Journal #9: Reappropriation of Language

 For this assignment, I chose the term "nerd" partially because I have been called one a number of times and secondly, because I feel I am not the most comfortable speaking and using a lot of the other reappropriated terms that came up in my searches. WARNING: lots of yapping ahead. This prompt really got me thinking, and when I think, I ramble. You might want to start putting maximums on these journals just for my sake, haha.

According to an npr.org article, the exact origins of the word is unknown, but one of the most popular theories is that it began as either a nonsensical word from a children's book or evolved from a similar term, "nert", which was a synonym of fool.

Eventually, the term came to be associated with people who were awkward but excelled academically. Pop culture referenced nerds, boosting the term's popularity and giving them the iconic thick-glasses andbook smart traits that we recognize as part of the archetype today. 

"'Nerd" found its spot in popular culture in a similar way to "geek", which, according to a LingoDigest article, was originally the title of a circus performed who would bite the heads off of live animals. I would call that horrific, but I suppose smelt fishers still do that, so who am I to judge? Either way, the terms geek and nerd began to merge together in a way, sharing many similarities in mainstream culture. 

Granted, the terms have their differences. Geek is more often used to describe someone who is well-versed in technology and games of skill. Nerds are more associated with books. Still, both can refer to a person who has an interest in media such as video games, comics, or movies.

Still, even though nerd and geek may not pack too much of a punch, they have had some negative connotations in the past. For example, as I have said, I've been called a nerd, and the reason I took it as an insult is because people are often labeled nerds or geeks when they have a very important interest that defines who they are to others. Leading on with that, my best friend has also been labeled similarly for liking comic books. Same with my math teacher from high school, my Rhetoric teacher too. 

Although this was not specifically part of the article and may be speculation on my part, a big reason why I always found the term nerd to be slightly derogatory is because it's often used almost as a replacement for other derogatory terms. Nerd is seen as a silly, old-timey way to make fun of people who don't excel socially, have a niche interest that others view as odd, or "don't fit" in with the rest of society. 

And, through seeing who people label as nerds and insult using the term, I have found that a lot of them that I know personally either have ASD or ADHD. It's not a given that to be a nerd you have to have either of those, but I feel like a lot of people will see someone who aligns with the "stereotypical" traits of a person on the spectrum and immediately assume they're a nerd or a geek because they have a special interest that means a lot to them or are very awkward in conversations. 

As I've said, this might just be due to my personal experiences, but I've found that so many of the people I know that have been called a nerd or geek in a derogatory way do have ASD or ADHD, and people will call them a nerd simply because of that fact. It's almost ingrained with the nerd archetype, and that can be frustrating because it creates such a negative stereotype because nerds are often isolated in popular culture or bullied, which makes people start to have these opinions toward people with those conditions.

So sorry about the rant. This has just been brewing inside me for a while. Anyhow, people have definitely began reclaiming these terms and putting them to more positive use. For example, Best Buy's technology repair service is called the Geek Squad, and they have helped me fix my laptop plenty of times. They are always knowledgeable about whatever issue I am having and are quick to help, so the name having geek in it makes sense considering how well-versed they are in tech. 

When it comes to nerd, I've found myself and my friends using it in a positive light. More so online now that we are all in college, my two best friends and I have "Nerd Nights" wherein we create slideshows about our favorite interests and just get to talk about whatever we please that relates to that topic. For example, I'm really big on vocal synthesizers known as vocaloids, and I'll usually describe the nuance behind how voicebanks are created, the vast varieties in which they are used, and so on. My best friend Fay loves X-men, so they'll go over the recent comics and give their critiques on whether or not the characters were written well or if they were screwed over by the narrative. Small things like that make the term feel more normalized and integrated into society; we don't view being a nerd as a bad thing, and we use it as a way to express how passionate we are about the things we enjoy.

Oh, and here are the two articles which I referenced/skimmed for some ideas! Like I said already, I'm so sorry for talking so much. I just saw the word nerd and it gave me to much inspiration for the prompt.

How "nerd" went from geeky insult to mainstream : NPR

From Insult to Honor: The Journey of Amelioration – LingoDigest