| When we were in junior high school, my
| |
| | seem smarter. John Nash so admired
|
| friend Rich and I made a map of the
| |
| | Norbert Wiener that he adopted his habit
|
| school lunch tables according to
| |
| | of touching the wall as he walked down a
|
| popularity. This was easy to do, because
| |
| | corridor.
|
| kids only ate lunch with others of about
| |
| | As a thirteen-year-old kid, I didn\'t
|
| the same popularity. We graded them from
| |
| | have much more experience of the world
|
| A to E. A tables were full of football
| |
| | than what I saw immediately around me.
|
| players and cheerleaders and so on. E
| |
| | The warped little world we lived in was,
|
| tables contained the kids with mild cases
| |
| | I thought, the world. The world seemed
|
| of Down\'s Syndrome, what in the language
| |
| | cruel and boring, and I\'m not sure which
|
| of the time we called \"retards.\"
| |
| | was worse.
|
| We sat at a D table, as low as you could
| |
| | Because I didn\'t fit into this world, I
|
| get without looking physically different.
| |
| | thought that something must be wrong with
|
| We were not being especially candid to
| |
| | me. I didn\'t realize that the reason we
|
| grade ourselves as D. It would have taken
| |
| | nerds didn\'t fit in was that in some
|
| a deliberate lie to say otherwise.
| |
| | ways we were a step ahead. We were
|
| Everyone in the school knew exactly how
| |
| | already thinking about the kind of things
|
| popular everyone else was, including us.
| |
| | that matter in the real world, instead of
|
| My stock gradually rose during high
| |
| | spending all our time playing an exacting
|
| school. Puberty finally arrived; I became
| |
| | but mostly pointless game like the
|
| a decent soccer player; I started a
| |
| | others.
|
| scandalous underground newspaper. So
| |
| | We were a bit like an adult would be if
|
| I\'ve seen a good part of the popularity
| |
| | he were thrust back into middle school.
|
| landscape.
| |
| | He wouldn\'t know the right clothes to
|
| I know a lot of people who were nerds in
| |
| | wear, the right music to like, the right
|
| school, and they all tell the same story:
| |
| | slang to use. He\'d seem to the kids a
|
| there is a strong correlation between
| |
| | complete alien. The thing is, he\'d know
|
| being smart and being a nerd, and an even
| |
| | enough not to care what they thought. We
|
| stronger inverse correlation between
| |
| | had no such confidence.
|
| being a nerd and being popular. Being
| |
| | A lot of people seem to think it\'s good
|
| smart seems to make you unpopular.
| |
| | for smart kids to be thrown together with
|
| Why? To someone in school now, that may
| |
| | \"normal\" kids at this stage of their
|
| seem an odd question to ask. The mere
| |
| | lives. Perhaps. But in at least some
|
| fact is so overwhelming that it may seem
| |
| | cases the reason the nerds don\'t fit in
|
| strange to imagine that it could be any
| |
| | really is that everyone else is crazy. I
|
| other way. But it could. Being smart
| |
| | remember sitting in the audience at a
|
| doesn\'t make you an outcast in
| |
| | \"pep rally\" at my high school, watching
|
| elementary school. Nor does it harm you
| |
| | as the cheerleaders threw an effigy of an
|
| in the real world. Nor, as far as I can
| |
| | opposing player into the audience to be
|
| tell, is the problem so bad in most other
| |
| | torn to pieces. I felt like an explorer
|
| countries. But in a typical American
| |
| | witnessing some bizarre tribal ritual.
|
| secondary school, being smart is likely
| |
| | If I could go back and give my thirteen
|
| to make your life difficult. Why?
| |
| | year old self some advice, the main thing
|
| The key to this mystery is to rephrase
| |
| | I\'d tell him would be to stick his head
|
| the question slightly. Why don\'t smart
| |
| | up and look around. I didn\'t really
|
| kids make themselves popular? If they\'re
| |
| | grasp it at the time, but the whole world
|
| so smart, why don\'t they figure out how
| |
| | we lived in was as fake as a Twinkie. Not
|
| popularity works and beat the system,
| |
| | just school, but the entire town. Why do
|
| just as they do for standardized tests?
