Nerds

NR E D S

Laily Nordiyanah Mohd Ridzuan Thomas Embrace Of Who You Are

Welco

ome

This publication is an introduction to the world of “Nerds”.

How the word “Nerd” is actually a stereotype. Still, even being a “Nerd” doesn’t represent a bad thing. For some nerds, they somehow could relate especially during their childhood time, how they got humiliated or being isolated...So, I decided to create this book just so to spread positivity, brings hope to the darkness to all the nerds out there. Being a Nerd can be a privilege, it can be a passion. Remember, you not alone...yet don’t ever give up...don’t give up until now, yet embrace it...embrace of who you are...

Contents

01

02

03

What Defines A Nerd?

Which Type Of Nerd Are You? What did you call me?

Is It How Are They Peceive

04

05

06

What classifies someone as a nerd?

The Community Of Nerds

Do we stand together as one?

When I Realize That I'm A Nerd How was your childhood?

Movie Nerds

Hope For The Nerds

How can we end the chapter?

01

What Defines A Nerd?

What classified someone as a nerd?

A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to topics of science fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being shy, quirky, pedantic, and unattractive.

According to Wikipedia

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Nerd has become part of the subculture in human society but are you consider yourself a nerd?

Does nerd can be defined with looks, personality?

Does nerd really how American would describe as in its stereotype?

Where Does The Word Come From?

The first documented appearance of the word nerd is as the name of a creature in Dr. Seuss’s book If I Ran the Zoo (1950), in which the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect “a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too” for his imaginary zoo. The slang meaning of the term dates to 1951. That year, Newsweek magazine reported on its popular use as a synonym for drip or square in Detroit, Michigan. By the early 1960s, usage of the term had spread throughout the United States, and even as far as Scotland. non-primary source needed.

At some point, the word took on connotations of bookishness and social ineptitude.

According to Wikipedia

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Nerkle

If I Ran the Zoo is a children’s book written by Dr. Seuss in 1950.

The book is written in anapestic tetrameter, Seuss’s usual verse type[citation needed], and illustrated in Seuss’s trademark pen and ink style. The book is likely a tribute to a child’s imagination[citation needed because it ends with a reminder that all of the extraordinary creatures exist only in McGrew’s head. If I Ran the Zoo is often credited with the first printed modern English use of the word “nerd,” in the sentence “And then, just to show them, I’ll sail to Ka-Troo and Bring Back an It-Kutch, a Preep, and a Proo, A Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too!” In the book, Gerald McGrew is a kid who, when visiting a zoo, finds that the exotic animals are “not good enough”. He says that if he ran the zoo, he would let all of the current animals free and find new, more bizarre and exotic ones.

According to Wikipedia

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02

Which Type Of Nerd Are You? What did you call me?

Deep down inside, everyone is considered a nerd. For some, there can be 100% nerd but some are not and there are actually many types of a nerd. So which one are you? Are you a nerdie artist? A musician? A gamer? Do you freak out & started to let out the details when your favorite anime show comes on? Do you love poetry and books, or science, and math? Let’s see where your most dominant interest lies.

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Which types of nerd are you?

comic

anime

bookish

artsy

sci-fi

science

gamer

film

music

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Which types of nerd are you?

“ Simply to just embrace

your inner quirk"

Which types of nerd are you?

"

It does not make a difference of being who you are. Own it. Embrace it.

"

Which types of nerd are you?

Is There A Differences Between Nerd & Geek?

A Battle Between Nerd & Geek?

Whether one takes it or not but people do belong to either of these categories. In the former times, geeks and nerds used to be considered stereotypical persons. Now with the varying epochs, the outset transformed, now a geek would be found lost in the shell of his lifestyle and a hard nut to crack, he would be roaming around with his gadgets and always be at home wearing some really mocking t-shirt every time. They are tenacious to their beliefs with loyalty.

Whereas a nerd is more into his own self, he is a bit clumsy, fascinated by his own dictum of life, having an interest in games, movies, and science, etc. The rest you get to read through the following ideographic.

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Which types of nerd are you?

Which types of nerd are you?

03

Movie Nerds Is It How Are They Peceive

Film nerd, movie nerd what defines them? According to the dictionary, the meaning of movie/film nerd is one who possesses knowledge about films that many may find extraordinary.

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In a lot of teen movies nowadays, you just get the role six stereotypes like the jock, the cool guy, the nerd, the hot girl, the girl who cares, and the girl who has glasses and is supposed to be ugly but is actually beautiful.

