[chaosite]

it's not just a US specific thing, it's a generation specific thing.

The scenarios described in the GP link is a very late 70s-80s (Gen X) thing. 90s and early 00s high-schoolers had somewhat different experiences, but they know the trope since that's what was in movies. Schools today have a different concept of a "pecking order" - it's not that nerds aren't at the bottom anymore, it's that the whole concept changed.

[pnutjam]

Physical violence is down, it's moved to emotional and psychological attacks, which can be just as bad or worse.

This is just judging from my own experience, and my kids have a very different set of circumstances then I did.