| |
| | people move to suburbia? To have kids! So
|
| One argument says that this would be
| |
| | no wonder it seemed boring and sterile.
|
| impossible, that the smart kids are
| |
| | The whole place was a giant nursery, an
|
| unpopular because the other kids envy
| |
| | artificial town created explicitly for
|
| them for being smart, and nothing they
| |
| | the purpose of breeding children.
|
| could do could make them popular. I wish.
| |
| | Where I grew up, it felt as if there was
|
| If the other kids in junior high school
| |
| | nowhere to go, and nothing to do. This
|
| envied me, they did a great job of
| |
| | was no accident. Suburbs are deliberately
|
| concealing it. And in any case, if being
| |
| | designed to exclude the outside world,
|
| smart were really an enviable quality,
| |
| | because it contains things that could
|
| the girls would have broken ranks. The
| |
| | endanger children.
|
| guys that guys envy, girls like.
| |
| | And as for the schools, they were just
|
| In the schools I went to, being smart
| |
| | holding pens within this fake world.
|
| just didn\'t matter much. Kids didn\'t
| |
| | Officially the purpose of schools is to
|
| admire it or despise it. All other things
| |
| | teach kids. In fact their primary purpose
|
| being equal, they would have preferred to
| |
| | is to keep kids locked up in one place
|
| be on the smart side of average rather
| |
| | for a big chunk of the day so adults can
|
| than the dumb side, but intelligence
| |
| | get things done. And I have no problem
|
| counted far less than, say, physical
| |
| | with this: in a specialized industrial
|
| appearance, charisma, or athletic
| |
| | society, it would be a disaster to have
|
| ability.
| |
| | kids running around loose.
|
| So if intelligence in itself is not a
| |
| | What bothers me is not that the kids are
|
| factor in popularity, why are smart kids
| |
| | kept in prisons, but that (a) they
|
| so consistently unpopular? The answer, I
| |
| | aren\'t told about it, and (b) the
|
| think, is that they don\'t really want to
| |
| | prisons are run mostly by the inmates.
|
| be popular.
| |
| | Kids are sent off to spend six years
|
| If someone had told me that at the time,
| |
| | memorizing meaningless facts in a world
|
| I would have laughed at him. Being
| |
| | ruled by a caste of giants who run after
|
| unpopular in school makes kids miserable,
| |
| | an oblong brown ball, as if this were the
|
| some of them so miserable that they
| |
| | most natural thing in the world. And if
|
| commit suicide. Telling me that I didn\'t
| |
| | they balk at this surreal cocktail,
|
| want to be popular would have seemed like
| |
| | they\'re called misfits.
|
| telling someone dying of thirst in a
| |
| | Life in this twisted world is stressful
|
| desert that he didn\'t want a glass of
| |
| | for the kids. And not just for the nerds.
|
| water. Of course I wanted to be popular.
| |
| | Like any war, it\'s damaging even to the
|
| But in fact I didn\'t, not enough. There
| |
| | winners.
|
| was something else I wanted more: to be
| |
| | Adults can\'t avoid seeing that teenage
|
| smart. Not simply to do well in school,
| |
| | kids are tormented. So why don\'t they do
|
| though that counted for something, but to
| |
| | something about it? Because they blame it
|
| design beautiful rockets, or to write
| |
| | on puberty. The reason kids are so
|
| well, or to understand how to program
| |
| | unhappy, adults tell themselves, is that
|
| computers. In general, to make great
| |
| | monstrous new chemicals, hormones, are
|
| things.
| |
| | now coursing through their bloodstream
|
| At the time I never tried to separate my
| |
| | and messing up everything. There\'s
|
| wants and weigh them against one another.
| |
| | nothing wrong with the system; it\'s just
|
| If I had, I would have seen that being
| |
| | inevitable that kids will be miserable at
|
| smart was more important. If someone had
| |
| | that age.
