“Ha what a nerd” “Your such a loser” and “lame” are 3 of the most common remarks I here people make when they observe someone doing or playing something they love that might not be the most socially acceptable thing to do. And while you might not be saying these things to their face, many of us are guilty of either thinking to ourselves, or sharing to our friends later about what a nerd those kids are. Now what if every time you went out to play basketball, watch Netflix, or do something you enjoy, everyone who passed by called you a nerd and loser? just as Martin Luther King JR stated 50 years ago “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” People need to realize that these judge full words and uneducated remarks are not only wrong and unjust to do, but they also cause hurt and insecurities among the insulted. When looking further into this point, we will look into why these stereotypes are socially acceptable, but many others aren't. Then we will see that what you might be judging might not be so far from what you yourself is in fact doing. Then finally we will look at what these so called "harmless" stereotypes might cause. If your still awake, let's continue on.

When you see a black, do you tell them to stop robbing and stealing things? When you see a white, do you tell them to stop being such a stuck up snobby rich kid? When you see an Asian, do you tell them to stop being so awkward and smart? I should hope the answer to those questions were no, and if they weren't you might want to seek help. But now this raises a question, why is it ok to point fingers at someone playing cards and call them a nerd, but it isn't ok to point the same fingers to do some racial profiling? You might be thinking that these two comparisons aren't that similar, but in reality they really are. Both times you are labeling and judging a person, without getting to know them first. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that calling someone a "nerd", isn't the hurtful part, the hurtful part is the label that was biasedly placed over your name. John Green stated "“Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice you’re a nerd is like saying, ‘Hey, I notice that you’d rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you’d rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Linsey Lohan. Why is that?” In fact, the definition of Nerd is a single-minded expert in a particular technical field. So if your not just labeling someone, and genuinely mean it, go ahead and call me a nerd. I wont mind. But don’t call me a nerd for doing something that I love, or at least, not out loud. It is also important to know why you are calling someone a nerd. It is because they have acne, glasses, and pimples? Quick fact, acne can happen to anyone, and nearly 75% of Americans need some type of visual correction. Is it because they are playing some board or card game that looks stupid? Why does it matter if they are having fun doing it. Is it because they answered the question no one else could understand in Algebra? Your going to regret calling them a nerd later in life when their your boss and make twice your salary. Point being, don’t call someone a nerd without really knowing why your calling them a nerd.

So alright, maybe I see why calling someone a nerd might not be the best thing to do, but why should I care. The biggest reason is what if the tables were turned? Lets compare. I'm watching my favorite videogame team playing video games. I'm labeled a nerd. Your watching your favorite sports team being streamed playing sports. Your labeled nothing. Can you see the similarities? What about when in 30 years video games have switched placed with sports and your labeled the outcast loser for watching your beloved sports? Alright, next comparison. I'm playing Dungeons and Dragons, an interactive board game, with my friends, and I'm labeled a nerd. Your playing Apples to Apples, an interactive board game, with your friends, and your labeled nothing. Who cares the name of the game if your having fun. I bet the majority of you don’t even know the premise of Dungeons or Dragons, but you do know it’s a "nerdy" game. Final comparison. Im playing my favorite computer game, a game requiring quick thinking and decisive decision making. People scoff at me and ask why im wasting my time playing. Your outside playing soccer, a game that requires quick thinking and decisive decision making. The theme being here that what you've been judging, isn't all that different than what you've been doing. What you may not know about me is that I am an avid modeler. I buy certain models, build them, and then paint them. Then there is a board game using these same models after where you can pitch your armies vs an opponents. Now here's a question, when I go to local tournaments and gaming nights, who do you think my opponents are? Other kids, 300 pound 25 year olds still living at home, maybe college kids with severe acne and no college life? You may be surprised to know this isn't the case. My normal opponents, and now friends, are in fact mostly composed of married, older men, who work normal hours at respectable jobs. In fact, If I lined up in a line those who played and those who don’t, I bet you a pretty penny you couldn't tell them apart. There's even a biker gang loaded up with tattoos who come in to game with little toy miniatures every once in a while. Not your stereotypical nerd crowd. Now I haven't myself ever played Dungeons and Dragons, I would play it in a heartbeat if I could play with a good group of friends. Because I've learned that what society deems lame and uncool, are usually in fact some of the funnest and coolest games there are. The community in these games are outstanding also. Theirs no need to worry about being "cool" or "popular". The whole reason to be there is to have fun, and everything else becomes irrelevant. You know those kids sitting at the table in the lunch-room playing cards during lunch? Every school has them. Those kids may be labeled as losers and nerds, but if you really think about it, those kids are braver than most of us. Who else is willing to do the thing they love in front of everyone else, knowing that they are being constantly judged and labeled. Everyone has or does something that makes them different, but who else openly shows it to the world, ignoring all the hate it is sure to bring upon themselves. That is true bravery.

The worst part about these pre-judgments and labels are the harms and impacts they create. As im sure you can imagine, being called a nerd and a loser doesn’t really brighten ones spirits. Not only does it cause the person being labeled to be more insecure, it also hurts their self image. Back at my other school, I had a very close friend. We did almost everything together, including the game above mentioned. At the time we were both into a card game named "Magic the Gathering", another game labeled by society as nerdy and lame. At the time I didn’t really even know about these labels, or that playing it was even considered socially unacceptable. So my friend and I played it often. We started at first only playing at each others houses, and this slowly grew into us playing during lunch, and before and after school. Slowly as we became more involved, we played more and more during school, till we were playing during class. It was fun, why not play it when we had the chance? Slowly more and more people began to play with us, until we had a good group of around 10 guys playing. We played throughout the rest of the year, oblivious to any outside judgment. Next year, this changed. Slowly I began to notice the strange looks we were given, the accusing side glances being thrown in our direction and began to realize what was happening. But It wasn’t till people began openly scoffing at us and calling us names did we begin to feel self-aware. We started playing less often, and when we did we tried to hide the fact we were playing. Our group of guys dwindled down till it was just us again. After this, many people in our school who we were good friends with wouldn't even talk to us, and would ignore us. Next year, my friend started home schooling to avoid the label that had been plastered above his head where his name should have been. Luckily for me, I was given a new chance at a new school. Freshmen year, I was so scared people would judge me and label me that I didn’t tell anyone about my hobbies or the things I loved. When I was around people I didn’t know I kept to myself and didn’t talk. This was not at all how I was years ago before the judgment and the labels, but they changed me. Just think about how you would feel if every time you tried to do something you loved, you were judged and hated? I believe it would change anyone. It can even cause depression. When one gets the feeling that no one likes them, no one cares about them, and that they don’t matter, depression is sure to follow. Calling them a nerd and a loser sure isn't helping the matter either. Im sure you all have seen at least one movie or documentary where someone has committed suicide after being depressed. This is because suicide and depression are directly related. How would you feel if you called someone a nerd and next week they committed suicide? While your comment might not be the only reason they committed, it could very well be a big part of it. Next time your being peer pressured into making fun of someone, think about the consequences.

Luckily, there is a solution for this very big and very detrimental harm plaguing society. But its up to you. Don’t fall into the peer pressure. Don’t judge those who don’t deserve judging. Don’t label someone because their doing something they love. Who knows, you might just save a life.

John W. Gardner states "The creative individual has the capacity to free himself from the web of social pressures in which the rest of us are caught. He is capable of questioning the assumptions that the rest of us accept." Be the hero in the story of life and rescue society from the grips of peer pressure and social norms.
If you've read this far I thank you for your time