" Penn Dayton Badgley

Movie nerds

Movie nerds

What Are Movie Nerds?

True movies, made-up movies, and movies in between the two.

Cinephiles devour everything cinema, so do film geeks. They talk about movies, the think about movies, the watch movies in groups.

Still, there is still a certain movie somehow always portray in a very untrue way such as Princess Diaries. One of the movies, called Princess Diaries, there a scene where Mia had to change herself into a princess by changing her looks because she was known to wear glasses, with big bushy hair, and wore retainer, she basically had to change her physical looks. In conclusion, Hollywood tends to portray a person if they want to be present, they have to change their physical just so to fit into the society and that is how stereotypes emerged.

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v Movie nerds

Movie nerds

In this context, Olivia Wilde’s new comedy Booksmart feels revelatory, even when it closely resembles last-day-of-high-school shenanigans from other movies. Specifically, it’s easy to describe the film as a female-led version of the masterful 2007 comedy Superbad. Booksmart even stars Beanie Feldstein, Jonah Hill’s sister, in the Jonah Hill role of the more foul-mouthed and quick-to-anger half of an inseparable teenage friendship. Kaitlyn Dever is in the Michael Cera role: softerspoken, more cautious, and droll. Like Superbad, Wilde’s film gets a lot of comic mileage from its lead actors’ ability to create a funny, believable relationship. Feldstein and Dever are both terrific in it.

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Movie nerds

Movie nerds

The Big Bang Theory is an American television sitcom created

by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro. All three also served as head writers. The show premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007 and concluded on May 16, 2019, having broadcast a total of 279 episodes over 12 seasons.The show originally centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, both physicists at Caltech, who share an apartment; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's similarly geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. Over time, supporting characters were promoted to starring roles, including neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler, microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski, physicist Leslie Winkle, and comic book store owner Stuart Bloom.

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Movie nerds

The show was filmed in front of a live audience and was produced

by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions. The Big Bang Theory received mixed reviews from critics throughout its first season, but reception was more favorable in the second and third seasons. Later seasons saw a return to a lukewarm reception, with the show being criticized for a decline in comedic quality. Despite the mixed reviews, seven seasons of the show have ranked within the top ten of the final television season ratings, ultimately reaching the no. 1 spot in its eleventh season. The show was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series from 2011 to 2014 and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series four times for Jim Parsons. In total, it won seven Emmy Awards from 46 nominations. Parsons also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Comedy Series in 2011. The series also spawned a prequel series in 2017 based on Parsons' character, Sheldon Cooper, named Young Sheldon, which also airs on CBS..

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A lot of people do say that we perpetuate the stereotype of nerds and geeks. To be quite honest, I know a lot of people who are like these characters. My character Amy is based on a couple of female professors I had and felt a tremendous fondness for," Bialik said. "Also, I happen to find charismatic and charming a lot of things that mainstream society does not.

So I tend to gravitate towards nerds and geeks.

"

Mayim Chaya Bialik

Movie nerds

Movie nerds

Mayim Chaya Bialik A Woman of An Actress & Neuroscienctist

"I wanted to be appreciated for what was inside my brain. I was never terribly comfortable with fame—I was on Blossom from when I was 14 to 19. But three of my four grandparents were immigrants, so I was raised with a strong immigrant value of going to college and wringing the most out of the opportunities you have." Actress Mayim Bialik plays the brilliant, but emotionally stunted scientist Dr. Amy Fowler on CBS's big giant smash sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In person, though, Bialik is charming, personable, and extremely prone to smiles. But she does share one very unique trait with her fictional version: a Ph.D.

After receiving her doctorate, Bialik did return to acting, eventually landing a role on The Big Bang Theory. The show centers on a group of aspiring scientists who are big on book smarts, but not so much on common sense. This familiar portrayal of the social acumen of scientists has understandably been known to irk those in academic circles.

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Movie nerds

Interview

What Are Mayim Bialik Thought?

Big Bang Theory is changing the way people think of nerds and geeks

You were in the hugely successful TV show Blossom in the 1990s.

What inspired you to leave acting and take a degree in neuroscience?

Your character in The Big Bang Theory, Amy Farrah Fowler, has a PhD in neurobiology - how similar are you to her?

