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Are you a nerd?


El Kabong

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I've often wondered how we view ourselves. We are, in large part, grown men and women who collect things that are made for children to play with. With small exception we are not the intended consumer for these goods. Parents look at as though we are strangers in an unholy land when we walk down the toy aisles or stroll through toy stores. Clerks give us weird looks when we give UPC numbers for new product. In short, we've got at the least nerdy tendencies or quite possibily are nerds ourselves. But while others view us with derision, are we truly deserving of such? Do we fit the classic description of the nerd/dork/geek? Do we live in our parents basement? Are we overweight? Do we have girlfriends/boyfriends? Do we have friends period? Are we in any way athletic? Do we have lives away from this hobby?

 

I look at myself and say, I don't fit that description. I have a beatiful wife, and hope to have children one day. I'm a little bit on the chunky side but by no means overweight. I have my own home with a good job that supports me alongside my wife. I have friends who don't collect and those that do. I'm a long distance runner. But am I alone? Are there those of us who are similiar or disimiliar? Since I don't know any of you, have never met any of you and have no idea what you look like I can't answer that question. But I'd like to know. Are you a nerd in the classic, "Comic book guy" sense?

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To brand someone who collects a toyline a nerd/dork/geek or whatever is a bit harsh. As you've said yourself you happen to have attributes that aren't that of the stereotypical nerd yet collect a toyline.

 

 

 

What do I view myself as? Well, yeah. I guess I am a nerd. But not in the 'comic book guy' sense. I don't think I've actually ever come across a nerd who is like that.

I'm heavy, but not super over weight or anything, it's the height (6 ft 4) that makes me heavy. Live at home with my parents? Yeah, I'm 17.

Have friends? Yup, but to tell the truth I'm really not too sociable. Alot of the time people I hang out with at school just have hobbies like going out and drinking which isn't really what I like....Iiii don't think alot of them do much else. :huh:

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To brand someone who collects a toyline a nerd/dork/geek or whatever is a bit harsh. As you've said yourself you happen to have attributes that aren't that of the stereotypical nerd yet collect a toyline.

 

 

 

What do I view myself as? Well, yeah. I guess I am a nerd. But not in the 'comic book guy' sense. I don't think I've actually ever come across a nerd who is like that.

I'm heavy, but not super over weight or anything, it's the height (6 ft 4) that makes me heavy. Live at home with my parents? Yeah, I'm 17.

Have friends? Yup, but to tell the truth I'm really not too sociable. Alot of the time people I hang out with at school just have hobbies like going out and drinking which isn't really what I like....Iiii don't think alot of them do much else. :huh:

 

Sorry, about coming off as harsh. It wasn't my intention to be negative. I honestly couldn' think of another way to put it. Finding the stereotypical "comic book guy" isn't so much what I'm looking for but more about how you view yourself. It's a bit more existential than what is normally discussed here, but it piqued my interest and I thought I'd ask.

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sorry, but if you collect anything at all you're a nerd to some extent. imo. being a nerd, to me, is to be so involved/obsessed in something that not everyone else likes. whether it be anime, toys, art, music heck it can all turn you into a nerd. so be happy and revel in your nerdiness :)

Have friends? Yup, but to tell the truth I'm really not too sociable. Alot of the time people I hang out with at school just have hobbies like going out and drinking which isn't really what I like....Iiii don't think alot of them do much else. huh.gif

 

i also am 17 and not too sociable. I'm on the overweight side but its not like i want to be and i am trying to lose weight.

and it is so annoying that the only time my friends get together, besides going to a movie, is to stay up all night drinking and that is something i have no interest in doing. my friends to share similar interests as me, music, games, movies that kind of stuff. but the only activity they do, that isn't for school, is drink. there are only a couple of my friends who don't indulge in that kind of behavior but we don't really have time to hang out together.

 

plus this topic has nothing to do with transformers lol . . .

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if collecting transformers toy is nerdish, then yep!!!

 

but I also play drums in a rock band, so that balances things out :P

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Everybody is some type of nerdy, and I mean everyone on the planet. There are all kinds of nerds, from the sterotypical science nerd and the comic book nerds, to sports nerds, movie nerds, car nerds, or music nerds. I think that if you have a hoby, something you take seriously and enjoy with all your heart, then you are a "nerd" of a kind. Me, Im 20 years old with a little extra weight from my time spent as a third shift security gaurd lving off snack machine food, living in a nice apartment with my beautful girlfriend and I have plenty of things I do outside of collecting. I bike, kayak, play paintball, and hang out at the bars wth my friends (where Im DD until August). Theres nothng wrong with being a nerd, unless what your nerdy over consumes your entire life and warps your sense of reality, then you need to get yourself into some sort of AA (Action Figures Anonymous).

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I might be the nerdiest of all Transformer collectors on the sight ... nerdy in the most academic sense possible. I'm 35 y/o, I'm married, I'm a homeowner, I'm a tenured mathematician doing research on T-systems and I've been collecting Transformers since their inception in 1984.

 

I wear the nerd badge with pride ... especially since it pays so well. Although, I do NOT own a pocket protector.