|
| offered me the chance to be the most
| |
| | This idea is so pervasive that even the
|
| popular kid in school, but only at the
| |
| | kids believe it, which probably doesn\'t
|
| price of being of average intelligence
| |
| | help. Someone who thinks his feet
|
| (humor me here), I wouldn\'t have taken
| |
| | naturally hurt is not going to stop to
|
| it.
| |
| | consider the possibility that he is
|
| Much as they suffer from their
| |
| | wearing the wrong size shoes.
|
| unpopularity, I don\'t think many nerds
| |
| | I\'m suspicious of this theory that
|
| would. To them the thought of average
| |
| | thirteen-year-old kids are intrinsically
|
| intelligence is unbearable. But most kids
| |
| | messed up. If it\'s physiological, it
|
| would take that deal. For half of them,
| |
| | should be universal. Are Mongol nomads
|
| it would be a step up. Even for someone
| |
| | all nihilists at thirteen? I\'ve read a
|
| in the eightieth percentile (assuming, as
| |
| | lot of history, and I have not seen a
|
| everyone seemed to then, that
| |
| | single reference to this supposedly
|
| intelligence is a scalar), who wouldn\'t
| |
| | universal fact before the twentieth
|
| drop thirty points in exchange for being
| |
| | century. Teenage apprentices in the
|
| loved and admired by everyone?
| |
| | Renaissance seem to have been cheerful
|
| And that, I think, is the root of the
| |
| | and eager. They got in fights and played
|
| problem. Nerds serve two masters. They
| |
| | tricks on one another of course
|
| want to be popular, certainly, but they
| |
| | (Michelangelo had his nose broken by a
|
| want even more to be smart. And
| |
| | bully), but they weren\'t crazy.
|
| popularity is not something you can do in
| |
| | As far as I can tell, the concept of the
|
| your spare time, not in the fiercely
| |
| | hormone-crazed teenager is coeval with
|
| competitive environment of an American
| |
| | suburbia. I don\'t think this is a
|
| secondary school.
| |
| | coincidence. I think teenagers are driven
|
| Alberti, arguably the archetype of the
| |
| | crazy by the life they\'re made to lead.
|
| Renaissance Man, writes that \"no art,
| |
| | Teenage apprentices in the Renaissance
|
| however minor, demands less than total
| |
| | were working dogs. Teenagers now are
|
| dedication if you want to excel in it.\"
| |
| | neurotic lapdogs. Their craziness is the
|
| I wonder if anyone in the world works
| |
| | craziness of the idle everywhere.
|
| harder at anything than American school
| |
| | When I was in school, suicide was a
|
| kids work at popularity. Navy SEALs and
| |
| | constant topic among the smarter kids. No
|
| neurosurgery residents seem slackers by
| |
| | one I knew did it, but several planned
|
| comparison. They occasionally take
| |
| | to, and some may have tried. Mostly this
|
| vacations; some even have hobbies. An
| |
| | was just a pose. Like other teenagers, we
|
| American teenager may work at being
| |
| | loved the dramatic, and suicide seemed
|
| popular every waking hour, 365 days a
| |
| | very dramatic. But partly it was because
|
| year.
| |
| | our lives were at times genuinely
|
| I don\'t mean to suggest they do this
| |
| | miserable.
|
| consciously. Some of them truly are
| |
| | Bullying was only part of the problem.
|
| little Machiavellis, but what I really
| |
| | Another problem, and possibly an even
|
| mean here is that teenagers are always on
| |
| | worse one, was that we never had anything
|
| duty as conformists.
| |
| | real to work on. Humans like to work; in
|
| For example, teenage kids pay a great
| |
| | most of the world, your work is your
|
| deal of attention to clothes. They don\'t
| |
| | identity. And all the work we did was
|
| consciously dress to be popular. They
| |
| | pointless, or seemed so at the time.