When I was on the set of Blossom I had a biology tutor who was at that time a dental student at UCLA. She was the first person I ever met who was a one-on-one female role model for me and I fell in love with science and wanted to pursue it. I am a second-generation American so I come from a family where college is really emphasised and I really just wanted to go – when Blossom ended, that’s exactly what I did.

She was written as a female version of Jim Parsons’s character [Sheldon Cooper, Amy’s love interest]. There are things she and I are similar in, the way we approach thinking and our appreciation for science, but she is pretty much a character.

Do you feel that you - and your character - are role models?

Yeah. The Bernadette character on The Big Bang Theory is a microbiologist so I am proud that on our show we have two different kinds of women: one wears pretty dresses and gets to have pretty things in her hair and one is the Amy character who’s a lot more simple. Both are versions of scientists so, yeah, I think it is tremendous.

There’s been a lot of discussion about the “leaky pipeline” of women in science - how can we solve it?

That’s a larger question for people other than me; I’m not an anthropologist or a sociologist. But that’s part of why I do the work I do with Texas Instruments [as a brand spokesperson] – to try and encourage young people at an early age to sort of prepare for what a career might look like, which we would hope would involve the ability for them to have more confidence and more resources. I think women do need a lot more resources especially as we get to the age when we want to start families and things; those are things that even though men have to make those decisions it is very different for women because we are the ones whose bodies literally have to stop and make it happen.

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Movie nerds

Interview

How are scientists viewed in Hollywood?

How have you seen Amy change over the series?

A lot of people believe in [the] stereotype, but we hope that The Big Bang Theory is changing the way people think of nerds and geeks by showing them having active social lives and relationships. I think that is an important way to portray them.

When she started out, she was really socially awkward and really craving some sort of social outlet and she found that with Penny and Bernadette. So now she has a lot more social confidence and I think that has shifted her relationship with Sheldon too.

How important is it to get the science right on The Big Bang Theory?

We actually have a physics consultant, Dr David Saltzberg. He is from UCLA and he’s the one who is in charge of all that.

It is very important for our show and for our producers that we do that. A lot of our writers have science backgrounds and everything is Google-able so a lot of their stuff comes from the internet too. All of our writers are really bright.

Interview by Nicola David, The Guardian

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Movie nerds

Interview

Movie nerds

Interview

Movie nerds

"Movies that Nerd

r Geek can enjoy "

Movie nerds

The Matrix Inception Big Hero 6 October Sky Ex Machina The Aviator Real Genius The Martian Weird Science War Games The Social Network Iron Man Contact

Space Oddessy, Stanley Kubrick Despicable Me Imitation Game Hidden Figures Megamind Pirate Of Silicon Valley A Beautiful Mind Good Will Hunting The Theory Of Everything Back To The Future Apollo 13

04

The Community Of Nerds

Do We Stand Together As One?

There are million of facts about being a nerd so to simply put, this only to emphasise on the generic facts of being a nerd.

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Community is important to everyone -including nerds and geeks. Social event like comic con provide social connections are important: they buffer us from stress, boost our immune system, give us a sense of belonging, motivate us, bring us joy, and make us feel liked and loved.

" Robin S. Rosenberg Ph.D., The Superheroes

The community of nerds

The community of nerds

The community of nerds

I was struck by the power of community--a power that brought attendees from far and wide. An ethnically diverse community (and almost equal numbers of men and women) composed of families, couples, singles, and groups of friends. The folks at the convention may use the Internet to create their own virtual communities of likeminded "friends" (I use the term friends loosely, in much the same way as Facebook does). But there is something about stepping into a convention center, an exhibit hall, and a hotel, knowing that you share an interest with almost everyone there. It's similar to feeling that some people get when they attend a sports event-except in that case there are two communities in the same location, one for each team.

At the convention, though, there were no "teams" in competition with each other. Sure, there were different groups: the artists; the comic fans, eager to meet the writers and artists of their favorite strips; the gamers; the popular culture crowd-relative newcomers, there for the previews and panels about upcoming films and TV shows. The different factions accepted each other as part of a big, generally happy, family.

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The community of nerds

Research tells us that social connections are important: they buffer us from stress, boost our immune system, give us a sense of belonging, motivate us, bring us joy, and make us feel liked and loved. (Of course some social connections can have the opposite effect-they can cause us stress, lead us to be immune compromised, and leave us feeling dejected; but I'm not talking about that now.

