Who here can say that they have a favorite superhero movie and talk about it for hours? How about having a favorite sci-fi television show or being a serious video game player?
If you can say yes to one of these questions, you may consider yourself to be a "nerd". To some people, they think that being in this social can be a bad thing. However, as the times have changed, it is safe to say that the nerd culture is now bigger than it ever has before.
One thing that contributes to the sudden popularity of nerd-dom is all of the superhero films that have and will come out in recent years. In just a couple of years, we have films like "Captain America", "Batman V. Superman" and "Suicide Squad" catch the attention of countless people. When these films come out, we are not looking at the portrayal of these characters in the comics versus the films (well, maybe we are just a little bit). Instead, we are looking at the action happening in the film and if the film has a good story (while retaining obvious elements of the comics that we all know). It is because of this that we can all nerd out when we see superhero films.
Another thing is that there a couple of television shows that show how it is okay or even cool to be a nerd. One show in particular would be none other than "The Big Bang Theory". This show has genius nerds (a slight stereotype, but not the worst one) Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj as they frequently geek out about all comics and video games. I am sure that we all laugh at them because it is funny to see that and it really is. However, we laugh at it because when we see them nerd out over a show, video game or film, we realize that we have all probably done that with ANY of those. If they can shamelessly nerdy and yet cool on a show, then it should be cool to be a nerd in public.
Another thing to consider is that the word "nerd" is now being used by more celebrities in a positive way. According to an article from BBC News, one celebrity calling herself a nerd is Natalie Portman. She talks about her love of reading and really investing herself in the world of literary characters. However, everyone likes that. The article even says that the Minnesota Vikings' Chris Kluwe considers himself a nerd because he loves to play video games. Because celebrities do have a part in redefining what it means to be a nerd, we feel more comfortable with letting people see our nerdiness.
An article from YouGov also explains how people of our age think it's cool to be a nerd. According to the article, people under the age of 40 would think it is cool if someone thought of them as a nerd. Likewise, the article also said that the same age group also identify themselves as nerds. Since it is cool to be nerdy, people should enjoy it more!
In this generation, it is now cool to be in the nerd culture. You may find it embarrassing to nerd out about something, but don't we all do that every now and then? Be nerdy and enjoy it!