|
| dress to look good. But to who? To the
| |
| | At best it was practice for real work we
|
| other kids. Other kids\' opinions become
| |
| | might do far in the future, so far that
|
| their definition of right, not just for
| |
| | we didn\'t even know at the time what we
|
| clothes, but for almost everything they
| |
| | were practicing for. More often it was
|
| do, right down to the way they walk. And
| |
| | just an arbitrary series of hoops to jump
|
| so every effort they make to do things
| |
| | through, words without content designed
|
| \"right\" is also, consciously or not, an
| |
| | mainly for testability. (The three main
|
| effort to be more popular.
| |
| | causes of the Civil War were.... Test:
|
| Nerds don\'t realize this. They don\'t
| |
| | List the three main causes of the Civil
|
| realize that it takes work to be popular.
| |
| | War.)
|
| In general, people outside some very
| |
| | And there was no way to opt out. The
|
| demanding field don\'t realize the extent
| |
| | adults had agreed among themselves that
|
| to which success depends on constant
| |
| | this was to be the route to college. The
|
| (though often unconscious) effort. For
| |
| | only way to escape this empty life was to
|
| example, most people seem to consider the
| |
| | submit to it.
|
| ability to draw as some kind of innate
| |
| | Teenage kids used to have a more active
|
| quality, like being tall. In fact, most
| |
| | role in society. In pre-industrial times,
|
| people who \"can draw\" like drawing, and
| |
| | they were all apprentices of one sort or
|
| have spent many hours doing it; that\'s
| |
| | another, whether in shops or on farms or
|
| why they\'re good at it. Likewise,
| |
| | even on warships. They weren\'t left to
|
| popular isn\'t just something you are or
| |
| | create their own societies. They were
|
| you aren\'t, but something you make
| |
| | junior members of adult societies.
|
| yourself.
| |
| | Teenagers seem to have respected adults
|
| The main reason nerds are unpopular is
| |
| | more then, because the adults were the
|
| that they have other things to think
| |
| | visible experts in the skills they were
|
| about. Their attention is drawn to books
| |
| | trying to learn. Now most kids have
|
| or the natural world, not fashions and
| |
| | little idea what their parents do in
|
| parties. They\'re like someone trying to
| |
| | their distant offices, and see no
|
| play soccer while balancing a glass of
| |
| | connection (indeed, there is precious
|
| water on his head. Other players who can
| |
| | little) between schoolwork and the work
|
| focus their whole attention on the game
| |
| | they\'ll do as adults.
|
| beat them effortlessly, and wonder why
| |
| | And if teenagers respected adults more,
|
| they seem so incapable.
| |
| | adults also had more use for teenagers.
|
| Even if nerds cared as much as other kids
| |
| | After a couple years\' training, an
|
| about popularity, being popular would be
| |
| | apprentice could be a real help. Even the
|
| more work for them. The popular kids
| |
| | newest apprentice could be made to carry
|
| learned to be popular, and to want to be
| |
| | messages or sweep the workshop.
|
| popular, the same way the nerds learned
| |
| | Now adults have no immediate use for
|
| to be smart, and to want to be smart:
| |
| | teenagers. They would be in the way in an
|
| from their parents. While the nerds were
| |
| | office. So they drop them off at school
|
| being trained to get the right answers,
| |
| | on their way to work, much as they might
|
| the popular kids were being trained to
| |
| | drop the dog off at a kennel if they were
|
| please.
| |
| | going away for the weekend.
|
| So far I\'ve been finessing the
| |
| | What happened? We\'re up against a hard
|
| relationship between smart and nerd,
| |
| | one here. The cause of this problem is
|
| using them as if they were
| |
| | the same as the cause of so many present
|
| interchangeable. In fact it\'s only the
| |
| | ills: specialization. As jobs become more
|
| context that makes them so. A nerd is
| |
| | specialized, we have to train longer for
|
| someone who isn\'t socially adept enough.
| |
| | them. Kids in pre-industrial times
|
| But \"enough\" depends on where you are.
| |
| | started working at about 14 at the
|
| In a typical American school, standards
| |
| | latest; kids on farms, where most people
|
| for coolness are so high (or at least, so
| |
| | lived, began far earlier. Now kids who go
|
| specific) that you don\'t have to be
| |
| | to college don\'t start working full-time
|
| especially awkward to look awkward by
| |
| | till 21 or 22. With some degrees, like
|
| comparison.
