Letters to the Editor
-
Fantastic Post on Nerds
I don't know if the author saw this before or during the writing of his book, but it's one the finest posts I've ever read, and a really compelling argument that explains why nerds struggle so much:
http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html
And for those who need some convincing, here are some quotes:
"In the schools I went to, being smart just didn't matter much. Kids didn't admire it or despise it. All other things being equal, they would have preferred to be on the smart side of average rather than the dumb side, but intelligence counted far less than, say, physical appearance, charisma, or athletic ability."
and
"Nerds don't realize this. They don't realize that it takes work to be popular. In general, people outside some very demanding field don't realize the extent to which success depends on constant (though often unconscious) effort. For example, most people seem to consider the ability to draw as some kind of innate quality, like being tall. In fact, most people who "can draw" like drawing, and have spent many hours doing it; that's why they're good at it. Likewise, popular isn't just something you are or you aren't, but something you make yourself."