A large portion of the attendees at the convention--or any comic convention--are likely to be some form of nerds or geeks. (What's the difference between a nerd and geek? That depends on where you live and when you were born. Depending on where they grew up and went to school, people who are nerds or geeks may socially have had a hard time--they may have been victims of bullying or social ostracism--or had a perfectly fine time with a group a like-minded friends.

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Event like comic fiesta, comic con are a great place for nerds to be together in the community as it's an event celebration to have everyone enjoys their craft.

" Robin S. Rosenberg Ph.D., The Superheroes

The community of nerds

The stereotype of nerds and geeks are that they are socially obtuse folks with Asperger's; that is, they aren't socially aware and don't know how to be socially appropriate. Not so fast. It isn't necessarily that nerds or geeks don't get how to be "cool." Rather, at least some of them reject the trappings of cool. They intentionally eschew the noticeable markers of cool (certain styles of clothes, topics of conversation, ways of speaking) (click here for The Whiteness of Nerds

by Mary Bucholtz, 2000.) They cultivate an identity and appearance of being different.

As psychologist Mel Levine notes "There are a lot of depressed cool kids, and it's better to be a happy nerd than a popular anorexic...Nerdiness isn't a pathology." When lucky, there are enough nerds in school or neighborhood to form a community of like-minded folks.

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"The Internet has taken its power one step further. It is transforming them from an alienated and virtual community into a thriving, real-world fraternity -- and, to a lesser extent, a sorority -- whose members are physically interacting as never before at concerts, comedy clubs, even ‘nerd expos'."

" Robin S. Rosenberg Ph.D., The Superheroes

05

When I Realise That I'm A Nerd Is that a bad thing?

As an adult, you probably feel more pride than anxiety if someone calls you a “stats nerd” or a “movie geek.” But for middle-school children, being dubbed a geek or a nerd is still, for the most part, horrifying. In fact, evidence indicates that such epithets lead children to underachieve purposely to avoid these labels, according to child clinical psychologist David Anderegg, PhD, author of “Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them” (Penguin, 2007).

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Nerds have been portrayed as "weak" in high school which causes them to have a percentage chance of getting depression, suicide thoughts...so don't bully, be kind.

"

When I realise that I'm a nerd

When I realise that I'm a nerd

According to David Anderegg, PhD, author of “Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them” (Penguin, 2007). who works with children, one of the most common problems I’m confronted with is school failure. I see children who have all sorts of talent, and then all of a sudden their grades start to plummet. When I talk to them, I’ve found that a lot of it has to do with anxiety about being labeled a geek or nerd. Kids would say that they knew perfectly well how well they could do in school, but they were afraid of being labeled in this really negative way.

It happens around seventh or eighth grade, precisely the time when kids are making decisions that might support them later on in advanced study in math and science. They learn it from older kids, but they also learn it from [adults and educators]. I have been appalled at the number of educated grown-ups who freely say nerd or geek with an intonation that tells kids this is a really bad thing.

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Sometimes not everyone had a positive childhood of being a nerd, some can acknowledge of being one is a curse.

Therefore, let's hear what they really had experience of.

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

Let's Hear On What Other Think What are your thoughts on nerd?

Laily Nordiyanah Do you considered yourself as a nerd?

LN Do you agree with the American stereotype portrayal of nerds?

Nur Syafiqah Not really. I would say I'm considered as a half nerd as I not particularly focus on things too obssessively.

NS Not entirely, it because for them, nerds are considered bad, bad in meaning sense look weak especially on television, where they always portray as the socially awkward, very ugly & the guy/girl sometimes can be the outcast one out from the casting character.

LN Do you feel you been entitled as "nerds", that because you wore glasses and had the look that one describe as "nerd look"?

LN Then how would you define a "nerd" as?

NS Yes, sometimes, but I would'nt bother of it.

NS Nerds, they are actually know n to be a very intelligent but also passive people.

They are known to be someone who had low esteem but can be very good especially being passion on specific thing that they love...and when they had passion for it, they will do anything to defend it.

Conversation with Laily Nordiyanah with Nur Syafiqah, Malaysia

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

LN You were saying that nerds as passionate people, but why does they always kept to themselves as I heard that nerds commonly always known to be loner or introvert?

LN Do you think that society, will continue to look down on nerds as due to stereotype instead of embracing the nerds?

NS Ahhh maybe..cause it really depends.. but my opinion yes, society will always think nerds not as they look down but look as " weird or different". As for nerds, don't think you are considered as weak, as you can be different but you are no weak.. example for being nerd, they have special personality on good side that they can be faithful partner so as a great companion as for nerds, they don't like people double cross, as they have hard time trusting on others.

