Are "Stupid Nerds" the Underclass?
Ilya Somin over at the Volokh Conspiracy has an interesting post on the tragedy of the stupid nerd:
I wonder if kids who shoot up schools tend to be "stupid nerds" as opposed to "intelligent nerds?" Does prestige for one's intelligence or "genius" protect one from acting out violently? Perhaps--certainly some school shooters felt that they were not living up to their potential--but maybe they knew deep down that they had little potential for doing great things and this pushed them over the edge when combined with bullying. The difference in the psychological state of "stupid nerds" vs. "intelligent nerds" would make for an interesting doctoral dissertation for some ambitious graduate student.
Back in high school, I developed the theory that the people at the very bottom of the school social hierarchy are those who act like nerds even though they don't have much academic or intellectual ability. They, not the intelligent nerds supposedly oppressed by jocks, are the true underclass of the high school world. Whereas smart nerds derive at least some prestige and acceptance from their intellectual achievements, the relatively dumb ones suffer all the costs of being perceived as nerds without any of the benefits. It's interesting that Amber has independently arrived at the same conclusion.
I wonder if kids who shoot up schools tend to be "stupid nerds" as opposed to "intelligent nerds?" Does prestige for one's intelligence or "genius" protect one from acting out violently? Perhaps--certainly some school shooters felt that they were not living up to their potential--but maybe they knew deep down that they had little potential for doing great things and this pushed them over the edge when combined with bullying. The difference in the psychological state of "stupid nerds" vs. "intelligent nerds" would make for an interesting doctoral dissertation for some ambitious graduate student.
Labels: violence prevention, violent kids
posted by Helen at 8:52 AM
16 Comments:
I always understood that Geeks are the smart ones. Nerds are the dispossessed, socially clueless ones who tire of the social competition and drop off the radar, go Goth and Emo and whatever.
Maybe many geeks have a social IQ that lags a bit, but as you say, they derive affirmation and emotional anchorage from their intellect.
I think the word you are looking for is "dork" instead of "stupid nerd." Nerds are dorks that are really smart. Geeks are the smart ones who seem to be just eccentric.
It probably doesn't help the dorks that the geeks are no longer outcasts, but rather are generally accepted by society. Of course, as my wife would say, being a geek girl who was hounded by nerds in college, one of the reasons for that is that geeks actually tend to understand the importance of bathing more than once per lunar cycle...
Sadly, I think one of my nephews fits into this category. Academically poor, very few social skills, speaks so poorly that he's almost semi-lingual. But boy, does he like Manga and comic books.
I used to work with homeless people, and it struck me that nearly all of us have one or more gifts that keep us out of the gutter. One may not be smart or creative, but be a hard worker, or be reliable, or be good looking or tall. or have a dedicated family. Often, just ONE of these things is enough.
But many of the homeless we worked with essentially have NO gifts. Some of them are just mentally ill, sure, but many are just not very smart, kind of ugly, kind of disorganized, and have no family. They are statistically improbable people. So they just drop toe the bottom. Very sad.
The rare example of a nerd with no social skills started a software company.
What you write in paragraph three, scottish, is heart breaking. I wish it weren't true.
As a dreamer, I wish everyone could find and achieve their potential, whatever it may be. I have a very old friend, over forty years now, who is, and has always been, one of the nicest, kindest, selfless people I have ever known. He barely makes it by in this world, but deserves all the good things this live could bring - if anyone does.
Curious proposition. Sounds like an attempt to distinguish between good nerd and bad nerd in order to make herself feel "clean". A bit like saying those on the high school football team who throw their fellows through the soda shop window are not really jocks.
There are people who go through this world who do not distinguish themselves in school but do well in life. There are others who do poorly in school not for lack of intellect but because they have to overcome a lot of crap just to be where they are.
Most of the school shooters and child murderers have conduct disorder, the precursor and same condition as antisocial personality disorder. That is also the most common diagnosis of adult criminals.
