Learners+of+Today's+Society+(Final)

Learners vs. Society Meena Subramanian Learners, more commonly known as nerds , have been misjudged on several occasions by the media and the general public. When rarely caught doing something out of the ordinary, a nerd is tormented by the media; one small mistake can be blown out of proportion by society, and this unusual flaw eventually becomes another reason to negatively stereotype against a Learner. Although they are said to be geeky, lonely , bizarre outcasts by various media sources , nerds are really just ordinary people who are enthusiastic towards learning. The learner is not just the stereotypical socially awkward geek, he or she is someone who takes learning to the next level , intentionally or not. The learner must love learning for the sake of learning itself, and not just to prove others wrong or to build themselves up. A nerd realizes that knowledge is power, and therefore , it should never be used for malicious or selfish purposes , such as for the destruction of something good or for fame. Learners believe that in order to achieve greatness, one must have a decent knowledge base ; that knowledge is the key to all success. A nerd must be selfless ; he or she must know that all knowledge belongs to the entire world and should be given without question to the seekers who earn it. A learner ' s personal drive is to make the world a better place ; to impact its people in a positive way and to use their gift and talent for the utmost good of all. The media places a negative connotation on nerds that oftentimes lead to inaccurate generalizations against them, which are then enforced and supported by the public. Nerds are consistently characterized as strange misfits who are either weird or violent. For example, in the popular kids ' television show __Phineas and Ferb__ Baljeet , an enthusiastic learner , is frequently ridiculed by the other kids for enjoying school and excelling at math. The academic skills he possesses put him in the role of " The Nerd ", and as a result he is targeted by the bully, Buford. Similarly, in the poem " I ' m Only A Nerd " by Evan James Griffin , a person is seen as an outcast for being particularly smart , good at chess , and liking Pokémon. These qualities should not dictate how someone is interpreted ; someone ' s personal forte can range from a variety of things and is not something to be judged for. It is a negative example of a nerd because he is looked down upon simply for excelling at things that require more brain power than other activities might. In the children's television show __The Powerpuff Girls__ the villain, Mojojojo , is a brilliant monkey who has an exceptional ability to concoct mastermind schemes to accomplish his everlasting desire for world domination ; however , he is a negative example of a Learner because although he is very bright (as seen in a short "interview" with him) , he uses his knowledge for evil and destruction. In contrast, nerds are very rarely interpreted as heroes for using their intelligence to accomplish good deeds. For instance, Jimmy Neutron , the protagonist of the show __Jimmy Neutron__ __ : ____ Boy Genius __ , is a social , young boy who has an impeccably sharp mind. He is a positive example of a Learner, for he uses his uncanny intellect to better the world by utilizing his various inventions to save people and the world from destruction. Likewise, in the episode "Robot Wars" of the television show __Zoey 101__ , Quinn , a girl with a passionate love for science , is asked to help create a robot that will have to fight another robot to determine which team , either Quinn and her friends or a small band of rude geeks, is superior in science. At first Quinn immediately declines the request from her friends for assistance in constructing the robot, because she is a true Learner who does not believe that science should be used for any kind of destruction or violence. However, when her adversaries become rude and sexist Quinn decides to use her scientific skills to do some good , and teach the others a lesson. Quinn is a great positive example of a nerd because she does not like to use her knowledge to destroy, but she knows when and how to use it to make her school a better place. Furthermore, in the novel __Ender's Game__ written by Orson Scott Card , Ender Wiggin is a young boy who has been gifted with great intellectual capabilities. At first, Ender is seen as strange by others because his brilliance is too overwhelming for most of his peers. However, he is eventually lionized by all because he uses his intelligence to save the world from the destruction seeking Buggers. Ender is a perfect example of a Learner, because although he isn't accepted by society at first , he stays true to his passion for learning and uses his talents to help the world become a safer place for everyone. Therefore, this shows that smart people are capable of having friends as well as doing great things. Learners, contrary to popular belief , are very beneficial to society because they harness their own sheer brilliance to improve the conditions of their surroundings. Even when they are frequently trapped and put down by the media, nerds can emerge as fun, interesting people who love learning. Although nerds have the tendency to be quirky and unusual, they are truly just regular people with an extraordinary ambition to help others.

Works Cited

DeeperTone. "Powerpuff Girls Fandub - Mojo Jojo Interview - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// 19 Dec. 2009. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .

Griffin, Evan James. "Nerd Poems | Poems About Geeks | Nerdy Poem | Humorous Poems." //Humorous Poems | Witty Poems | Hilarious Poems For All Ages!// 12 July 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .

Gryn20. "Phineas and Ferb - The Baljeatles Part 1 of 2 - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// 29 July 2009. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .

Orson Scott.Card - Christopher Yost - Pasqual Ferry - Frank D'Armata - Cory Petit - Jake Black - Orson Scott.Card - Marvel Publishing Inc. - 2009

PingPong440. "Jimmy Neutron: Runaway Rocketboy (Pilot Episode) Part 3." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// 31 Mar. 2010. Web. 03 Jan. 2012. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXmf9rOBZ5c>.

Q1w1e1ful. "Zoey 101 - S02E08 - Robot Wars Part 1 - YouTube." //YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.// 10 Aug. 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgOucqrEyjo>.