| |
| | MDs and PhDs, you may not finish your
|
| Few smart kids can spare the attention
| |
| | training till 30.
|
| that popularity requires. Unless they
| |
| | Teenagers now are useless, except as
|
| also happen to be good-looking, natural
| |
| | cheap labor in industries like fast food,
|
| athletes, or siblings of popular kids,
| |
| | which evolved to exploit precisely this
|
| they\'ll tend to become nerds. And
| |
| | fact. In almost any other kind of work,
|
| that\'s why smart people\'s lives are
| |
| | they\'d be a net loss. But they\'re also
|
| worst between, say, the ages of eleven
| |
| | too young to be left unsupervised.
|
| and seventeen. Life at that age revolves
| |
| | Someone has to watch over them, and the
|
| far more around popularity than before or
| |
| | most efficient way to do this is to
|
| after.
| |
| | collect them together in one place. Then
|
| Before that, kids\' lives are dominated
| |
| | a few adults can watch all of them.
|
| by their parents, not by other kids. Kids
| |
| | If you stop there, what you\'re
|
| do care what their peers think in
| |
| | describing is literally a prison, albeit
|
| elementary school, but this isn\'t their
| |
| | a part-time one. The problem is, many
|
| whole life, as it later becomes.
| |
| | schools practically do stop there. The
|
| Around the age of eleven, though, kids
| |
| | stated purpose of schools is to educate
|
| seem to start treating their family as a
| |
| | the kids. But there is no external
|
| day job. They create a new world among
| |
| | pressure to do this well. And so most
|
| themselves, and standing in this world is
| |
| | schools do such a bad job of teaching
|
| what matters, not standing in their
| |
| | that the kids don\'t really take it
|
| family. Indeed, being in trouble in their
| |
| | seriously-- not even the smart kids. Much
|
| family can win them points in the world
| |
| | of the time we were all, students and
|
| they care about.
| |
| | teachers both, just going through the
|
| The problem is, the world these kids
| |
| | motions.
|
| create for themselves is at first a very
| |
| | In my high school French class we were
|
| crude one. If you leave a bunch of
| |
| | supposed to read Hugo\'s Les Miserables.
|
| eleven-year-olds to their own devices,
| |
| | I don\'t think any of us knew French well
|
| what you get is Lord of the Flies. Like a
| |
| | enough to make our way through this
|
| lot of American kids, I read this book in
| |
| | enormous book. Like the rest of the
|
| school. Presumably it was not a
| |
| | class, I just skimmed the Cliff\'s Notes.
|
| coincidence. Presumably someone wanted to
| |
| | When we were given a test on the book, I
|
| point out to us that we were savages, and
| |
| | noticed that the questions sounded odd.
|
| that we had made ourselves a cruel and
| |
| | They were full of long words that our
|
| stupid world. This was too subtle for me.
| |
| | teacher wouldn\'t have used. Where had
|
| While the book seemed entirely
| |
| | these questions come from? From the
|
| believable, I didn\'t get the additional
| |
| | Cliff\'s Notes, it turned out. The
|
| message. I wish they had just told us
| |
| | teacher was using them too. We were all
|
| outright that we were savages and our
| |
| | just pretending.
|
| world was stupid.
| |
| | There are certainly great public school
|
| Nerds would find their unpopularity more
| |
| | teachers. The energy and imagination of
|
| bearable if it merely caused them to be
| |
| | my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Mihalko,
|
| ignored. Unfortunately, to be unpopular
| |
| | made that year something his students
|
| in school is to be actively persecuted.
| |
| | still talk about, thirty years later. But
|
| Why? Once again, anyone currently in
| |
| | teachers like him were individuals
|
| school might think this a strange
| |
| | swimming upstream. They couldn\'t fix the
|
| question to ask. How could things be any
| |
| | system.