"antisocial personality disorder" - isn't that the psycobabble for "evil"? Don't people talk about good and evil any more?
Sheesh, talk about medicalization of personality traits!
Supremacy Claus,
"Most of the school shooters and child murderers have conduct disorder.."
Some do, some don't. The school shooters are a somewhat different breed. Mass killers often have traits of Major Depressive disorders (hence, the suicide engaged in by many mass killers). There are a cluster of personality disorders associated with adolescent mass killers--often a combination of paranoid, antisocial and narcissistic features. The complexity of the traits and environment of these kids make it hard to tease out any one factor. It is rather, a combination of factors combined with a distortion of cognitive thinking that leads them to kill.
Antisocial personality has many elements of evil but has cohesion as a describer and a predictor of rule breaking.
It was described in the 19th Century, and has stood the test of time as a valid entity. For example, it has a physiological marker that few other diagnoses have, the Cold Pressor Test. If you put your hand in a bucket of ice water, the blood pressure and pulse increase due to pain and stress. Theirs rise less. Find another validating physiological marker like that in psychiatry.
They use a lot of drugs and alcohol, thus collateral symptoms are secondary to conduct disorder using drugs and alcohol. Their female relatives get depression, thus they may also have a touch of it.
The pro-criminal lawyer is the real culprit, preventing the incapacitation of these mass murderers despite multiple prior crimes.
Evil. Which is worse, the sociopath or the pro-criminal lawyer? You decide.
"Pro-criminal lawyer"? You mean an attorney who is an effective advocate for his client in our adversarial judicial system in which both sides aggressively present their positions and a (theoretically) impartial jury decides which side is correct?
You mean attorneys like the lawyers for the three accused Duke lacrosse team rapists?
You mean attorneys like the lawyers for the McMartin preschool sexual abuse defendants?
Blame the legal system all you want, but it is simplistic and disingenuous to single out the lawyers who have chosen to be the advocates for the defendants for your opprobrium. There are as many abuses on the other side, ("Can you say 'Mike Nifong', boys and girls? Sure you can.") Each person in the system has their role, and I sincerely hope that, should I ever be unjustly accused of committing a crime, one of these "pro-criminal lawyers" is available to be my advocate.
David
David: I do not distinguish between defense or prosecution. Both run the criminal justice system as a lawyer welfare program. The criminal is a commodity.
All the goals of the criminal law are in utter failure. There is an 1 in 100 chance of any punishment for the 23 million FBI Index felonies that take place a year. On the other side of the coin, despite its $1 million cost, the murder trial returns a false guilty verdict 20% of the time. One has to conclude that lesser trials are pure garbage.
The lawyers in the hierarchy invent meaningless rights. By coincidence they are all procedural and require more attorney job time.
The sole success of the criminal law is to promote lawyer rent seeking. Try to get some accountability, they all have absolute immunities from the public.
Nifong brought opprobrium on this bunco scheme, so they crushed him. Had he not gotten himself in the paper, he would still have his job with the same misconduct.
Would it be better if they didn't try to emulate the nerds and just tried to be themselves? Do they just have awkward social skills and so are misclassified as nerds? On the topic of "smart nerds", I enjoy the show Big Bang Theory, although I don't watch it often.
I would bet the bullying is a way bigger factor than their intelligence.
If I'd had access to firearms as a teen, I can't say the thought of waxing a few of my classmates wouldn't have crossed my mind. Some folks make being an arse into an art form. And any compassion for others tends to fade in the face of years-long unprovoked aggression.
If I were to hear some of those jerks were shot dead today, I'd quick possibly raise a glass to their killers. I'm still working on that whole Christian forgiveness thing we're commended to do.
They're the weak ones, michael. Shame, inferiority, God knows what drove them. I've always wondered if the abused (or perceived as abused) always become the abusers. Sure seems that way.
I doubt they remember you, except perhaps in a darkened room, drowning in more shame. Or they are nuts, with no help for them.
Don't let it burn a hole in you.
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