Nerd Culture and American Culture

In ."The Revenge of the Nerds", Gary Hoppenstand argues that shows like The Big Bang Theory prove that nerd culture has become mainstream. The popularity of that program is credited as showing that nerdiness is no longer something of which one should be ashamed.

While I agree with Hoppenstand's result, I do not agree with his most explored example. The Big Bang Theory may be hugely popular, but it's success may be in spite of nerd culture's mainstream appeal, rather than because of it. It is true, as the author explains, that comic books and reading are interests that receive far less chastising from peers than ever before, but this is, perhaps, not because we are willing to watch nerds on TV, but because we are willing to consume the same media as them.

The top grossing film franchise of all time is Harry Potter, #2 is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nerdy films make money, and they have been continuously doing so since X-Men came out in 2000. The money train on nerd films shows no signs of stopping, with releases announced into 2020.

Does The Big Bang Theory portray nerds the way they want to be portrayed? In a world where nerd culture is mainstream enough for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be as successful as it is, it seems counterfactual to portray nerds as socially inept, as the show does. While there are people in the world who fit the nerd archetype that are socially awkward, not all nerds are poorly adjusted, and, it has turned out that the ones that are poorly adjusted have tended to have issues beyond an obsession with the culture.

Do people watch Big Bang Theory to empathize with the nerds, or to laugh at them? The characters aren't role models socially, though their academic careers are stereotypically impressive, so one might look to the latter. Then what are we laughing at? The characters' awkward social graces hint at some sort of psychological disorder, such as autism or Asperger's. Is that really funny?

Regardless of whether he gave a good example, Hoppenstand's point about nerds being cool stands as true, though with more credit to Hugh Jackman than Jim Parsons.