|
| other way? But they could be. Adults
| |
| | In almost any group of people you\'ll
|
| don\'t normally persecute nerds. Why do
| |
| | find hierarchy. When groups of adults
|
| teenage kids do it?
| |
| | form in the real world, it\'s generally
|
| Partly because teenagers are still half
| |
| | for some common purpose, and the leaders
|
| children, and many children are just
| |
| | end up being those who are best at it.
|
| intrinsically cruel. Some torture nerds
| |
| | The problem with most schools is, they
|
| for the same reason they pull the legs
| |
| | have no purpose. But hierarchy there must
|
| off spiders. Before you develop a
| |
| | be. And so the kids make one out of
|
| conscience, torture is amusing.
| |
| | nothing.
|
| Another reason kids persecute nerds is to
| |
| | We have a phrase to describe what happens
|
| make themselves feel better. When you
| |
| | when rankings have to be created without
|
| tread water, you lift yourself up by
| |
| | any meaningful criteria. We say that the
|
| pushing water down. Likewise, in any
| |
| | situation degenerates into a popularity
|
| social hierarchy, people unsure of their
| |
| | contest. And that\'s exactly what happens
|
| own position will try to emphasize it by
| |
| | in most American schools. Instead of
|
| maltreating those they think rank below.
| |
| | depending on some real test, one\'s rank
|
| I\'ve read that this is why poor whites
| |
| | depends mostly on one\'s ability to
|
| in the United States are the group most
| |
| | increase one\'s rank. It\'s like the
|
| hostile to blacks.
| |
| | court of Louis XIV. There is no external
|
| But I think the main reason other kids
| |
| | opponent, so the kids become one
|
| persecute nerds is that it\'s part of the
| |
| | another\'s opponents.
|
| mechanism of popularity. Popularity is
| |
| | When there is some real external test of
|
| only partially about individual
| |
| | skill, it isn\'t painful to be at the
|
| attractiveness. It\'s much more about
| |
| | bottom of the hierarchy. A rookie on a
|
| alliances. To become more popular, you
| |
| | football team doesn\'t resent the skill
|
| need to be constantly doing things that
| |
| | of the veteran; he hopes to be like him
|
| bring you close to other popular people,
| |
| | one day and is happy to have the chance
|
| and nothing brings people closer than a
| |
| | to learn from him. The veteran may in
|
| common enemy.
| |
| | turn feel a sense of noblesse oblige. And
|
| Like a politician who wants to distract
| |
| | most importantly, their status depends on
|
| voters from bad times at home, you can
| |
| | how well they do against opponents, not
|
| create an enemy if there isn\'t a real
| |
| | on whether they can push the other down.
|
| one. By singling out and persecuting a
| |
| | Court hierarchies are another thing
|
| nerd, a group of kids from higher in the
| |
| | entirely. This type of society debases
|
| hierarchy create bonds between
| |
| | anyone who enters it. There is neither
|
| themselves. Attacking an outsider makes
| |
| | admiration at the bottom, nor noblesse
|
| them all insiders. This is why the worst
| |
| | oblige at the top. It\'s kill or be
|
| cases of bullying happen with groups. Ask
| |
| | killed.
|
| any nerd: you get much worse treatment
| |
| | This is the sort of society that gets
|
| from a group of kids than from any
| |
| | created in American secondary schools.
|
| individual bully, however sadistic.
| |
| | And it happens because these schools have
|
| If it\'s any consolation to the nerds,
| |
| | no real purpose beyond keeping the kids
|
| it\'s nothing personal. The group of kids
| |
| | all in one place for a certain number of
|
| who band together to pick on you are
| |
| | hours each day. What I didn\'t realize at
|
| doing the same thing, and for the same
| |
| | the time, and in fact didn\'t realize
|
| reason, as a bunch of guys who get
| |
| | till very recently, is that the twin
|
| together to go hunting. They don\'t
| |
| | horrors of school life, the cruelty and
|
| actually hate you. They just need
| |
| | the boredom, both have the same cause.
|
| something to chase.
