Do you need to like comics and sci-fi to be a nerd?

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Well, really, not just comics and sci-fi, but also things like anime, manga, video games, and RPG's. Honestly, do you need to like these things in order to be a nerd? 'Cuz they all bore me to tears No joke!! I mean, I'm sure there's MANY people here on WP who like these kinda things, so for those of you who do, go ahead and keep liking what you like - it won't bother me 'cuz all my best friends like that stuff too. But I don't. And in case y'all are wondering why I chose this as a new topic, it's 'cuz I was talking with a friend of mine (who is also Aspie), who was asking me something about manga, as if I knew the answer Upon finding out I didn't know the answer to this, she seemed shocked, and said, "What? You don't like manga? You've got to like manga if you're a nerd!" I know it shouldn't bother me that much that she said something like this but it did. And because I DO like things like Homestar Runner, Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Nostalgia Critic, and The Big Bang Theory (that's a sitcom for those wondering, not a PBS documentary on science, lol ), I consider myself a nerd. But I'm only a nerd by my sense of humor, not my interests. I'm basically an "indie kid" with no close friends who match such a status if you strip away my humorous aspects, and it makes me feel kinda lonely sometimes So I'm wondering if I can become close friends with any of you here on WP (both guys AND girls - not limiting it to girls this time 'cuz people got really annoyed with that, including the moderator ) who share that dichotomy of being introspective, poetic, and possibly even mistaken for "emo" (but hopefully not ACTUALLY emo, lol ) when it comes to interests, yet who are also goofy, eccentric, and just plain dorky when it comes to their sense of humor. Hope to hear back from you guys on this!!

P.S. I'm also one of the only extroverted Aspies (I know, sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it? ) that I know of. If there's anyone else on here who's like this, please don't hesitate to tell me about yourself

No. But it helps.

ruveyn

That sucks Most of the people who have my interests are either NT's around my age or else they're much, MUCH older Aspies (like in their mid-to-late-40's/early 50's - my own father just happens to be one of them, and like me, he carries the burden of being a walking contradiction - he's an extroverted Aspie). I have nothing against NT's, mind you, it's just that I usually end up making friends faster with a fellow Aspie, DESPITE the fact that their interests are usually different than mine (the common bond between me and these other Aspies around my age is that we all have a weird sense of humor something that I find is not usually present in the "artsy" types that DO share my interests - not that the artsy types don't have a sense of humor, it just usually isn't goofy like mine is ). Seriously, it's like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here Any advice would be appreciated. Thanx

you don't have to like anything... but then, outside of sci-fi, how many stories and movies do you see the shmot guy get da goil?...

How exactly does the smart guy getting the girl movie cliche relate to what I was talking about?

This seems an appropriate place to link Moh's Scale. There's sci-fi and sci-fi, or rather, there's harder sf and softer sf. The stuff you see on telly, which usually gets called "sci-fi", tends to be at the very low end of the scale. I wouldn't judge all science fiction by it.

I think nerdiness is a way of approaching the things you like rather than a set of pre-defined likes. It isn't mandatory to like a specific thing to be a nerd (such as sci-fi, comics, anime). Instead, it's mandatory to care deeply and intensly about the thing you like- whatever it is. There are music nerds, sports nerds, car nerds, history nerds, movie nerds and of course sci-fi nerds. The dabbler dabbles. The nerd dives in head first and gives the thing (sports, movies etc.) central and defining importance in his life.

The sports fan goes to the games, watches them with his friends and has some clothing with the team's logo on it. The sports nerd does all of that but goes that extra 10 miles to also have memorized the entire stat history of the team, all its wins and losses stretching back through time, defends the team ardently to anyone willing to pretend they are listening and just generally goes in way deeper than the mere fan.

The movie nerd has a DVD collection that rivals Blockbuster and tell you more about his favorite movies in his favorite genre than even Internet Movie Database, where he can frequently be found vigorously lambasting anyone in the discussion section who gets a factoid wrong.

And so on and so on and so on. It's not about what you like. It's about how you like it.

What is a nerd?

My son-in law is not the least bit autistic although he does have other problems.

His IQ is well into the 99th percentile. He is a highly paid computer geek.

He is very good looking, works out at the gym and has a black belt in karate.

And yet.. yes he loves Manga, plays Dungeons and Dragons, and walks around wearing a Batman tee shirt and no shoes.

Perhaps very intelligent people can be "nerdish" without actually being socially awkward nerds.

Geek.
Nerd.