[code_sardaukar]

As someone who was bullied for being a nerd, your statement is very triggering. Do you think there is a way we can encourage all people to explore tech without denigrating people with certain personality types/interests?

[thomasfedb]

I think lordnacho has a point, in that programming was previously considered to be an unworthy pursuit and considered antisocial (the arena of the so-called nerds). It's great that school-aged children are now being widely encouraged to explore coding.

[shostack]

Not only that but programmers and STEM professions are starting to be highlighted in pop culture in very positive ways such as Big Hero 6.

Contrast that with movies from the 80s or 90s and geeky types might have been heroic, but it was always despite them being geeky, not because of it. Like it came with social baggage they needed to overcome vs being their source of power.

[wccrawford]

I'm also a nerd (and proudly so, to this day) and I was bullied for it in school.

But I don't see the parent calling people nerds in a negative light. It can be read that they think programming is no longer being thought of as something you can only do with kids who are especially interested in that kind of thing, but instead can be taught to all kids. "Nerd" was just their shorthand for kids who are interested in logic and knowledge more than other kids.

[code_sardaukar]

I guess the comment triggers me in the same way as reading "you don't have to be effeminate or gay to be a male ballet dancer" might trigger some people.

While it doesn't directly paint gay or effeminate men in a negative light, it also doesn't do enough to distance itself from the negative stigma men who don't follow traditional male roles face.

[wccrawford]

I can totally see that.

I think that non-nerdy people can't understand what it's really like to be nerdy. They attribute things to nerds (like acne or hubris) that aren't actually part of what a nerd really is. They just see a partial pattern and then paint the whole group with it.

Attempting to educate them about this doesn't really help, IMO. It's just extra stress, and so I try to just ignore their ignorance and go on my way.

Plus, I've noticed that kids these days put intelligence on a pedestal, and that's been awesome to see. The idea of a whole generation growing up and respecting people who can think well... I love it.

[lordnacho]

Well, of course. If you look at the sort of thing ordinary people are interested in, programming is now quite prominent in several respects:

- Every interesting business requires programmers. Uber, AirBnB, Tesla, Facebook, Google -everything that is making headlines- require coders as a key ingredient, rather than as waterboys. That wasn't always the case when I was growing up.

- It's clear for everyone to see that coding jobs pay better than most jobs.

- There's a degree to which coding jobs are interesting which is becoming ever more clear to people. Where jargon was once a sign that you were a nerd, now it's a sign that you're informed on some of the things driving modern society.