NS I don't think it's being a loner or introvert is the problem, the problem is that people can't seems to understand them and also they can't explain of what they really are, especially to get along with them you need to know yet understand their passion interest then only can get to know them more, but i'm not saying not all nerds are like that. Some can adapt with others easily, some don't so it really depends.

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

Interview Conversation Conversation with Laily & Anonymous, 31

Laily Nordiyanah Thank you for having me to interview you and I'm sorry if I interview you in a time like this especially you have to postpone of your work schedule tomorrow.

LN Why would you say you are?

AY, 31 Well I would say I'm not just a nerd, but also a geek as I actually very interested yet passionate about IT, which I'm working in IT job.

Anonymous, 31 It's alright, I'm glad to participate in this.

LN You saying, you are a nerd that because you are passionate about IT field well I do agree with your word, as I been known you long time. Also, I always wonder if are you also a socially awkward person? You can know by when people talk about you or people mentioned it to you?

LN There a question that I always ask to anyone who participated in this, which is "Are you a nerd"?

AY, 31 I would say I am.

AY, 31 Yes, actually I do admit I'm socially awkward. As I often had someone mentioned to me that I can be weird, as to me I'm fine with what they saying. I don't care mostly of it. I guess I'm admitted, as I often can't seem to say a right word especially when I'm surrounded with a crowd of people or people I don't know, people that I had been introduced with...

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

LN But you also said that, you have tight financial problem which unable fo you to have online trading class these time around, would it like effect your passion in trading as you are lack of resources, I would just saying would you lose your passion on it?

LN There often time, being nerd, mostly have these few kind of category especially when comes to personality like introvert, socially awkward, ugly, not attractive, actually did you even have thoughts on these characteristics that define a nerd or because you only say you are a nerd/ geek that because you passionate about IT.

AY, 31 I admit that yes, i did mentioned to you ya, im now working full time IT, but ya it been difficult for me to wanting to pursue trading but yes...i still got tight budget... I would say it would not make me lose my passion as I still have strong interest, just feels like if it longer to not had it...ya it would lose someday. For now, I'm not going to give up. I have give up on learning programming before as because first it's something would take times for me to digest...so ya I kinda lose it.

AY, 31 I would say that actually I only consider myself as nerd due to passion well didn't think of those characteristics at all...

LN You also mentioned that you also interested in trading business too, was it also part of your passion?

AY, 31 Yes, i started to learn about trading business and I love it.

LN But if you have resources, would you continue to pursue your passion project that you have left out?

AY, 31 Well yes, I would pursue.

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

Laily Nordiyanah Ok, when comes to feeling. What the feeling when you do something that you passionate?

LN Oh wow, that something different.

So why you like hanging out with group of nerds together with the left out?

Anonymous, 31 It feels optimistic. Feeling good.

AY, 31 Well actually I found it interesting about them when it comes to nerds people. Yes they are introvert people, but when you conversation with them, they would often talk about their passion interest that somehow makes you feel passionate also and most of their conversation can be important and deep but also yes they speak in very different language guess like fantasy quotes something like that...very different..so ya even I have group of my friends but I like hang out with nerds mostly.

Conversation with Laily Nordiyanah with Anonymous, 31

64

When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

LN Last question, do you feel that being a nerd are considered embarrassed term or no?

LN I'm curious of your childhood, since you mentioned you are a nerd, do you realize you are a nerd when you are in highschool?

AY, 31 My opinion, I would say people would just be who they are. Guess there alot of people, these days are fake. They are like pretending model especially in social media which I'm not a fan of...I guess well I don't have thoughts much on negative side, I would just say be as who you are. No one stopping you.

AY, 31 Actually in my highschool experience, I'm not being known as a nerd yet I'm a bad boy in highschool. Haha...but I like to be alone as I'm a lonewolf type.. bu t I do like to hang out with a group of nerds also the people who are left out.

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

Let's Get Deep

Conversation with Laily & Haya

Laily Nordiyanah Hi Haya, thanks for having me to interview you. You mentioned to me before brief talk before the starts of interview, that you are a nerd. The fact also you said you are move a science nerd, would like to know what the people especially at your country during highschool childhood time, what their reaction when you declare yourself as a nerd to them?

