Blerd vs. Blerd: Stop It

This post is a continuation of a discussion that came about one morning in my Nerd GroupMe and a few of my Facebook Nerd groups (shoutout to the Blerd Resistance) . My original post on this subject started with the stereotypes and discrimination black nerds faced in school and how they faced and accepted their identity. Those things are still valid but I’ll address that in a later post.

The issue raised in the group was the fact that some Black male nerds take it upon themselves to down and belittle Black women nerds for well….being nerds.

Really? You feel so elitist that you feel that black women cannot be nerds and being an anime/manga/game nerd is only reserved for you and your white and Asian counterparts? FOH with that bull. So many times I have seen blerds try to diminish a blerd woman’s knowledge of an anime or comic just because they can. They literally try to quiz them up like a fraternity. “What was the color of Subaru-kun’s armor in episode 117? What is Nightwing’s real name’s middle name? (It’s John). I admit, when I was a young nerd I did the very same thing because I thought that was how I was supposed to go about being accepted. It wasn’t and it’s not.

My favorite argument is “Because I’m a nerd, black women/nerds don’t like me”.

Don’t belittle the people around you because they aren’t “real [insert anime/manga/comic] fans”. Being a nerd never stopped me from enjoying the company of a woman. I know a lot of blerd women who have many suitors so it’s not because of them being nerds. It’s because you are an asshole who chooses to alienate women (black women in particular) and then get mad for them not liking you. To play devil’s advocate, I have heard the argument that some women fake being nerds because they don’t want to continue dating “thugs or dealers” which is a somewhat valid argument but still flawed. You do know that nerds are still people right? Just because one chooses to play Final Fantasy instead of 2K17 doesn’t mean they aren’t trash or terrible for you relationship wise.

But I’m going a little off topic. The main issue is that Blerds need to stop going at each other. It seems as if some blerds are mad at the fact that someone claims to be a nerd but doesn’t have extensive knowledge on certain anime/manga/comic then they aren’t a “Real” nerd.

Stop doing that.

Seriously.

“I know more about One Piece so you can’t be a real nerd”

No one has the right to put down your nerd credentials. We as people of color already have a history of putting each other down so why continue doing so? Let’s not even get started on the stereotypes already placed on nerds let alone black nerds. Nerdom is supposed to be a safe space for all nerds to come together and nerd out about various nerd things. If someone says they love Hunter X Hunter but doesn’t know who Bisquit is, don’t yell at them or call them a “fake nerd”, let them catch up or tell them who that character is. Male Blerds, stop belittling black women and people in general just because they don’t “know” as much as you about certain anime, it’s not that deep. You know more than me/him/her, whoopdeedo. Buy yourself a cookie and some Pokemon cards and keep the shit moving. Nerds are not the same in every aspect and it is especially true in the Black Nerd community. We’re barely accepted among other nerd communities so there is no need to put down our own. With that said, Nerd Out my people. And special shoutout to the Nerd Chat GroupMe. Ya’ll the best!