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I don't generally view myself as a nerd. I don't know if others do or not, and frankly I don't care what others think.

 

Here's the facts:

I'm 33

own my own home in a nice neighborhood

married to a cute petite gal (been together 13 yrs)

have a wonderful daughter

good job, good pay

6'3" tall 170 lbs (rather thin)

1 tattoo I got last year

Been playing in bands for 20 yrs.

Bachelors degree in Graphic Design

23,000 comic books

a barn, full attic, den, walk-in closet and living room full of toys.

 

Geek?...I dunno, but I would like to think not.

 

Starman

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Nerd?

 

NO.

 

Perhaps a bit of a dork at times but really, who isn't? I'd say I'm pretty much just average.

 

Throughout my life I've hung out with all kinds of people. The "in" crowd, metalheads, jocks, and a whole bunch of simple average joes who don't fit neatly into any one category. And yeah, there always seemed to be a token nerd or two around.

 

I never fit in with any of them. I've always kinda been the outsider...at least, that's how I always felt.

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I guess we all are in a sense, but I'm definately not in the stereo-typical way. I'm well liked, have a gf, and have a steady job. But I collect toys, comics, and play video games. I'm overweight but I'm workin on it, and I am still trying to get enough to move out of my parents house.

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hmmmmmm good question. like mike and starmans reply

im :

31

own my home in the more expencive neighborhood

married with 3 kids

earn good money from work

earn good money from hustlin

covered in tattoos

put a ton of cash in all my cars

and im always on the hunt for a new transformer figure :-P

so it all balances out

 

i dont buy comics or other memerabilia, just figures.

in a way im a nerd, but starscream49 said it best " if im a nerd then im the coolest damn nerd you will ever meet "

 

internet: nerd

myspace: weirdo

person: strange, hustler, a$hole, " that one guy with the caddys" :D

 

1) family 2) lowriding 3) collecting figures 4) collecting 80's-90's punk/ thrash / death metal

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I'm a geek.

 

If someone wants to call me a nerd, then I guess I'm a nerd too, but I'll gladly call myself a geek.

I could be a spaz, or a dweeb, sometimes I'm a dork, or even a putz. But I like being a geek.

And y'know what..............geek, for lack of a better term, is good.

 

See, to me, geek equals passion.

 

I'm very passionate about my hobbies and interests and I have no qualms about letting people know about it. I'm not ashamed of it either, and people have tried to shame me because of my hobbies.

 

Phooey on them and the smelly carcass their cat dragged in. Phooey I say, unto the end of the day.

Phooey!

 

Most of those people criticising a passionate person typically have lives that aren't much to write home about themselves. They pride themselves on being "normal", but what they really are in mediocre.

They are not really "into" anything, and because of it, their emotional line is like a prairie horizon; re: flat.

Being passionate..........being geeky... about something means you take joy at little things, stuff excites you, drives you. Things become interesting because you have something deep to invest emotion into.

It doesn't have to be something that anyone else appreciates, it just has to be something YOU like.

And when you find another geek to share it with, the bliss increases exponentially because you feed off of each other's depth of passion. "Normal" people can't do that because mediocre emotions have nothing to feed off of--so there's no passionate depth to plumb there.

 

I don't need to justify my life in any other way, I don't need to state my marital status, my job or my income because all those things are the same things that any other "normal" person has.

I've NEVER professed to be normal. I take unbridled glee at NOT being normal, I find nothing attractive about being normal--I'm not on this world to be normal! God didn't make me an individual, only to have me be like everyone else.

 

Being a geek is like knowing the secret handshake for life, and secret handshakes are always cool--cuz, like, they are secret. Knowing the secret means to get access to the really juicy parts of life--the stuff that makes life worthwhile. You are not just living when you are a geek, you are indulging.

You are taking a path through life that other people either shy away from, or are unawares of.

Jocks are geeks--they are just physical geeks.

Geeks tend to be dreamers AND doers, after a fashion--because if they are really deeply passionate about their interests, they tend to DO their interests. The immersion culminates in works, tangible things by the hand of the geek.

Other people just dream and wonder why life doesn't amount to anything.

The movers and shakers of this world have been geeks; Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Bill Gates. You cannot argue with their geekiness, nor can you argue with their works. Stuff happened because they were INTO their passions.

 

Think about it, lives can change because of geeks. Geeks have changed the world.

 

Geek equals passion--don't forget that.

 

It is good to be a geek............or a nerd.

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the word nerd is a label created by ##$%$#ed white hats that were bitter that guys who were not athletic would one day make the decision if they qualified for a loan approval or decided if there vacation time was warranted or not. and most of all they were probably pissed to find out that these "nerds" would end up with way hotter chicks while their trophy wives didn't stand the test of time.

 

i know plenty of nerds.

and i even dated quite a few and am getting married to one.

 

i have seen that "comic book guy" several times though. he's always funny.

 

but collecting toys my be nerdy because they link to comic books. i started collecting action figures because i use to go through

action figure therapy in the institution. and i had a creative mind so instead of getting figures that represented me and my friends i made the figures look like me and my friends.

