The World Needs Nerds

In an earlier post, I confessed to being a nerd. As I said then, I am not ashamed or proud; it's just what I am. And it's not necessarily a bad thing. Let's set some definitions.

To me, the biggest difference between a nerd and a geek is, where both are extremely interested in things that are not cool, the geek also has no social skills. These are the guys (and gals) who can't get a date, annoy everyone about their particular subject, and just have trouble acting normal. The characters on The Big Bang Theory are a bit over-the-top, but people like them do exist.

A nerd, however, is still normal. He or she can talk about sports or politics or the latest movies. He still obsesses over books or fantasy baseball or science. It's just that he can talk to people and have normal relationships with others. This might be simplistic, but it's my definition.

Both nerds and geeks also have above average intelligence. Let's face it, a gold ol' boy who is really into NASCAR as well as beer and fishing is not what most people think of when they think of a nerd. He might be just as fixated and annoying about his subject, but society considers NASCAR mainstream. Besides, how much intelligence does it take to watch cars go around and around and around.

I bring this up because, as I write this, the American Theological Library Association is meeting on our campus and I am manning the library as they roam around. I think that being a bit of a nerd is a prerequisite for being a librarian. You have to either be overly interested in books or a particular subject or both.

The stereotypical librarian is also a geek. Somewhat anal-retentive about policies and being quiet. And while I have met a couple of geeks here today, most are friendly and normal. They are just really into being good theological librarians. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Without nerds, you wouldn't have a computer, or access to good books, or professors to teach in college. So before you make fun of them, learn to appreciate them.