Nerd–noun:
- a person devoted to intellectual, academic, or technical pursuits of interest;
- also: a person preoccupied with or devoted to a particular activity or field of interest.
Before superhero cinema, sci-fi, and anime became mainstream, before gaming became everyone’s favorite pastime, and before working in tech was cool, all of these points of interest were mostly associated with a subculture whose members were often marginalized and even ostracized among the youth. If you haven’t guessed by now, we’re referring to nerdom — a term that embodies the culture, practices, and interests of individuals who identify themselves or are identified as nerds.
Yes, that’s right, being a nerd wasn’t always a good thing. Historically speaking, the term “nerd” was largely pejorative, synonymous with social ineptitude, academic obsessions, and unbridled passions for any point of interest mentioned at the beginning of our discussion. But all that changed with the release of 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds, a comedy film that has set the standards for what defines a cult classic of the ‘80s, and the beginning of a somewhat commercially successful franchise that played its small part in bringing nerdom to the mainstream.
The movie introduces us to best friends and nerds Lewis Skolnick and Gilbert Lowe, who enroll in the fictional Adams College to study computer science. Following a series of events, the freshmen are kicked out of their dorms to accommodate the Alpha Beta fraternity, which includes most of the Adams football team (the jocks). Freshmen were given temporary living space in the gymnasium until they rushed and joined fraternities, but Lewis, Gilbert, and several other nerds failed to join (oh, surprise); instead, they obtained and renovated an old house near campus.
Their success puts the nerds in the Alpha Beta’s crosshairs, who start harassing the nerds — a campaign that involves ridicule and instances of property damage. In response, the nerds implore the Greek Council to sanction Alpha Betas (who actually run it); they get accepted into a Black fraternity, Lambda Lambda Lambda (Tri-Lambs), and end up not only challenging the Greek Council but also leading it, as Gilbert becomes the new Council president by the film’s end.
Through its humor, the original Revenge of the Nerds directly criticized the social dynamics prevalent in the 1980s, where physical prowess and superficial, fleeting popularity often overshadowed intellect and innovation. Nowadays, looking back on the film, a lot of the things that the nerds in Tri-Lambs would have enjoyed, like high-production sci-fi series, AAA video games, and all the tech gadgetry, are common course. Being a nerd is no longer the scarlet letter that it once was in the heyday of wedgies and swirlies from Hell.
We can say, with a degree of certainty, that the Revenge of the Nerds’ portrayal of its leads as multidimensional characters with exceptional talents served as a small stepping stone towards mainstreaming the nerd culture. Not only did the movie lay the groundwork for several sequels — none of them actually performed as well as the original — but it also inspired countless other works that celebrated nerdom throughout the ‘90s. This includes shows like Freaks and Geeks, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Family Matters, whose Steve Urkel was supposed to make only a single appearance in the show.
Then came “geek chic,” a fashion and cultural shift that further embraced things historically associated with nerdom (video games, comics, wearing glasses, and the socially awkward vibe) as fashionable or trendy. Around the same time, in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, the widespread adoption of the internet happened, and the digital revolution made knowledge and tech skills more valuable than ever before. The very pursuits of the things that once labeled people as nerds, like proficiency in tech and a passion for gaming, have become mainstream.
Thus, being a nerd is no longer seen as an insult but as a badge of honor. So, it’s safe to say that 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds crawled so that Jaleel White’s Steve Urkel could run and the Big Band Theory could fly. However, despite its role in changing the way the world sees nerds, Revenge of the Nerds isn’t without its controversies, particularly when seen through the lens of a modern viewer. Some aspects of the movie, particularly those regarding gender relations and consent, really didn’t age well.
Beyond the controversies, Revenge of the Nerds is everything you’d expect from a 1980s comedy movie with an underdog narrative. Instead of watching young Ralph Macchio becoming Karate Kid, we get to see a group of nerds challenging traditional societal hierarchy, overcoming adversities, and, ultimately, becoming the hottest thing on campus. Watching Revenge of the Nerds in 2024 shows just how much we, as a society, have changed and how we now embrace and worship the things we once marginalized and ostracized.
For our closing argument, may the force be… equal to the mass times acceleration — because it’s important to remember that nerds also come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors.