Why the fascination with nerds/geeks?

[lowdownweather]

Well?

I'm a pretty huge science/tech nerd myself and it's something I've never been able to figure out ever since a fairly campy, queenish guy at my university who isn't into science or tech stuff at all brought it to my attention. Is it just a silly fetish or something else?

[Gerry]

No, it's not a silly fetish. It's just the type of person you're attracted to. Everyone has different things they're attracted to and this is one of yours. Nothing wrong with it.

[maverick]

I dunno, but I don't think it's a fetish, because I'm attracted to nerds and geeks too. I guess for a couple of reasons:

- They have hobbies (aka they are not boring)
- They are less concerned about what other people think than some people
- They're intelligent and can hold a decent conversation
- They are quirky and usually have great senses of humor
- I'm a nerd/geek as well, so they're more likely to share common interests with me

[Undecided John]

I wish there were more people who like nerds/geeks around here. Most girls I know go for sport guys, or just boring ones =/

[Hazel]

I was a nerd before it was cool.

But really, I think in a lot of places people are just getting over the "nerds/geeks = losers" phase and A. Seeing the good side of them, plus B. Apparently someone said thick-rimmed glasses are hip now, and we all know what happens when someone says something is hip.

Also, C. There's a lot of them, even ones that aren't overtly nerdy/geeky, and if you can't beat 'em...

[Austin]

I dunno if he is asking why people like to dress as nerds/geeks when they aren't, but that what I WANT TO KNOW! AKA the nerd glasses. Katy Perry is a perfect example.

Me personally I don't like a complete geek/nerd, I want someone more well rounded.... still smart but not so... nerdy acting, like orgasms talking about star wars or something.

[maverick]

like orgasms talking about star wars or something.

What were you saying? I was thinking about Harrison Ford.

[lowdownweather]

I wasn't necessarily questioning genuine attraction. The person in question who mentioned it to me is, as I mentioned before, quite campy and borderline-shallow.

@maverick: True to your points, but haven't we always been that way? Weren't we always here?

@Undecided John: Yeah. "Where have all the nice guys/good men gone?" My response? You killed them!

@Hazel and @Austin: You clarified what I was getting at: Why are we all of a sudden cooler now? I'm almost more uncomfortable with the attention than without it because it doesn't seem very sincere.

@Austin: I agree that the Star Wars worship is quite silly. There are better sci-fi films/franchises to fawn over.

Admittedly, I did pick out some black plastic frames for my first pair of glasses a few months ago because it was/is quite popular where I am (PDX) and the frames suited my face better then the other stuff they had, but unlike most, I have standing to wear them as I actually am a geek/nerd. I'm not socially akward or shy, but am pretty introverted (introverted doesn't equal shy or awkward).

[TheEdend]

I love this thread

I have always been pretty attracted to geeky guys when it comes to hobbies and personality. Not really into the whole "geeky" look, but if a guy doesn't have any "geeky" hobbies then its just boring. I would say its similar to someone that likes people who are sporty or outdoorsy.

A perfect mix would be a cute guy who isn't shy, likes to party in occasion yet is able to be a geek at heart

[SlickyPants]

"Luke, we're going to have company!"

A few of the reasons I find geeks attractive include being intelligient, sharing similar interests and if I had one as a partner I probably wouldn't have to fix his computer!

As maverick pointed out, they often don't care what other people think and thus free to be themselves.

As for myself, I don't have thrick framed glasses. I don't mind the look but for I find it annoying to see big black frames in my periphery.

[Victor]

Because nerds do things like this.

+ YouTube Video

[maverick]

Originally Posted by Victor

Because nerds do things like this.

Youtube Video

Can I just speak for everybody when I say,
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

[FloatingPiano]

Originally Posted by Victor

Because nerds do things like this.

Youtube Video

That is so awesomely sweet!!! GO NERDS!! XD

[xMissSalazar]

I believe it's just the type of person you're attracted to.
I'm attracted to Nerdy guys, but Masculine women.
Huzzahs! c:

[Lexington]

Because we kick ass.

Lex

[Shmoe]

Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeerds. That is all.

[Bosco]

Because I'm a narcissist. 8D

No but seriously, nerds and geeks are mighty attractive.
It's that we're not afraid to show the little kids inside of us that I like.
I mean, being 'grown-up' and mature is dandy and needed for when you mean business, but on your down time why not just kick back and have some fun?

[Shades of Gray]

For me, it's about appreciation for eccentricity. Maybe there are places where that is a widespread trait, but where I grew up, there was an established status quo: talk about how awesome the Denver Broncos are, engage in town gossip, and get drunk and party on weekends. The nerds were the ones that got bullied for deviating from the status quo. I was considered strange for preferring reading to talking, or playing an instrument to playing sports, or for walking around staring at the ground at recess (I was imagining what Lord of the Rings battles might look like on a miniature scale). My fellow nerd friends, however, could not only appreciate that, but would love and do similar things, lol

For example, I love staring at and studying maps of all kinds, for hours on end if I can find the time. If I tell most people that, they're thinking along the lines of "what the heck is wrong with you?" Most of the time when I tell nerds that it's either "Haha, that's awesome," or "Oh my gosh! I do that too!" (Following which: "Really?! Any favorite places?" "I'm really partial to New Zealand. It's so diverse." "Yeah, and how could you not like the place where Lord of the Rings was filmed?" *Transition to how awesome the LOTR Big Bang Theory episode is* Which later changes the topic to the episode about Sheldon's wish to live long enough to experience 'The Singularity'; which makes me recall how that was a focus in Joe Haldeman's The Forever War; which makes the other person remark on how, while he loves Haldeman, Asimov shall always be the king of sci-fi; to which I agree entirely, and begin a conversation about how I love Asimov's ability to connect multiple series of books together into one timeline...Anyways, you get the picture ).

Also, the interests of nerds tend to be so diverse that there's always something to talk about, even if the entirety of our interests are different. For instance, someone in my group of friends could bring up the conversation of Transformers. Three of them really love that topic, but me and another friend never did anything with Transformers - so we can break off and talk about the original Pokemon Game Boy games: how fun it was, how we trained, the ethics of using the rare candy trick, etc. Eventually the other guys will realize how we broke off and start talking about Pokemon too. It's an endless flow of nerdiness, haha.

So, yeah..long rambling of mine. Nerds ftw :P.

[maverick]

It's that we're not afraid to show the little kids inside of us that I like.

This.

For me, it's about appreciation for eccentricity.

And this.


I mean, nerds are really big kids at heart, in a really good way. Who doesn't love someone who acts like a kid in that spontaneous, OMG-my-favorite-thing-ever!, having-fun-for-the-hell of it way?

+ YouTube Video

^ If I saw a girl (or guy, for that matter) doing this in a store, I would probably fall head over heels.

[Steve712]

Oh boy! I loved that movie!