“Nerds” and “geeks” are the ugly, weak kids with over-sized glasses and funny looking
clothes, right? In this day and age, the names “geek” and “nerd” are frequently used in normal
conversation in the United States. This is done usually without the knowledge of the actual
meanings of the names, only the stereotypical vision. In the passage “America Needs Its Nerds”
written by Leonid Fridman, he states that people who are academically gifted and serious about
their education shouldn’t be looked down upon. Fridman develops an argument against this
derogatory treatment of the intellectually strong in multiple ways.
First off, Fridman uses many techniques to get people thinking, interested, and
understanding of the overall problem. He uses an exact definition of the work “geek” from
Webster’s New World Dictionary to give the reader a precise understanding of the word.
Because the actual definition is so odd and would not be a normal sight in everyday life, the
total ridiculousness of it is what catches the reader off guard, making the reader interested
from the start. It forces the audience think harder about the simple use of the word. Before a
problem is fixed, people need to admit and understand that there is one. By using prestigious
organizations such as highly successful schools, as a place where the anti-intellectualism
occurs, such as Harvard, it again catches people off guard. The fact that this occurs in society’s
“higher regarded organizations,” is unbelievable. The argument Fridman is trying to bring
across to the reader sounds much more believable if the “amazing Harvard Law School” has
students that are ashamed to admit how much they study. If it’s not enough to have an Ivy
League school as an example, Fridman also uses the general elementary and high schools level
as examples of places where athletics are idolized over intellectualism. This shows that the
problem occurs in all age groups, hence there is a greater problem that will also arise in the
future.
Fridman uses strong comparisons and contrasts in his phrasing, along with strong
appropriate diction and tone to build his argument. When he says, “…Children who would
prefer to build model airplanes rather than getting wasted at parties...become social
outcasts…” he reveals the importance of the effect on social interaction with strong, impacting
words, by showing the reader the negative sociological effects of the derogatory treatment of
“nerds”. This tool of exceptional use of diction is seen throughout the entire passage in the
same or similar ways. Extreme comparison is another way Fridman builds his argument.
Comparing America in a negative way to another country brings out the competitiveness in a
majority of Americans. Everyone strives to be the best. In this excerpt Fridman pushes for the
reader to feel that competitiveness to be better when he states that there are very few countries
that have anti-intellectualism on the rise, some of which include our economic rivals. His tone
in that same section is very condemning, persuading the reader to feel that this act of unfair
treatment to the academically serious isn’t moral. Another place where his tone adds to his
developing argument, is when he says, “…But not America, where average professional
ballplayers are much more respected and better paid than faculty members of the best
universities…”. In this portion of the text he uses a sarcastic tone. His sarcasm shows the
bitterness toward the statement, and re-iterates his feelings on the topic while making the
reader think deeply about which professions really deserve to be respected more. Finally, his
use and placement of rhetorical questions in the passage pushes the reader to analyze the other
points given throughout the short read. They tie everything together nicely. The placement of
the rhetorical questions act as a final impression and summary, making the audience ponder
the information, while persuading them even more.
Fridman developed his argument with multiple different techniques, making the
passage very convincing. From his strong diction, to the rhetorical questions, his argument was
fully supported with logic and facts. America does need its nerds… or at least needs to embrace
them in society.