Nerds, rejoice; it's finally OK to be smart again.
For years we've watched the media and the world become infested with mindless idiots - and we were entertained by those idiots. It's like an ailment that we were never able to cure, a habit we just couldn't seem to break.
And we're all guilty - whether we're man enough to admit it is another story.
We watched Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera perform the most insanely stupid stunts imaginable and secretly wanted to try them too. We watched Clueless and somehow avoided ear damage after hearing Paris Hilton's "The Stars Are Blind" on the radio 20 times too many. Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott were box-office gods, and José Conseco was a New York Times bestselling author (yeah, that really did happen).
But times are different now. In so many ways, our generation has watched the world completely change. We elected a black president, a feat that would have been impossible 40 years ago. Our generation also boasts the Internet, the largest information source available, along with many other technological inventions.
So pull your socks up real high, tape your glasses together and throw on your nicest pair of suspenders - nerds are in control. As the world has shifted, our interests have as well. Almost 10 years ago, Urkel was the one captivating the small screen; now it's Dr. Gregory House of "House," Chloe Sullivan of "Smallville" and John Hodgman of the Mac/PC commercials.
CBS is currently airing "The Big Bang Theory," a television show that hits on subjects uncomfortable enough to make even the most secure nerds squirm a little. The show chronicles two socially awkward geeks as they attempt to take on the dating world, pursuing their conveniently gorgeous next-door neighbor. As for the silver screen, a remake of "Star Trek" and a sequel to 1982's "Tron" are both currently in the works.
Now, before Hermione gets her robes all in a bunch or Napoleon starts throwing ChapStick, let me clarify. The new nerds are a different kind of geeky; they're a bit cooler, but just as lovable. "Superbad" stars, Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, have made their living being nerdy in a cool way. Movies like "Napoleon Dynamite," "Step Brothers" and "The Benchwarmers" depended on an audience falling in love with characters who aren't necessarily status quo.
Also, throughout Hollywood, education as a whole is becoming status quo. Stars like Natalie Portman, Kate Beckinsale and Julia Stiles attended school (Portman went to Harvard, Beckinsale to Oxford and Stiles to Columbia).
Stars are also more politically involved and participate in multiple activities that bring awareness to important causes all around the world. Stars aren't studying calculus or collecting stamps, but they are focusing on a bigger picture, becoming more active politically and socially. This is the new nerd: aware, caring, educated and ready to help change the world.
Even though Beckinsale and Demi Moore don't look the part, they're as much of a nerd as Urkel himself. So nerds are back, shaking up the entertainment industry completely - and it's a good thing.
Now if only someone would have told Dustin Diamond to stop being such a jerk, he might actually have a chance at a job again. That is too bad, I do miss Screech.
Stacie Foster is a freshman magazine journalism major and the pop culture columnist. Her columns appear every Monday and Friday. She can be reached at HYPERLINK "mailto:snfoster@syr.edu" snfoster@syr.edu
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