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 Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 8:36 am
This is not a repeat question, please read and think before you answer.
Identity is a strange thing, and one really clear way to see that is in the internet communities and identities that have formed. These are identities that are spread over the globe, at least among the affluent, and they are based entirely on self-identification. Internet identities are chosen, no one outside of yourself would identify you by your internet identities if you did not choose to self-identify. There are, of course, signs that indicate to others that you are a part of this community. Things you say, T-shirts, hand signs, etc. But these are things you choose to present. There is no geographic or ethnic similarity, these identities are based upon something else.
All of which is to say that the people who identify with an internet identity find something that is meaningful and important to them in the internet identity. It is a value that they ascribe particular importance to.
So, this is not a question of when or how you became a nerdfigher, but why you are one.
Why did you become a nerdfighter?
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 12:01 pm
Hmm. I never really thought about that before. Why did I become a Nerdfighter?
Well in high school, I just graduated last month, I never felt like I really belonged. I wasn't like the popular kids, I wore t-shirts and jeans almost every day and I was a nerd, a geek. I liked school because I liked to learn and that baffled my classmates. I didn't go to parties so I didn't fit in with the popular crowd, I didn't smoke so I didn't fit in with the stoners, I wasn't athletic so I didn't fit in with the jocks, I was smart and liked to read. The other nerds in my school had formed their own little group but whenever I was with them I felt like I was intruding. And no I wasn't a loner, I was part of a group of 7 "outcasts" as we deemed ourselves. I was the "smart one" in our group and although some of them took honors classes I couldn't count on them to hold an intellectual conversation with me.
I am in love with YouTube. Literally. I go on there EVERY day. I am constantly watching all types of videos and am always looking for another channel that I can subscribe to. Then I found the vlogbrothers and instead of just getting two people to watch I got a whole community of people that I could interact with. It was literally life changing. Finally there wasn't just one person, but a whole group of people that I could hold intellectual conversations with. And they were all like me. They were all nerds, they liked books, they liked to learn, they were awesome. I finally found a place where I belonged, in the community of Nerdfighters.
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A Nerdfighter Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 12:32 pm
As you have stated in your wonderful words of wisdom, Nerdfighters are just like every other groups. We chose to identify ourselves this way because we take particular interest in similar areas and we also find our traits similar.
This, of course, does not mean you will agree with each other for the sake of Nerdfighting.
But the reason why I am a Nerdfighter is pretty similar to A Nerdifghter.
Being intellectual and shunning pop culture in many instances due to disliking it in general (not because I purposely did not want to be "mainstream") made others judge me in school. Throughout most of middle school, people would only bother talking to me if they wanted an answer to an Algebraic problem or if they wanted to copy my homework (I would ignore them in that case). I felt slightly inferior, but I knew that there were others like me who are willing to put up with a sensible conversation.
That's were the internet comes in. It confirmed that there are people that learn because learning is fun. It gives the mind wisdom and larger areas to think in. It answers questions which you don't want to be left unanswered. Learning is the universal reason to why we develop such complex systems and our own way of life. I value learning and wisdom above everything because of this.
In general, no one seemed to actually appreciate the materials given to us in school. I grew impatient and slightly aggravated over the fact that people seem to want to increase their social status instead of preparing for the future or learn about new things. I mean, perhaps reading about Nicki Minaj on Wikipedia counts as research, but it doesn't exactly contribute anything or do any good to yourself, right?
Eventually, I just figured that people make their decisions, and not allowing that can actually lead to strange consequences. So I let them be.
After watching TED Education videos (great channel; but it's mostly leaning towards brainstorming and somewhat trivia questions) and some VlogBrother videos on Youtube when I was in middle school, I made a decent decision to become a Nerdfighter. It could now be my identity; I didn't have to hide in the library everyday and wonder why no one seems to be just like me. It answered a question that I spent a few years pondering, and I'm just glad about it. I'm also glad that you asked this question, faretheewell. Perhaps you can share as to why you became a Nerdfighter?
3nodding
TLDR: I'm a Nerdfighter because I want to be one.
DFTBA ~
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:51 pm
@Blue Quail I would be happy to share some of my thoughts on this. I just wanted to hear other people's thoughts first.
On the surface of it, I have similar reasons that have already been stated. It's a community with similar interests and values as mine. Intellectual pursuits being valued, valuing people because of their differences, paying real attention to events outside of our own shells, understanding the interconnectedness of the world and embracing the fact that we are a part of it. Yes, I felt like this was a place where I could be at home and fit in.
But that's not why I'm a Nerdfighter. Because, if you stop there, then yes Nerdfighteria is very much like other communities and other identities. Nerdfighteria is not the only community I'm a part of that values intelligence, nor is it the only place I feel I belong. But it's still a community that I find important.
We get to decide what is important to us, what to value, what to buy into. I have bought into the story of Nerdfighteria. I have chosen to be a part of the community. But we choose many identities like that. Being a Nerdfighter is not the only identity that I've walked into, eyes open.
The thing I value in the communities I am a part of, probably more than anything else, is how they make me question the world and myself, and they help me find my way to the answers. Both parts of that are important (and of course fun is also important.)
That is why I am a Nerdfighter. Hank and John are encouraging me to think about things in a new way. The questions they bring up are ones that are interesting, and they help me get a new perspective on other questions I have. And, well, they're fun!
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