I enjoy your writing style and want to see more of it. That said, I’m not sure the “us vs them” way of thinking is healthy in the long run.
Try talking to a “non-nerdy” person about something they know well—ask a doctor about medicine, ask a driver about driving, etc—and you’ll discover that they do have beliefs, quite strongly held ones, and will express them even at the cost of social points. Whereas if you ask them about something they don’t know as well, like economics, a remarkable thing will happen: they will reply without trying to sound smart! I think that’s admirable behavior and we would all do well to imitate it. If you aren’t a specialist in some area, thinking too much about it is most likely a mistake, no matter how “nerdy” you are. And even the “nerdiest” of us can only be specialists in a handful of areas.
I enjoy your writing style and want to see more of it. That said, I’m not sure the “us vs them” way of thinking is healthy in the long run.
Try talking to a “non-nerdy” person about something they know well—ask a doctor about medicine, ask a driver about driving, etc—and you’ll discover that they do have beliefs, quite strongly held ones, and will express them even at the cost of social points. Whereas if you ask them about something they don’t know as well, like economics, a remarkable thing will happen: they will reply without trying to sound smart! I think that’s admirable behavior and we would all do well to imitate it. If you aren’t a specialist in some area, thinking too much about it is most likely a mistake, no matter how “nerdy” you are. And even the “nerdiest” of us can only be specialists in a handful of areas.