Nerds

[Hermes]

Elle's webcomic (see her art thread for details) is about the life of English/Social Studies nerds, as opposed to the Maths/Science nerds more often featured on the internet. This got me wondering how this maps onto ASOUE.

Violet and Fiona are clearly science nerds.
Duncan, the journalist, and Isadora, the poet, are English nerds.
Klaus is a polymath, but though he knows a lot about science, I think he inclines more to the English and social studies side.
Quigley is hard to classify. Cartography, I guess, is a branch of geography, but people seem unable to make up their minds whether geography is a humanities subject or a science.

How do the adults divide up? (The volunteers, that is: villains are clearly not nerds, since being well-read is a sign of a noble character.)

[Dante]

Shouldn't some of these be geeks? And how well-read is Fernald? These questions cry out for answers with their whiny voices!

[Elle]

*twitch* I've been mentioned!

I believe that, since you can't really use the word "geek" to describe a history nerd or an english nerd or a politics nerd, the word "nerd" should not be used to describe math and science nerds... er... geeks. It's just not fair that they get two words.

Oh, and Lemony and Kit are definitely English nerds... Dewey is a library nerd, which is in a category all its own. Or rather, I think he may be in the same category as Quigley. The organizational nerds. This is more closely related to the English/Social Studies nerds... And then, of course, there are the Fine Arts nerds, who have their own completely separate category...

[Hermes]

Jun 3, 2009 12:52:26 GMT -5 Dante said:

Shouldn't some of these be geeks?

I must admit I've never really grasped the difference between nerds and geeks. This probably means that I'm not nerdy enough, or perhaps not geeky enough.

And how well-read is Fernald?

He read poetry with his stepfather when he was young. He probably gave it up when he changed sides. I realise, though, that I was exaggerating when I said being well-read is a sign of a noble character. I was thinking of something Quigley said, but what he actually said was weaker - people who are well-read are less likely to be evil.

These questions cry out for answers with their whiny voices!

Uh - if you say so.

Jun 3, 2009 21:12:52 GMT -5 Elle said:

Oh, and Lemony and Kit are definitely English nerds... Dewey is a library nerd, which is in a category all its own. Or rather, I think he may be in the same category as Quigley. The organizational nerds. This is more closely related to the English/Social Studies nerds...

Yes, I think I agree with all that.

And then, of course, there are the Fine Arts nerds, who have their own completely separate category...

Would Beatrice be in that group?

[Elle]

I must admit I've never really grasped the difference between nerds and geeks. This probably means that I'm not nerdy enough, or perhaps not geeky enough.

Ah, Hermes, it obviously means that you're not nerdy enough. Geeks don't bother themselves with such particulars....

Would Beatrice be in that group?

Beatrice as well as Esme and Olaf

[Hermes]

Other science nerds - Monty, Hector, C.M Kornbluth - and, on the other side, Dr Orwell. (Gregor, the ichnologist, sounds like one as well, but he also ran a rhetoricai advice service, so perhaps counts as a polymath.)

English nerds - apart from K and L, the obvious one is Josephine. Also Captain Widdershins seems to have been one at one time, though he has grown less nerdy with old age, alas.

Hal would count as another organisational nerd, I guess.

[Fiona Fanboy]

Jun 3, 2009 12:52:26 GMT -5 Dante said:

Shouldn't some of these be geeks? And how well-read is Fernald? These questions cry out for answers with their whiny voices!

Actually there IS a difference between nerds & geeks: nerds are friends with anybody, geeks are just friends with geeks. Just saying.

[tricky]

R. who would Carmelita be?

[R.]

Carmelita isn’t a nerd or a geek of any sort, she’s more of an arty kid.

[Hermes]

Except in the show, of course, where she is a cheerleader. But yes, not everyone is a nerd.

[Optimism is my Phil-osophy]

This conversation made me catch a glimpse of a Fanfic in which Olaf was a great Nerd in his teens, when he decided to turn to the theater for romantic interest in Kit.Lemony would be a jealous brother and that is why he only saw bad qualities in Olaf, as he describes him in TBL. Maybe, when I'm done with Matt Litory and after reading Dante's big Fanfic, I'll think about it better.