Let Your Freak Flag Fly

Post date: Feb 07, 2014 2:32:34 PM

There has been a trend in recent years to cater toward the nerdy and geeky. I believe it all started with Harry Potter. You see, in my opinion, J.K. Rowling did something extraordinary, she achieved the goal of writers everywhere. She not only created a book that was fun to read, but it was also acceptable to read by the masses. She made reading enjoyable and talked about; not just something you did under the covers before falling asleep. People began talking about Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was the beginning of accepting the nerd.

Nerd culture is prevalent now in the everyday. It's no longer the exclusive territory of Comic-Con or the popular, yet un-discussed, TV show. It's now out in the open. Being labeled a nerd no longer caries as much stigma as it once did. The walls between nerd, geek, jock, and band kid are still there; but they're thinner now.

Being a nerd isn't about liking specific things. Not anymore. Most people will agree that being a nerd means having passion for something and not being afraid to let others see that passion. It's about not caring what others may think and just following what you love.

And for many people, that is a hard thing to do. There's pressure to be wealthy or good-looking. There's pressure to look and act a certain way. But, underneath it all, we're the same. We're all just shy loners trying to hide the fact that we love dinosaurs.

Instead of hiding what we love, we should embrace it. Some people embrace it fully (cosplayers) and some only tangentially; but wherever you fall, be certain of one thing: your passions are what make you unique. There's only ever going to be one of you. Why not be the truest version you can be?