 

I don't think I'm a nerd. I'm just psychotic....... which could be worse i guess.

 

I'm 31

i own a house too.

i'm 5'9" 245 lbs (some of it's fat but a lot of it is muscle)

i'm a martial arts instructor

and am engaged to a very beautiful woman on the inside and out.

but i find the person i relate to the most in the world right now is my finance's son who is 5.

and a crazy Juggalo named Lunchbox who's 21.

 

it's like this everyone collects something be it snow globes salt and pepper shakers or action figures.

and theres nerdery in everything, even football.

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I'm 31

i own a house too.

i'm 5'9" 245 lbs (some of it's fat but alot of it is muscle)

i'm a martial arts instructor

and am engaged to a very beautiful woman on the inside and out.

but i find the person i relate to the most in the world right now is my finances son who is 5.

and a crazy Juggalo named Lunchbox who's 21.

1 juggalo down till im dead in the ground @firedevil@

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Hmm, I guess in some ways I'm a nerd. A shy bookworm, more than a comic book type, but still a nerd, I guess. :) Rodimus Primal is my bf, I do still live at home, but like he said, I'm working at it. I've got my fair share of friends, and I'm not exactly anti-social, just SHY. :D I know I'm smart, but I don't throw it around like some would/do. I do some collecting, but as my finances aren't great, I'm trying to cut back on that.

 

But if I am a nerd, I don't care. I like what I like, it's me, oh well. If other's don't like it, tough. ;)

 

 

 

Oh and YES, I'm a girl that likes Transformers, sports, and comic books- and the like. :P

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I'm 35

Program Manager for a fortune 500 corp.

Own a nice house

Have a wonderful wife and two children

Am a little obsessed with keeping fit

Am a Ninja

Teach Martial Arts and personal safety to adults and children

Love Jesus

Am a Deacon

Am a cartoonist

Think TFs, Japanese Robots, Super Heroes, and the like are awsome!

 

Nerd? Nah. A bit of an oddball. Surely, but who wants to be one of those "normal" guys who slug through life just to watch the next football game (nothing wrong with that, but there's sooo much more out there)?

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I have many, many colleagues in the school system I work in that know I love Star Wars. It just seems to be something that everyone at home and at work accepts. No big deal. Does it make me a nerd? AH...I don't know. I guess? Would that bother me if so? Nah. I like what I like. I don't think there's any stereotype anymore. And I don't think any other sociological factors mean anything really. What does it matter if you're married or not, still living at home, or hold down a great job? It's fun to have that part of your life that you can indulge the nine-year-old inside of you. Everybody can appreciate that on some level I think. Do some of us come across as nerdy or dorky in some way, because of our passion or enthusiasm? Probably. But there are those people that could make ANYTHING annoying. It boils down to what kind of person you are, not what you like or collect, and even then what you like and collect, thought it may say something about your personality, doesn't have to define you. If it has meaning to you, and you enjoy it, knock yourself out. Don't worry about what others think. They have their "hobbies" as well. It's just like my father-in-law has told me on several occaisions; he's the most practical, no nonsense person you'd ever meet in your life. He works hard at everything he does. He doesn't collect anything and doesn't see the need in it. He thinks that there's no need to buy DVDs since movies end up on tv for free anyway. (lol) Same goes for music; he'd rather just wait until the song he likes happens to come on the radio. He's so very practical, and therefore I always assumed he would think I was silly or childish, wasting my money on toys and what-not. But he actually gets it for some reason. And he's told me many times that it's no different than him and his boat, motorcycle, and wave-runner, it's just that HIS "toys" cost alot more. (lol) So I have been consciencious about it at times, but I just flat out don't care anymore. I don't worry about what others think. It's just all about what you're into.

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True story. My mom works in advertising, and one time she was meeting with a client that happened to be a game store. She told me that she asked him what the average age for his customers was and he replied "Around 30.". So she told him, "Well, I guess I'll stop worrying about my sons then."

 

Anyway, everybody is a nerd compared to somebody else. It's all relative.

 

And to answer the question, yes.

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Nah... I mean, I'm not even all that into TFs, but I like keeping my eyes open for any reissues or MPs or that sort of thing. Not that I think having more would necessarily be nerdy - I have a whole lot more GI Joes, like shelves full of them. I still wouldn't say I'm fanatical about them, which is an important aspect to being a "nerd" when it comes to collecting toys. By that I mean if they take over your life, you have a problem. I like everything in moderation, which I think is a healthy approach when it comes to collecting toys.

 

I've lived on my own since 18, went to university, had a blast... I'm a naval officer now, don't own a place yet but that's more because I've been moving around so much (which has also affected my love life but I am currently dating someone). I like to drink (but not to the point where I'm puking, and I'm a friendly drunk) and I have quite a few really good friends spread around the country. I play guitar and work out, and although I've put on a few too many pounds in the last two years (too much studying for courses, not enough gym time) I figure I can bench press enough to warrant a "get out of nerdom free" card. ;)

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