Is this so uncommon though? Ever since I was in school I've felt like the rare nerd who actually liked other people and wasn't a colossally negative dilweed. Th

Is this so uncommon though? Ever since I was in school I've felt like the rare nerd who actually liked other people and wasn't a colossally negative dilweed. They pervade all aspects of our industry and culture, from grumpy neckbeards to mouthy wankers, and I'm honestly not seeing many signs of improvement. Everyone wants to be seen as cool, especially if we've spent most of our lives being dorks. Unfortunately this leads to everyone trying to be edgy and witty all the time and missing out on the human element; though a lack of empathy and social skills is hardly exclusive from the tech world. We need more strong personalities without the mouthy egos behind them, and without the over-self-promotion I find off-putting in the design-side of the industry. Is it possible to be a popular, opinionated programmer without being a dick? I hope so, as whether we want them to or not; people are often on the lookout for a role-model. And hell, I got insulted by ZS just for saying I liked a keyboard player. I think his opinion on the matter is wrong, but I'm not popular enough on Twitter to win that argument. Not that I like partaking in arguments on Twitter anyway.