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Fierce Nerds

paulgraham.com

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Re: Fierce Nerds

#41

Post by zozbot234 »

helen___keller wrote: post #21

I enjoy reading Paul Graham's musings on nerds / nerdiness, but I can't help but have difficulty relating. Maybe it's a generational thing (born in '92), but Graham often seems to paint a picture of nerds similar to what you might see in movies and TV shows depicting the 80s, like the kids in Stranger Things. Even this article, while I can certainly conjure which of my friends growing up were the "fierce nerd", it st…

Paul Graham himself muses in this post that the main contrast is between people who are "good at making deals" and those who are actually competent in some relevant domain. We can see this shift happening in politics as well.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#42

Post by moolcool »

CoastalCoder wrote: post #7

Nobody who knows me would call me "woke", except as part of some joke. But as the father of a kid with Asperger Syndrome, and as someone with a likely diagnosis myself (according to neuropysch testing), I'm a little bothered by the broad brush with which P.G. is painting.

+1, and with all due respect to PG's technical background, reductive and stereotyping pieces like this kind of feel like he's looking at the people who thrust him into his lofty VC position with contempt.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#43

Post by teachingassist »

Using James Watson as an example is an interesting choice.

When I think of James Watson, I think of someone who a) stole his major work (the one thing for which he is famous) from a woman without giving credit, and b) has been almost-literally cancelled for being consistently racist, also by his colleague-science-nerds who consistently report that they don't like him.

Not someone that I want to celebrate for being a 'fierce nerd'.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#44

Post by [deleted] »

zozbot234 wrote: post #41
helen___keller wrote: post #21

I enjoy reading Paul Graham's musings on nerds / nerdiness, but I can't help but have difficulty relating. Maybe it's a generational thing (born in '92), but Graham often seems to paint a picture of nerds similar to what you might see in movies and TV shows depicting the 80s, like the kids in Stranger Things. Even this article, while I can certainly conjure which of my friends growing up were the "fierce nerd", it st…

Paul Graham himself muses in this post that the main contrast is between people who are "good at making deals" and those who are actually competent in some relevant domain. We can see this shift happening in politics as well.

[deleted]

Re: Fierce Nerds

#45

Post by moolcool »

javajosh wrote: post #31

The first rush of comments are all negative, mostly of the ad hominem sort, accusing PG of publicly psychoanalyzing himself. And yet, I really liked the essay because it reads like a lifeline to those who doubt themselves, perhaps profoundly. To PG the same qualities that alienate a "fierce nerd" in so many contexts are precisely the same qualities that could lead to success (even dominance) in other contexts. The us…

>The useful follow on to this essay, I would think, is to give a list, as long as possible, of places where "fierce nerds" are wanted, demanded, needed - both well-known institutions and startups.

"How to Deal with Difficult People on Software Projects" is a pretty good read in this vain https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-proj...

Re: Fierce Nerds

#46

Post by woeIsPG »

zozbot234 wrote: post #41
helen___keller wrote: post #21

I enjoy reading Paul Graham's musings on nerds / nerdiness, but I can't help but have difficulty relating. Maybe it's a generational thing (born in '92), but Graham often seems to paint a picture of nerds similar to what you might see in movies and TV shows depicting the 80s, like the kids in Stranger Things. Even this article, while I can certainly conjure which of my friends growing up were the "fierce nerd", it st…

Paul Graham himself muses in this post that the main contrast is between people who are "good at making deals" and those who are actually competent in some relevant domain. We can see this shift happening in politics as well.

A year ago he was musing how categorizing people into two groups was too basic.

Xist versus Yist, and he showed us with some pretty basic math.

Now two groups is all we need to understand the world?

Re: Fierce Nerds

#47

Post by 1cvmask »

I think we should confine this to the primarily US setting (and maybe parts of the English speaking world like Canada). In most of the rest of the world being top in academics is expected from everyone especially to pass standardized tests (the only way in many countries) to get into universities. The poor outnerd the rich fiercely so that they can step up. The rich try to nerd so that they can maintain their privilege.

There are no secret backdoors (like athletics) for the rich in the public schooling and university realm that exist in most of these countries. In essence everyone is a nerd or trying to be a nerd.

In the US system, one could make the argument that elite legacies and the fencing team help the manufactured diversity and lower the “nerd” (achievement oriented) “toxicity.”.

A study abroad for just a semester would be an eye-opener for many of us on the normalcy of nerdness in many societies. Most parents hope their kids become doctors, engineers etc.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#48

Post by fumar »

whalesalad wrote: post #23
waterside81 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try reading his Twitter feed. He went from VC visionary to Facebook mom.

I intentionally avoid SV/Tech/VC on Twitter. It’s a parody at this point.

I’ve witnessed music scenes come and go. It wasn’t until recently I noticed the startup culture or visible ethos, at least online, morphed into something new. Perhaps like music we are seeing new trends evolve or we are in a transition phase where the new culture leaders are yet to emerge. But, PG is like alternative rock in in 2020 and beyond, out of style.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#49

Post by Nasrudith »

The success and bitterness footnote seems very off. In my experience and observations bitterness seems to be more driven by "scarring" than current success. A bad situation doesn't help but a good one is no antidote.

There is the "one who made it out" archetype for one example. The kind who left a very unsuccessful community and have even less sympathy for them than those taking a priveledged background for granted.

Re: Fierce Nerds

#50

Post by [deleted] »

helen___keller wrote: post #21

I enjoy reading Paul Graham's musings on nerds / nerdiness, but I can't help but have difficulty relating. Maybe it's a generational thing (born in '92), but Graham often seems to paint a picture of nerds similar to what you might see in movies and TV shows depicting the 80s, like the kids in Stranger Things. Even this article, while I can certainly conjure which of my friends growing up were the "fierce nerd", it st…

[deleted]
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