When I hear the word "nerd," the thing that comes to mind is someone deeply entrenched in an item's information. Then I picture Lewis from Revenge of the Nerds. Then, as my thoughts continue to race, I imagine computers, comic books, Dungeons and Dragons, and all four seasons of The IT Crowd.When I was reading my dictionary and came across the word "nerd", I was slightly taken aback by the definition. "A gauche person." Thanks to the last great American dynasty, the word gauche is present in the consciousness, so I am aware of the adjective's definition. Using substitution property, a person lacking in ease and grace of manner, awkward and tactless, is – by definition - a nerd.
What caught my attention was the lack of reference to genius. Nerds are almost always represented as highly intelligent, brainy, brilliant people. However, according to ole Oxy, what made one a nerd was not the brain, but the behavior.
Which made me wonder... were Compton rap group Niggas With Attitudes or NWA nerds?
We know that NWA were without ease or grace of manner. Admittedly, everywhere they went, they f*cked up the program and made people say "damn." Were they awkward? Well, that would depend on which definition is used. If definition number one – difficult to handle, use, or deal with – is used, then the answer is yes. Tactless? Again to the definition and again yes, because tact is the skill of avoiding giving offense, and we know NWA is missing that.
Looking at the data, I have to conclude, by definition, that NWA was a bunch of nerds.
Speaking of Revenge of the Nerds, I remember enjoying the movie. The locker room scene with John Goodman's Coach Harris is one of my favorite movie scenes. The way he says "whipped" kills me. I could watch that clip over and over and laugh every time.
That said, Revenge of the Nerds is an interesting film. It is jam-packed with all the things that trigger society today. Name an -ism, and it's in there. But, in Revenge of the Nerds, the crimes against humanity are perpetrated by the nerds, the underdogs, the weaklings. And because they are sticking it to "The Man," represented by the Alpha Betas and the Pi Delta Pis, we forgave them for their sins.
And sin they did. The nerds committed breaking and entering, larceny, surreptitious photographing, videotaping, filming and viewing, possession of an illegal drug, use of an illegal drug, use of an illegal drug on a university campus, assault with liquid heat, distribution of pornography, and sexual assault. And we cheered these criminals on because they were nerds. Nerds getting revenge.
What does it say about us? I hear we value revenge. When we see our hero get their ass kicked, we want to see our hero kick some ass. Think about how many movies end with the protagonist punching the antagonist. Even when it's unfair, we want it.
Remember in Superman 2 when Superman went back to the diner to fight Rocky, the guy who whipped his ass when he got all Clark Kent with no powers for Lois? That was so uncool. He was super. He was the man of steel. And Rocky, despite being a complete ass clown, was still a regular man. So that was Superman beating up a normal guy; and we cheered because he got revenge.
Some revenge is cool, like in sports or Monopoly or any other games. And maybe hip hop. If it stays in the booth and on wax. But if it leads to criminal activity, then I say that's uncool revenge.
Unless, of course, they're nerds.