LN How you dealing with especially being recognised as an educational science nerd? Were there a moment where you feel unsecure about being one?

HA Well, I do. I had this phase that I don't want to be smart that because I was afraid that people would not talk to me as because I was so smart and people won't approach.

Laily That because you had to be same level as them?

HA Exactly ya, but when I realise when I grew up, I was like screw you guys, I don't care.

HA When how I deal with, for me It was alright as I now love socialise, I love connecting with people. I do sometimes want to have mini competition with my classmates which I remember so vividly, during chem class, the teacher would always ask at the end of class a question and I and my friends look each other every time "who gonna answer it?" so ya I love to challenge.

Haya I was fortunate that my classmates didn't have negative thoughts much on nerd, especially I'm more to educational nerd type but you know some people don't peceive that very well if you are the type of someone who are straight 'A student but ya, my classmate didn't mind. Still I have friends who consider herself as nerd, she said mostly people won't bullied her physically or verbally but they just don't talk to her, like don't interact at all.

Laily Oh that's sad...

Haya But she ended up fine, now she's in Bristol, working.

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

LN There have some common stereotypes on nerds, especially american which they perceive them wear glasses (round big glasses), have braces and look ugly.

LN But I feel like the world is changing, as especially as a gamer nerd cause I am a gamer, back then there were not many gamer girls, only boys as because for games, It only belong to the world of boys, but now there a change, there girls show up, play games online even advertised themselves on video, and people would embrace them.

HA Ya haha I actually have the whole look with the braces everything, here I show you my picture. (show picture from phone).

Laily Wow you look so different.

HA Ya I do agree. I would say people started wanting to embrace themselves more.

HA Well you can say that puberty happened haha.

LN In the american stereotype context, do you agree on what they perceive the nerds physically and personality?

HA I don't think I agree is because they always highlight only on the bad points ( negative aspect). Especially movies, like Princess Diaries, main character, Mia who used to wear braces, had bushy hair and wore spectacles transformed herself into a beautiful girl by appearance..I think like they always highlight that people who are beautiful are more likely to be popular yet success so people who watch will likely input in their mindset that for nerds, they won't be popular, won't be successful yet not being appreciated.

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

LN Have you ever thought of changing yourself?

Laily Nordiyanah Do you still have insecurities in your life even now?

HA I do. It happened when my family celebrated my birthday party, and my parents invite my classmates to come over, but during the party going on, I would be shy and they would leave me alone so at that moment, I did think of myself that I should change as my father also said to me that I have to be more talkative. So in 3 years, I started to change by talking to myself, said I need to be vocal.

Haya Ya I do before but now no, because now when I had changed, it really effect everything which to the point I'm not afraid anymore. When I'm afraid of something, I would just do it. Now when talking with people, I started enjoy talking with people and the nervous would go away well except encounter cute boys... haha

Laily I see. How would you feel that time?

LN According to Simon Pegg, famous actor, he once mentioned or quote that "being a nerd, we can be passionate people which good thing but we can miss out the problem in real life. Do you somehow agree with his quote statement?

HA Feeling helpless, especially I have group of friends who would protect me when people try to hurt me but then one moment I have a friend betrayed to me so to that point also I realise I can't depends cling on people, I have to stand up as because I was always afraid I would be alone especially highschool, I would be petrified. I was also awkward back then so ya I need to change and I did.

HA I think I do agree...but they won't be ignorant on problem just they be missing out part of their life, as not chanllenging themselves. Because, they only focus on one thing like example you like gaming, you be stuck in your room, playing game, talk about game, hanging with same friend but you not chanllenging youself to meet new friends, have different skills but I didnt say nerd is bad just they need to..

Laily I think they need to balance out.

HA Yes, can be passionate on one thing but also interest on other things out from thier circle.

Interview, Conversation with Laily & Haya, Egypt

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

Interview

LN Being a nerd, since you consider yourself a nerd, how would you define a nerd in your own definition?

LN You think people society nowsadays starting to accept nerd community?

HA I think ya, as said before people wanting to embrace themselves more, well I think from positive side.

HA Well, I think from what I said before, that nerd people , they are passionate people, they tend to focus on one thing that they love like Jenny, she a gothic geek who passionate about gothic stuff, as when she explained of her passion studff, you can see in her eyes sparkle so ya I always consider being a nerd is a good thing, not a bad thing. Ok maybe some people would not be agree with, but ya based on how they perceive and impotantly to balance thing out.

