Nerds

by Anderegg, David

• ISBN13: 9781585428526
• ISBN10: 1585428523
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-03
• Publisher: Tarcherperigree

Summary

"Anderegg's clear-eyed look at a damaging cultural truism does nerds and jocks-all Americans, really-a service." (The Washington Post). Thick glasses, socially awkward, a math whiz with a pocket protector- everyone knows what a nerd is. But where did this stereotype come from? Children aren't born knowing what a "nerd" or "geek" is, so why do they know by the age of five or six that they don't want to be one? In this revised and updated paperback edition of his thought-provoking book, family psychotherapist and psychology professor David Anderegg reveals how the systematic disparagement of "nerds" in our culture is bad for our children and even worse for America. In Nerds, Anderegg examines why science and engineering have become socially poisonous disciplines, why adults wink at the derision of "nerdy" kids, and what the cost of this rising tide of anti- intellectualism is to both our children and our nation. Drawing upon education research, psychological theory, and his own interviews with nerdy and non-nerdy kids alike, Anderegg argues that in order to prepare rising generations to compete in the global marketplace, we need to revisit how we think about "nerds."

Author Biography

David Anderegg, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Bennington College in Vermont, and has maintained a private practice of psychotherapy in Lenox, Massachusetts, for the past seventeen years. His op-eds have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, and Newsday, and he has been quoted as an expert in his field in The New Yorker, USA Weekend, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications. His blog "Young Americans" is featured regularly on psychologytoday.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction To The Paperback Edition	p. 1
Introduction: The Nerd Dilemma: Or Why Ashton Kutcher is Your Kid's Worst Nightmare	p. 11
The Field Guide To Nerds: Or Why Nerds are so Gay	p. 25
Math Scores and Economic Ills: Or Why You Need To Go To India To Find An Engineer	p. 53
Old Themes and New Twists: Or Why Ichabod Crane Will Never Get Laid	p. 77
They Can't Help It, They're Just Sick: Or How Better Treatment Might Help Cure Bill Gates	p. 99
The Seinfeld Axiom: Or Why Nerds Know Advanced Calculus But Can't Get To First Base	p. 125
The Geek Squad: Or Why You're Not Grateful To The Guy Who Fixes Your Computer	p. 153
They're Not Ugly, They Just Need a Makeover: Or Why They Think No One Can See The Tape On Their Glasses	p. 179
I'm not Boring You, Am I?: Or What is this Thing Called The Silmarillion?	p. 203
Welcome To My Persecution: Or Why The George Bush-Al Gore Contest Was a Jungian's Dream	p. 227
Conclusion: The Nerd You Save	p. 251
Notes	p. 267
Index	p. 277
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