“Nerd” and “Geek” Should Be Banned, Professor Says

The Times ran an article Monday (insert link) that suggested what America will need in the future are more “cool nerds.” A playful tweak of the nerd stereotype, to be sure, in an effort to alter it. The people described in the piece were ones with hybrid careers, combining computing with other fields from medicine to Hollywood.

These are jobs that do not match the classic computer geek or nerd image — a heads-down programmer, who is socially isolated. In the new hybrid careers, computing is a crucial ingredient and, economists say, such work will be the source of many new jobs of the future.

But David Anderegg, a professor of psychology at Bennington College, says that merely mentioning terms like “nerd” or “geek” serves to perpetuate the stereotype. The words are damaging, much like racial epithets, he says, and should be avoided altogether.

Yet the meaning of words often evolves as the social context changes. I noted that in Manhattan’s elite high schools being called a “cool nerd” is a compliment these days — denoting someone with intellectual and academic chops, unself-consciously so, and other interests as well.

Perhaps that’s true in a handful of zip codes around the country, Dr. Anderegg conceded. But in most of America, he said, nerds and geeks are people to avoid. The connotations are a bit different: a geek suggests a person with special expertise, while nerds suggests social ineptness. And neither are cool.

And math, science and computer science, Dr. Anderegg said, are courses that young people too often associate with nerds and geeks. As a result, he added, “they sabotage themselves in these fields, and the nation’s workforce is suffering.”

“The best way to combat this,” he said, “is put it to bed,” banishing “nerd” and “geek” to the linguistic dustbin.

Not easily done, though, as Dr. Anderegg doubtless appreciates. He is an expert on the subject and the reason I called him for the piece was I had noticed the praise for his book, “Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them.”

via bits.blogs.nytimes.com

I dunno. "Proud to be a nerd" turns up over 2 million hits on Google; "Proud to be a geek" is 4 over million.

Personally, I think the geek will inherit the earth.

Posted via web from Fred's posterous