The Crazy One Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Are we all nerds? Are we all the stereotype: Trousers 3cm below the nipple, big glasses, comb over and red spots all over the face? I think there is a worrying misconception from 'normal people' as my 'friend' put it, that for a person over twelve to be collecting Lego means they must be strange. This was brought up to me by a group of 'friends' who share a rather different view to me. It was rather saddening having to endure the onslaught of insulting remarks coming from my companions as I struggled to defend my hobby. I reacted rather badly to this as it was the first time in my 15 odd years of Lego collecting that I had actually be accused of being a nerd. So, what do you think? Do they have a strong case? Are we really nerds? Quote
Pinky Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Most things that require brain power these days are considered nerdy \o/ I've got bright pink hair, metal in places I won't list (pics on request ; ) love off road bikes and hardcore rc toys. My wardrobe has 50billion pairs of long shorts, hoodies and t shirts generally with offensive or contentious logos/comments on them Saying that I/we have a wicked electronics set up at home, so I get a 50/50 opinion split on being a geek or punk ? Of which I'd consider myself to be neither or both I let others decide that one Pinks Edited January 6, 2011 by Pinky Quote
simonjedi Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 4 - 15 : No 16+ : Yes, Yes it is. However: but who cares? Quote
BearHeart Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 I personally think LEGO is nerdy but who cares, I still love it! I don't know how old you are but as some people said in the "closet AFOL" thread: you eventually reach an age where you don't care about what other people think, and I'm at that point at age 28. Quote
Jargo Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Dorky maybe. I dunno, looking at photos of people at Lego conventions it seems fairly evenly split between dorks and pretty cool fellows. I'd say if you know the part numbers of every brick and all the set numbers by heart then yes you're a dork. being gifted with building skillz or a genuine interest in the function of creativity through construction or 'play' is fairly cool. amassing ten thousand star wars clonetroopers and arranging them in ranks to try and impress people is definitely not cool. Quote
Nightshroud99 Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Any hobby could be considered Nerdy, you shouldn't care what those people think. Just say this is what I like if you have a problem then piss off.. etc. I get an Onslaught of really offending comments on my YouTube each day, ignoring works best but if you must confront them then do so. Quote
Decale Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Is the term "nerd" still of actuality? With video-games being very popular, people wearing geeky clothes (seen on EB: a guy of black eyed peas with a cap made of bricks), I think the whole notion is changing. Nerdyness is becoming somewhat cool. See EB member Pinky as he describes himself: would you think, seeing that guy in the street, that he has a passion for lego? Actually, there are so many different people sharing this hobby that "nerd" can't apply anymore, it would be too restrictive. So, if some ignorant call us nerds, BearHeart is right: why should we care? This doesn't make sense. P.S: People important to me, my friends, use to find my collection and mocs pretty cool and don't even seem to think "that's neeerdy". Maybe because they're in their twenties? P.P.S: The crazy one: luckily I don't correspond to your stereotype! My trousers are normal, my eyes don't need correction and my only piece of clothing that can be qualified as nerdy is a t-shirt like this one. Quote
allanp Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Well i'm a guitarist who plays in a rock band, sex, drums and rock and roll and all that stuff and like making videos like this: On second thoughts, i'de better not link to that video here I don't consider myself a nerd, so if a non-nerd enjoys Lego, does that in itself make Lego not nerdy? Besides, I really couldn't give a damb if it was. Quote
Enpaz Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 To me, it's not nerdy. It's creative - would you say photography or making music were nerdy? What does "nerdy" mean, anyway? I think this is different for everyone. Cheers! Quote
Omicron Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 It's nerdy. It's geeky. It's dorky. Who cares. Not like some jock is gonna beat me up for it. -Omi Quote
Henchmen4Hire Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 LEGO is nerdy, LEGO star wars is nerdier, paying $20 for a minifigure is nerdier still, but building your own stuff with LEGOs doesn't seem nerdy for some reason Quote
Erik Leppen Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Are we all nerds? Are we all the stereotype: Trousers 3cm below the nipple, big glasses, comb over and red spots all over the face? I think there is a worrying misconception from 'normal people' as my 'friend' put it, that for a person over twelve to be collecting Lego means they must be strange. This was brought up to me by a group of 'friends' who share a rather different view to me. It was rather saddening having to endure the onslaught of insulting remarks coming from my companions as I struggled to defend my hobby. I reacted rather badly to this as it was the first time in my 15 odd years of Lego collecting that I had actually be accused of being a nerd. So, what do you think? Do they have a strong case? Are we really nerds? Yes, I think we are nerds. So what? You sound like "nerd" is something negative (and your "friends" probably mean it that way too). I don't think it is. It's just being good with your head. How's that negative? I think it's very positive. It's thanks to these exact same "nerds" that we actually have healthcare, to just name something. Tell them that next time they need medicine for anything. ;) Or better yet, don't bother wasting your time with them. If they fail to grasp the concept of being different and just doing what you like, don't make it your problem. Also, yes, we are strange. So what? The world world be pretty darn boring if we were all "normal", whatever that may mean. Edit: your friends must not have hobbies or they won't talk like that about yours... Edited January 6, 2011 by Erik Leppen Quote
