A while back I was with a friend, and in the course of a conversation she referred to another person we know by "what a fucking nerd." I said "don't you call yo

A while back I was with a friend, and in the course of a conversation she referred to another person we know by "what a fucking nerd." I said "don't you call yourself a nerd?" And she replied "Well yeah, but not a real nerd." I don't play games much anymore, but I still have affection for them. I have watched the gamergate thing unfold and began to feel things I hadn't felt in a long time. It took me a little while but I finally remembered. It felt like back when being a "nerd" wasn't cool, and your peers treated you like human garbage for loving science fiction or typing code from a book into a Commodore 64. I don't think a god damn thing has changed about people hating nerds, except nowadays you pretend you're tolerant and enlightened so you have to construct a moral failing that the nerd is guilty of even if they didn't personally do anything to you. Then they're fair game for name-calling and personal abuse. Basement-dweller neckbeard dateless permavirgin fedoralord.