Is the Maker Movement Making It Cool For Kids To Be Nerds? 220
blackbearnh writes "For many adults into technology, childhood was an alienating experience, pigeon-holed as a nerd and relegated to the A/V, Computer or Gaming club in high school. But according to a Christian Science Monitor article that looks at young Makers, the next generation of tech geeks are social and are gaining increasing support from corporate America. Radio Shack is stocking Arduinos, Autodesk bought Instructables, and teens are flocking to local Hackerspaces to learn how to create their own gear. Wired GeekDad David Giancaspro thinks the desire to create things is natural. 'As we've moved further and further away from that, towards what people call "knowledge work," as opposed to producing something physical, that urge is starting to come back,' he says."
Using tech is Hip, (Score:2, Insightful)
True joy... (Score:2, Insightful)
"True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Nerds are not cool by definition (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry, won't ever happen. It seems like nerds who grow up to be in the media still project their common teenage fantasy that suddenly the world turns upside down and all the nerds are cool. Hint: the guy hunched over his phone/calculator or whatever and writing programs on it is still and always will be a nerd. But like most of us he's having a good time and doesn't give a shit what label you assign him.
Also I'd love shove the guy who keeps pushing the term "Maker" in a locker.
Who cares? (Score:4, Insightful)
At some point you have to stop looking for external validation of your personal preferences. "Coolness" doesn't have to be democratic.
Re:Using tech is Hip, (Score:4, Insightful)
understanding tech is still nerdy
It is only nerdy because it is so rare...
No. (Score:2, Insightful)
The folks who enjoy making your lives a Hellmouth don't fucking know the Maker Movement exists.
Seek wealth and power, then outsource their jobs and leave them destitute. Living well is the best revenge, but society has made the effort to deserve sociopaths. No reason not to become one.
Re:Like anything else (Score:3, Insightful)
The internet was a better place before the masses, enough said.
No. (Score:5, Insightful)
I know i'm going to need my Nomex underwear for this post, but...
1) IME, kids who would be 'nerds' tend to be nerds anyways. It's something that they just can't help.
2) Kids who would not be nerds will pretty much not be nerds. Either they don't have the interest, intelligence, or what. But they'll get into other things instead (not that this is bad, it's just the facts).
2) Kids who are on the fence might be brought in by Make or similar, but this percentage is going to be incredibly low.
3) Right now it is INCREDIBLY COOL to be a 'nerd' or a 'geek'. However, this definition doesn't apply to the kids in #1. The 'new' nerds or geeks aren't really nerds or geeks, just those from #2 that have found a way to apply that label to themselves so that they can do whatever they wanted to do in the first place. I'm talking the cosplay/anime types who play video games as opposed to writing them, buy Macbooks instead of building a computer themselves, and get into Rock Band instead of learning to play a real instrument. There will unfortunately be little to no talk about science, computers, scifi, Make Magazine or any of the hallmark stuff that anyone GenX or older would think of when you say "nerd" or "geek". The terms have completely new meanings.
There are many examples, but y'all get the gist.
Re:CSM (Score:2, Insightful)
No, you wouldn't expect that. Well you wouldn't if you weren't so biased yourself.
You're both commenting as if religion means ignorant idiots who believe in magic, the reality of it is, there is absolutely no conflict between religion and science, the Christian Science Monitor was created to show how science doesn't rule out the existence of a higher power and it does so using science and facts themselves. I know you're confused now and think I'm a total nut job religious zealot, but thats simply because you're a zealot yourself.
All of the parents of this post just show exactly how ignorant each of you are. You think anyone who is religious is an idiot. Unfortunately for you, you've got it backwards. Its bigots such as yourselves that are idiots. Once you learn to accept that science requires you to disprove something, and start using logic, you'll have a lot less difficulty dealing with religion in a sane rational manner.
The way you are now, you're just as ignorant and stupid as religious zealots who really DO think the Earth is 6000 years old and other silly bullshit. I find it ironic that people who seem to think of themselves as educated and scientific are the ones least able to make objective assessments of things in the world rather than subjective ones. You guys are just ignorant hypocrites.
Re:Subculture wars (Score:4, Insightful)
Who's forgetting the rest of the world? I'm not sure what you are even getting at here.
You can enjoy D&D and not drone on about it endlessly to people who don't care.
Ok but that's a fairly universal human failure. People who love football (or whatever) are just as likely to drone on about it endlessly to people who don't care. Its just that since there hobbies are more popular they have fewer people complaining (because more people share their love of football/whatever).
Also, all this stuff you mentioned is just entertainment. Do you really think entertainment choices are this important?
Well, your original post already mentioned not giving up computers and math and such. What else does that leave besides entertainment choices to cause one to be labeled as a nerd?
Being labelled is not a behavior. If it doesn't fit, it's a lot less likely to stick.
Ok but usually in this case it does fit and therefore stick. Nerdy kids do, in fact, like nerdy stuff
Preemptively giving up is not really good for much. It's a poor lesson for kids. It tells people they can't count on you for anything.
I don't understand what you are even getting at here. Are nerds giving up on something? The kids are just trying to enjoy things they enjoy, and getting harassed because the majority doesn't enjoy those things and labels them as "uncool".
Re:Using tech is Hip, (Score:4, Insightful)
Being actually proud of not knowing something is unfathomable to me. Nobody goes around boasting they can't read, or don't know how to use flush toilets. I don't know whether to pity them or despise them or both.