Remember when our fellow second graders would hide their glasses in their backpack cubbies to avoid being called names? Or when seventh graders would fear the absolute worst would happen to them: getting braces. It was all due to being called that dreaded generic term, “nerd.” Steve Urkel plagued the personality category by sporting his suspenders, large rimmed glasses, and prancing swagger. No one wanted to be compared to a nerd. Not until a revolution happened in the most recent generation: a staggering and radical notion that being educated and that the enjoyment of learning is not all that strange.
If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if my glasses were fake or for fashion, I would have enough money to buy high-functioning light sabers for all of my Jedi pals and I. I’m blind as a bat and that’s why I wear glasses. But today, glasses have become decoration to the revitalization of “nerd culture” and are actually modeled in contemporary fashion culture. Not even Professor Sybil Trelawny could have used her divination powers to predict this kind of trendy, geek celebration.
All jokes aside, nerd culture has triumphantly moved from pathetic, quiet standards to a quirky, mainstream trend. Reading is cool now. People, especially youngsters, are not afraid to show who they really are and what they enjoy. Books, movies, television shows, and artists have capitalized on these interests the public has been displaying, and have boosted the epidemic to an all time high. Inspiration is flying between authors, musicians, actors, speakers, and intellectuals alike. Knowledge has become something of value, rather than something of rejection.
All of this nerdy madness has amounted to a great deal of support for those young elementary kids hiding their glasses and the middle school kids hiding their braces. Children are beginning to realize even earlier in life that it’s okay to let the freak flag fly. They have learned that it’s fun to read books, music can be expressive, math isn’t such a drag, and science is endlessly interesting and useful. Without the stigma surrounding learning-oriented students, a super smart, glasses clad, and pimple-faced character no longer comes to mind when thinking about a “nerd.” Children can feel more comfortable exploring subjects in school and pursuing them in the future, which will come in handy for their future educational journey.
All of this celebration around nerd culture has helped pre-established nerds realize something as well. The passions that avid readers and math lovers have as children are extremely important. These passions will be used as building blocks toward a huge decision later in life: their major in college. Students who know what they love to do and aren’t afraid to show it will have better ideas as to what they want to do with their lives later on. Showing their nerd side has become essential to accepting whom they are and whom they can be. Plus, reading really is fun.
So to all of the nerds out there hiding in their caves like Gollum, listen up. Let go of the toxic thoughts around nerd culture. Point all Expelliarmus charms towards those bullies who still haven’t gotten with the program and realized that school is cool. Be free as the day Dobby was given a sock. And most importantly, never lose sight of those passions. It is unbelievable how much they help guide futures into happy careers and lives.
