NERD

I remember doing part of 9th grade in El Salvador.

The class had every stereotype identified.

The It-Girl.

The Jock.

The  Slacker.

The It-Guy.

The Nerd.

All socially accepted as part of the group.

Given the privileges their category granted.

But the Nerd?

He got free breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Tickets to movies, concerts, and special events.

Money, double dates.

Most importantly, respect and admiration.

This was the person the class turned to in academic struggle.

The free private tutor.

The one you fought to sit next to in exams.

I marveled.

In the US, being a nerd is a life sentence.

It is social death.

It is a term that makes smart men pretend to be dumb to fit in.

And those who embrace their intellect?

Blasted off to social oblivion.

There's no recognition for gray matter.

Just a demand for looks and shallowness.

The soul-shattering qualities nightmares are made of.

I often wonder what happened in the US to make society in general reject intelligence.

Was it a culture built on followers and not leaders?

Was it scary to have independent thinkers?

Was it inconvenient for those in control to be questioned?

All I know is what I see.

Brilliant men and boys hiding their spark.

Pretending to be dumb.