Decale Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 LEGO is nerdy, LEGO star wars is nerdier, paying $20 for a minifigure is nerdier still, but building your own stuff with LEGOs doesn't seem nerdy for some reason Your definition looks right to me. It's true star wars doubles the nerdyness of the bricks Quote
CMP Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) I'm called nerdy even though nobody knows about my Lego obsession. But I really don't give a crap what anyone thinks about it. EDIT: Oh, I just saw the honest answer part. Hell yes. Edited January 6, 2011 by CallMePie Quote
Decale Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Well i'm a guitarist who plays in a rock band, sex, drums and rock and roll and all that stuff and like making videos like this: On second thoughts, i'de better not link to that video here I don't consider myself a nerd, so if a non-nerd enjoys Lego, does that in itself make Lego not nerdy? Besides, I really couldn't give a damb if it was. "drums" really? I'm into music too and I'd like to see your video! To stay in the topic, can't we say there are nerd lego-users and non-nerd lego-users? A difference can obviously been made between collectors and MOCers... Quote
Piratedave84 Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Lego is a toy, let's face it! However Lego is also a medium for creating pretty much anything possible, anything you put your mind to, I remember seing a PF printer, a sorting-machine-thing, many robots, cool RC cars, reprocuctions of pieces of art, life size models etc. Is it nerdy? probably! Do I consider myself a nerd/geek/dork? No! Do others consider me nerdy? Most definitely!!! But most importantly, Do I care? NO!!!! I've been playing with and collecting Lego for as long as I can remember and am not about to quit!!! Lego takes me away, gets the edge off, relaxes me, if all that makes me a nerd, then I am and am sure proud of it! Pirate Edited January 6, 2011 by Piratedave84 Quote
Kumpelkante Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 If you build town: yes it is... if you build historical mocs: yes, unless it are battle scenes if you build star wars or harry potter: can't deny it. come on its star wars and plastic, how can anything that is platic and related to star wars or trek not be nerdy? If you are into Lego technic, thats not nerdy at all. Thats for geeks. and i have to admit other builders can't compete with their building skills. But if you build mighty strongholds, savage battles or giant robots, that can destroy whole eco-systems: that is... wait for it... heavy metal! by the way i consider myself a nerd and listen to heavy metal. so i can build anything i want. (except technic, because thats for geeks ) Well i in fact i do think that collecting and building with Lego is slightly nerdy and geeke, but i cannot take this topic seriously. Guys, just collect, build and enjoy it. And despite all nerdyness almost all of my past girlfriends enjoyed lego as well. So is there any reason left to fall into another dark age again (for those of you who are between 20-24 years old)? Quote
allanp Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 "drums" really? Well lets keep it child friendly I'm into music too and I'd like to see your video! It isn't really lego or music related, I don't think I should post it here, just type "7 second monkey" into youtube and click on the monkey with the word "help" behind it. WARNING, BAD LANGUAGE FROM THE START! Quote
Mabes Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 I'd say the negative connotations associated with the terms "nerd" and "geek" have been slowly disappearing the last couple decades, due likely from the incorporation of technology into almost every facet of life. At least that's my opinion of the social environment here in the States. Now the term "dork" though, I feel that still has an association of awkward social skills, though other people's perceptions may be different. Quote
vexorian Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Most grown up men I know of seem to be into some sort of toy. Computers, Cars, motorcycles, model planes. Everyone also has tons of things decorating their houses. My toys just happen to be plastic, less expensive (unit-wise) and require creativity. I am a geek, but I don't think that's because of LEGO but probably because I'd rather spend a night programming than doing anything else, unless that else revolves around LEGO. I guess that by the description of the first post I am not a nerd though, I don't dress that way. Quote
Decale Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Well lets keep it child friendly I'm into music too and I'd like to see your video! It isn't really lego or music related, I don't think I should post it here, just type "7 second monkey" into youtube and click on the monkey with the word "help" behind it. WARNING, BAD LANGUAGE FROM THE START! Wooow lots of drums involved ^^ Quote
Ratshot Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Yes and no, it really depends on who you talk to. Some of my friends think I'm a bit weird because I like lego, but most of them have gotten over that now and think its funny. When I talk to most adults they say that its cool. A lot of people regard Lego as a "Universal hobby for all ages", I've been told that by quite a few people. I really don't care what people think of me concerning my hobbies. Its my life and not there's, if they think I'm nerdy than more power to em'! Edited January 6, 2011 by Ratshot Quote
badboytje88 Posted January 6, 2011 Posted January 6, 2011 Extremely but it's also a lot of fun! Quote
The Crazy One Posted January 6, 2011 Author Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Yes, I think we are nerds. So what? You sound like "nerd" is something negative (and your "friends" probably mean it that way too). I don't think it is. It's just being good with your head. How's that negative? I think it's very positive. It's thanks to these exact same "nerds" that we actually have healthcare, to just name something. Tell them that next time they need medicine for anything. ;) Or better yet, don't bother wasting your time with them. If they fail to grasp the concept of being different and just doing what you like, don't make it your problem. Also, yes, we are strange. So what? The world world be pretty darn boring if we were all "normal", whatever that may mean. Edit: your friends must not have hobbies or they won't talk like that about yours... I'm not sure that when they called me a nerd they ment I'm good with my head! I personally don't think I am nerd, but someone will prove me wrong. I put friends in italics as I have slightly different views on them now. Edited January 6, 2011 by The crazy one Quote
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