What is a nerd, really?
I mean, it's one of those words people use to describe themselves or others without really knowing. Say nerd and they'll know what you mean, but ask them to define it and they'll be stumped or wrong. For instance, some might say, "A very smart person" but there are non-nerdy smart people. Most of the great military strategists were smart, but not nerdy. Other's will cite dress or mannerisms or specific interests like computers or Star Trek, but this is flawed. My score on the
nerd test does not reflect my true nerdiness, because it just uses a few common specializations of nerdiness. In fact, you can be an anything nerd. Even sports, which normally seem anti-nerd, have nerds. Take Jeremy on Sports Night. Or that group of people who collect baseball stats. Other people will use social ineptness as a benchmark. Again, I'll beg to differ. Nerds are, if nothing else, social within they're own circles. After all, they have conventions.
In fact, just about any convention is a gathering of nerds. I think therein lies the true definition: a nerd is any person with a lot of highly specialized knowledge and interest. Whether I know a lot about Star Trek and built a scale model of the Enterprise from soap or know a lot about African history and spent a day at just that section of the art museum doesn't matter. It's the specialization, not the specialty.
So is "nerd" an insult? I think not. All it's saying is that you're knowledgable in your field. In the business world, this is admirable.