| |
| | The mediocrity of American public schools
|
| Because they\'re at the bottom of the
| |
| | has worse consequences than just making
|
| scale, nerds are a safe target for the
| |
| | kids unhappy for six years. It breeds a
|
| entire school. If I remember correctly,
| |
| | rebelliousness that actively drives kids
|
| the most popular kids don\'t persecute
| |
| | away from the things they\'re supposed to
|
| nerds; they don\'t need to stoop to such
| |
| | be learning.
|
| things. Most of the persecution comes
| |
| | Like many nerds, probably, it was years
|
| from kids lower down, the nervous middle
| |
| | after high school before I could bring
|
| classes.
| |
| | myself to read anything we\'d been
|
| The trouble is, there are a lot of them.
| |
| | assigned then. And I lost more than
|
| The distribution of popularity is not a
| |
| | books. I mistrusted words like
|
| pyramid, but tapers at the bottom like a
| |
| | \"character\" and \"integrity\" because
|
| pear. The least popular group is quite
| |
| | they had been so debased by adults. As
|
| small. (I believe we were the only D
| |
| | they were used then, these words all
|
| table in our cafeteria map.) So there are
| |
| | seemed to mean the same thing: obedience.
|
| more people who want to pick on nerds
| |
| | The kids who got praised for these
|
| than there are nerds.
| |
| | qualities tended to be at best
|
| As well as gaining points by distancing
| |
| | dull-witted prize bulls, and at worst
|
| oneself from unpopular kids, one loses
| |
| | facile schmoozers. If that was what
|
| points by being close to them. A woman I
| |
| | character and integrity were, I wanted no
|
| know says that in high school she liked
| |
| | part of them.
|
| nerds, but was afraid to be seen talking
| |
| | The word I most misunderstood was
|
| to them because the other girls would
| |
| | \"tact.\" As used by adults, it seemed to
|
| make fun of her. Unpopularity is a
| |
| | mean keeping your mouth shut. I assumed
|
| communicable disease; kids too nice to
| |
| | it was derived from the same root as
|
| pick on nerds will still ostracize them
| |
| | \"tacit\" and \"taciturn,\" and that it
|
| in self-defense.
| |
| | literally meant being quiet. I vowed that
|
| It\'s no wonder, then, that smart kids
| |
| | I would never be tactful; they were never
|
| tend to be unhappy in middle school and
| |
| | going to shut me up. In fact, it\'s
|
| high school. Their other interests leave
| |
| | derived from the same root as
|
| them little attention to spare for
| |
| | \"tactile,\" and what it means is to have
|
| popularity, and since popularity
| |
| | a deft touch. Tactful is the opposite of
|
| resembles a zero-sum game, this in turn
| |
| | clumsy. I don\'t think I learned this
|
| makes them targets for the whole school.
| |
| | until college.
|
| And the strange thing is, this nightmare
| |
| | Nerds aren\'t the only losers in the
|
| scenario happens without any conscious
| |
| | popularity rat race. Nerds are unpopular
|
| malice, merely because of the shape of
| |
| | because they\'re distracted. There are
|
| the situation.
| |
| | other kids who deliberately opt out
|
| For me the worst stretch was junior high,
| |
| | because they\'re so disgusted with the
|
| when kid culture was new and harsh, and
| |
| | whole process.
|
| the specialization that would later
| |
| | Teenage kids, even rebels, don\'t like to
|
| gradually separate the smarter kids had
| |
| | be alone, so when kids opt out of the
|
| barely begun. Nearly everyone I\'ve
| |
| | system, they tend to do it as a group. At
|
| talked to agrees: the nadir is somewhere
| |
| | the schools I went to, the focus of
|
| between eleven and fourteen.
| |
| | rebellion was drug use, specifically
|
| In our school it was eighth grade, which
| |
| | marijuana. The kids in this tribe wore
|
| was ages twelve and thirteen for me.
| |
| | black concert t-shirts and were called
|
| There was a brief sensation that year
| |
| | \"freaks.\"
|
| when one of our teachers overheard a
| |
| | Freaks and nerds were allies, and there
|
| group of girls waiting for the school
| |
| | wa |