Description
Previous popular images of nerds were based on 80’s and 90’s media: a smart, but hapless loser picked on by jocks and unsuccessful with women. Most of these were overwhelming white men. With the growing popularity of previously “nerd”-like pursuits, such as geek conventions and online fandom communities, contemporary society has lifted the nerd to star status. TV shows, movies, and pop culture events are marketed and catered towards nerds by media conglomerates. However, this is not the case for Black men and women who identify as nerds. Black nerds—or Blerds—still straddle in- and out-groups in a society that views their skin color and a “nerd” personality as inverse relationships. By utilizing interviews, observations, and personal narratives, this study uses the theory of intersectionality to understand how Blerds communicatively negotiate their Blackness, their “nerdery,” and other salient identities. Findings from this study conclude that Blerds view Geek Culture as dialectic of accepting and yielding their Blerd identities; Blerds view their Blerd Community as a “Promise Land”; and Blerds operate on the “Down Low” within the mainstream Black Community.