Laily How about from a bully perspective?

HA I think people should not bully someone even they are nerds, but anyone also, because they affect not only physically but also their life. So ya DON'T BULLY.

Interview, Conversation with Laily & Haya, Egypt

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"

Be strong, you not alone. Everyone goes the same journey, hang in there. One day, you will succeed in your path which no one can ever stop you.

"

When I realise that I'm a nerd

When I realise that I'm a nerd

When I realise that I'm a nerd

Simply put, being a nerd can be a good thing, it just how you would perceive especially for children these days, it's is not bad to become a nerd, yet society should try to teach them to embrace as who they are, not shutting them out so for parents, guardian, learn to be a role model for your children to help them go up the stairs to fly their confidence in their wish. I'm glad that as for nowadays, many adults started to embrace by calling themselves a nerd, which they realize the benefit being one.

According to Libby Lies, during her TED talk in 2018, she mentioned “Nerd� is a word traditionally meant to mock, but what if we changed the way we use it? What if changing our words helped change our paradigms? She explores how re-appropriating the word nerd can lead to embracing one’s passions. Libby Lies is passionate about lots of things, especially traveling, reading, teaching literature, and raising heck.

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When I realise that I'm a nerd

06

What Can I Hope For

How we end the chapter?

What can we hope for? Hope for the best? I hope I wish it would be over? Hope that everything will turn back to normal just so the dark reality life won't creep in...what we can do is to not hope, but to release yourself as who you are. Yourself is more important than anyone, your inner soul.

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"

You think you are weird? Embrace it. A little different? Own it. Better to be one trueself than being normal.

"

What I can hope for

Still, let me tell you a story about me. I was known as a game nerd.

I love video games. I had been playing video games, all kinds since I was from primary, secondary, college years till now. Some day I would just spend 10 hours playing video game, that how obsessive, yet addicting I am...that how much I had spent as because to me, video games, was part of my only friend that I close with, my trusted friend, that could make me happy, help me cope when faced with darkness in my life. All my life, just been involved with video games, as I did wanted to be a character designer before as I love the character so much even in any kind of video game. Still, I had a downside which I was also known as a shy, quiet kid & socially awkward, to the point sometimes I can't even manage to have a single conversation as I was always so scared of people.

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There are times, I got bullied, got teased by being called a "nerd", as the word "nerd, was a bad thing before, it really does crush me...but still does it stop me from evolving? does it stop being a teased, being bullied, being alone represent my whole life? Maybe when we are young, a high-schooler, the feeling of being a nerd is not great, not pleasant yet sometimes I considered it as a curse but I learned that being a "nerd" is a privilege as I get older, it is something good to be earned, being a nerd, yet I began to embrace it to the point avoiding being called a nerd and embrace which lead to writing about nerd also. So yes, if you can survive, hold on to your dream, your true self, hold the thing that you love the most. You can be unstoppable as no one should judge you but yourself. Love yourself, love your thing, there's no shame.

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What I can hope for

What I can hope for

"Love youself, love your th

What I can hope for

hing, there's no shame."

"

Being a nerd just means being passionate about something, including everyone - the coolest people on earth are passionate and therefore nerdy about something whatever it is, whether it's sports, or gaming, or technology, or fashion, or beauty, or food, or whatever.

" Zachary Levi, Actor

What I can hope for

At the end of this journey, what's important is to always be who you are. Never let go of your inner nerdy spirit. For those who are present in childhood time. Hang in there, as you grew up you will realize that being a nerd is something worth holding up for.

Nerd is just another word for passion.

Libby Lies, TED talk 2018.

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Credited to https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/sunday-review/were-all-nerds-now.html https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a22765/we-are-all-nerds/ https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/4-reasons-why-its-awesome-nerd.html https://metro.co.uk/2016/01/06/13-reasons-why-being-a-nerd-is-awesome-5603179/ https://www.ted.com/talks/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online/transcript?language=en https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-superheroes/201008/comic-con-nerd-and-geek-community https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/sep/02/rise-geeks-outsiders-superhero-movies-dork https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIoUUqwvQZE https://uk.pcmag.com/the-convo/89391/mayim-bialik-is-the-worlds-coolest-geek https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/11/mayim-bialik-star-big-bang-theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booksmart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Diaries_(film)

Paper: GF Smith Printed: Bristol Print Centre Binding & Cover: Bristol Bound Design & Illustrated By: Laily University Of The West Of England