> In a message dated 98-03-12 11:05:30 EST, you write:
>
> << The point I was trying to make is that in some social contexts the mastery
> of the paradigm of book can get your ass kicked .... since "book user"
> equates to "teacher's pet". >>
>
> i always wanted to know this. when did it become a bad thing to be smart?
> when did the stereotype of a "nerd" gain a negative denotation?
I've thought about this myself. I think that probably the original negative
connotation came from attributes associated with intelligence. I believe that in
many intelligent people certain unpopular attributes are more common than the
normal population (anti-social nature, an overconfidence or boastfullness, etc.)
my guess is that these contributed to the negative sterotype of the nerd.
Although in college I have known people to be proud to be ignorant, in most
cases I think it has been a smoke screen. I know many more people who are
embarresed to be shown not as intelligent as their peers. College may not be the
best slice of life for this study.
-Paul Prestopnik