When being nerdy wasn’t cool

I was listening to a podcast recently, and the guest said, “You know, back when being a nerd wasn’t cool.” (The podcast was about comic books.)

I’m a nerd. I remember when being one was definitely not considered cool. I’m not sure it’s super cool right now, but it’s more accepted to be a nerd about certain things. 

I’ve been a nerd for as long as I can remember. I didn’t get beat up or have my lunch money stolen or anything like that, but I recall being made fun of for liking comic books or insisting on speaking correct grammar. 

Many people picture a nerd as having dark-rimmed glasses and a severe case of acne. Picture any of the characters from the 80s hit movie “Revenge of the Nerds” or the eponymous character from “Napoleon Dynamite.” But the reality is that the true definition of a nerd is someone who is extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a subject.

So I’m a word nerd. And I guess that would make Al Batt a bird nerd. Maybe a farmer is a herd nerd. And a connoisseur of fair food is a curd nerd. 

Ooh, wait! Cat lovers are purred nerds. And sewage workers are… Okay, that might be going too far.

Is it cool to know a lot about something now? It ebbs and flows. When the Marvel Cinematic Universe was at its height and every super hero movie seemed to make a billion dollars, it was uber cool to wear a t-shirt with Spider-Man or Iron Man on it. (Why does Spider-Man have a hyphen but Iron Man doesn’t? And then Batman is just one word. Sorry, nerding out a bit with both comics and words.)

The MCU has cooled off a lot, as it seemed destined to do. Other things come and go. Remember Beanie Babies? For a time, it was very cool to have as many of those stuffed animals as possible, and then…poof! 

Some things come, then go, than arrive again on the scene. Transformers are an example of that. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are another. Star Wars went away for over a decade. All of these would be considered niche enough to have nerds associated with them. 

I’ve loved comic books since I got my first subscription to “The Amazing Spider-Man” in kindergarten. I wouldn’t talk about them much, in part because I was very shy at that age. By the time I was more outgoing, I realized that most other kids my age would look askance at me if I brought up the X-Men or the Fantastic Four. 

And then a comic book shop opened in New Ulm my freshman year of high school. And I found my people. Some of them were older than me and some were younger, but the comic book fans that filtered into Rieke’s Books formed a bond, a safe space to share our love of the four-color wonders. 

When I went to college, I wasn’t sure I’d find people like that again. But when my comics started arriving in the mail, some of my floormates would always want to borrow them - I had discovered more of my people!

It can be scary, having that diehard interest that might not be popular all over. You can love sports and know that you’ll easily find other people who share that love with you. You can enjoy hunting and fishing and take comfort in the numerous people who outwardly show their enjoyment of the same. 

But comic books? Or Beanie Babies? Or collecting the wrappers from Tootsie Roll Pops?

I used to have a button collection. Not the ones already on your shirt, but the ones you’d stick on your shirt. It didn’t matter what the button said on it, I would put it in a bucket and save it. I’m not sure why I did that, but I thought they were kind of cool. That coolness, if it was ever there, disappeared for a time.

Now, according to my children, it is cool to put these buttons on the roof of the interior of their cars. I pity them when they look to resell these cars and have to remove all of them!

Remember collecting stickers in elementary or even middle school? The scratch and sniff ones were the best! Or friendship bracelets? These were certainly specific things that some people enjoyed and knew a lot about. If you did, you were a nerd. Then those trends would fade. 

But maybe you still had an interest. Maybe you still collected those stickers on the sly. Maybe you still will purchase a Beanie Baby off eBay because you’re not ashamed of your nerdiness. 

That’s awesome! If it’s one thing we should learn through life, it’s to not be worried about what others think of our hobbies. If you really enjoy something, you’re probably not the only one. And with the internet, it’s likely easier than ever to find your people. So nerd out! You don’t need anyone’s permission.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is excubant, which means on guard, as in, “The comic book collector was excubant when he took out an issue to read, in case someone was ready to jump him.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!