Neeerds!

   As I've said, I try not to ally myself with fandom and community aspects like that, but does liking something instantly make you belong to that community? Well, not the community, but the fandom, the community minus the community, if that makes any sense. You've already applied to the fandom with your... fandom, of that thing, but you decide to ignore the surrounding community.

   Cut off as you would be from the mainstream fandom, completely missing out on any fan theories or any of the other social aspects, even the memes (well, especially the memes, in the word's original definition as a cultural earmark.) You'd be, not behind, but cut out entirely. You don't have to attend any of the conventions to get all of the news. You know when the new season or book or whatever is coming out (updates every Thursday.) You don't have to be a con-goer to enjoy. You would still be able to enjoy science fiction, fantasy, video gaming, board gaming, computer gaming, computer computing. All nerdystyle things. But no cons. As lifebloody (?) as they are, you don't have to go. You'd just be an outcast among (?) outcasts, is all, not in any of their social functions.

   There's another contradiction in there: the nerdystyle, no social-life things revolving around the social and cultural aspects. Yes? Or, maybe that's the source of the public perception: that's the only societal interaction you get, through these hobbies and interests. But that could easily be turned around and looked through on the other side of the lens. The nerd sees the public as the Great Unwashed who lead boring lives and don't know what they're missing, and the public sees the nerd as a loser who can only make friends through his (yes, his- remember, this is the public perception we're talking about) hobbies? So, in one viewer's view it's the other who has no life, and vice versa? Okay, that makes sense.

   Still, I would stress that this model wouldn't be entirely accurate. The reasoning behind this is, after all, kind of circular. Clearly, either way nerdiness would have to be all-consuming. I guess that was the stereotype all along. Too much of one thing or another. Nerdiness would depend on the threshold. If you get too involved in something, anything, even your job, as a hobby, you're a nerd. Going clubbing, not a hobby.