First and foremost we have to understand the culture that we live in. What do we see? What are we constantly barraged with? Images of beautiful people living beautiful lives. 'Nerds' or intellectual and generally socially awkward people strive for that ideal that their favorite media bathes them in, but, in order to thrive, they need to grow and develop the skills to understand how the real and flawed world works.
I start with a basic disagreement on the author's look at the TV show Big Bang Theory. Yes, the show started as a bad stereotype, but has evolved beyond that. The main reason for that evolution (in my opinion) was the addition of the female characters of Bernadette and Amy. Those two gave the Penny character more depth and allowed a more holistic view of interpersonal relationships, where everyone was quirky. The addition of the equal and interesting female characters in addition to the 'pretty blond' helped show something more than a stereotype of how 'cool people' thought nerds were supposed to act.
The idea that the California shooter's psychosis was enhanced somehow by the way that 'Nerd Culture' perpetuates certain stereotypes or expectations is blatantly false. True 'Nerd Culture' is not based on social awkwardness, but on intelligence, and the fascination of the world. It is my contention that truly intelligent individuals understand that relationships are best based on a deep attraction of ideas and that the so-called social norms heaped upon us by society are there only to be mocked and parodied by those who see relationships as deeper than just the superficial and carnal.
American culture breeds misogyny. Misogyny is present in all corners of our society and does need to be exposed and battled. It shouldn't be belittled by only highlighting the extreme. Intelligent people with a love of pop culture are not misogynistic as a matter of course. They are a complex product of society and the pressures that their cohort put upon them. Some people are unstable and break due to those pressures. The majority exist in harmony with the world.
Many nerds are socially awkward and don't have good interpersonal skills. The article asks:
So, a question, to my fellow male nerds:
What the fuck is wrong with us?
The short answer is that you are a product of a culture that perpetuates a misogynistic attitude and that you haven't studied enough to realize that if you thrive by NOT being in the mainstream. You hate the mainstream. An enlightened nerd realizes that it takes time to find like minded individuals who you also might want to partner with in a more physical way. The killer from California was sick, paranoid, and probably arose out of a place where his isolation would be buffered (because fellow nerds can understand and protect isolation).
Perpetuating that misogyny is somehow a bigger problem in this sector of society and not in ALL sectors of society is a classic bait and switch. We can't just throw the nerds under the bus and let the rest of the world go on. We have to realize that misogyny is not to be tolerated in all segments of society and not in just those segments that 'normal' people can ignore.
Also, in such a culture, there exists multiple individuals who resent the fact that they haven't found the right person to partner with. However, the fault lies in the more popular culture for the skewed expectations (watch a James Bond movie if you don't believe me). I believe that so-called 'Nerd Culture' is, or at least can be, more enlightened where ideas are more sexy than anything else
