<p>Whew! That ended up being a long post again, and I’m sorry. One more piece of clarification.</p>
<p>If you do not want to read a lot of text (and I understand!), I have bolded the important points for you. The rest is just explanation and support.</p>
<p>“Soon enough the categories of “nerd,” “hipster,” “prom queen,” etc. will break down. If I categorized the world by sorting out people whom I felt didn’t share anything in common with me based on the way they appeared, I’d have no friends.” (unalove)</p>
<p>In short, yes, I agree with your points. HOWEVER, there is this thing we call language with which we must communicate. My take on the usage of language is that when I write this post and ask you guys for help with my dilemma, **I need to communicate to you what I mean. When I tell you the backstory, I have to use terms that YOU will understand. ** So okay, maybe I didn’t have to use “nerd,” because as you said, these categories ultimately aren’t much use when it comes to talking about individuals. But if I used the first post to detail every single individual interaction my friend had at U Chicago that made her feel this way, the post would be thrice its current length, and it’s none too short already! It is much more efficient for me to use cultural shorthand in this context. If I said someone was a “prom queen” type, you personally may disagree with such blatant stereotyping. But even as you disagreed, you would still understand the intended meaning. And so that term, for all its faults, would still be useful.</p>
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<li>In the post, I say that some nerds in particular - NOT ALL NERDS! NOT MOST NERDS! just SOME nerds - are “not very good at social interaction.” I don’t think there is anything wrong with this observation. I’m not saying, “Every nerd ever is a negative stereotype.” I am simply saying that my friend does not like people who cannot socially interact with her well. Yes, some of this may be her own problem. Yes, people who are not good at social interaction are still worthwhile individuals. That doesn’t change anything. My friend is unhappy at U Chicago because the only people she has met so far either are “hipsters” (see previous post) or are socially incompetent in her eyes (which probably means that these kids are pretty darn socially incompetent, because she’s no “prom queen” herself). She wants to meet people who are NOT “hipsters” and who are NOT socially incompetent. And THAT is what I want your help with. That’s all I am asking for.</li>
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<p>I understand that some of this confusion is my fault for not being sufficiently clear in my first post, and I take full responsibility for that. I also understand now that humor doesn’t relay well over the internet, which is why some of my cultural in-jokes (for example, the ironic t-shirts) were taken at face value by some, who misinterpreted that offhand remark as a comment on inherent value in appearance. And again, I take responsibility for that, and I’m sorry for that confusion as well. But I hope now that after these two extended posts, I have CLARIFIED the situation, and those of you who balked at giving help the first time because of our misunderstandings will be able to aid me now.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Annette</p>