coaches girls softball in the south.

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

But they were there for a metal show, right? That trumps everything.

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No. We did do other things with our time.

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Originally Posted by IronPlant

I'd rather shoot myself in the face than live my life out as a fat middle school history teacher that coaches girls softball in the south.

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Girls softball?

Nice

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No. We did do other things with our time.

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I dont care what you did. I dont care how nerdy these people were. People can do whatever they want... fuck it. I was just pointing out that metal is the nerdiest thing ever.

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Originally Posted by Josh

Round eye.

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That's one of my favorite racial slurs.

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Originally Posted by Dolemite

That's one of my favorite racial slurs.

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List your top 10.

Geez...I'd have to think about that.

Might make a good stand-alone thread.

Yeah top ten racial slurs.

Hm.

1. Slant eye
2. eggroll
3. Adam Bomb
4. Yellow Skin
5. Nigger
6. Cracka
7. whitey
8. Polock
9. Sand Nigga
10. Camel Jockey

Gook? Spic? Tar baby?

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Originally Posted by Hubbitron

Gook? Spic? Tar baby?

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I forgot about them.