Quantum Jim's Journal: Rant: Not all Nerds were beat up + Stallman anecdote

Every time I read a story or ranking about education on /. somebody starts a flame about the American educational system. Then someone eventually makes the comment that Americans do poorly in math/science because society looks down on them. This wasn't my experience growing up.

For example, this poster said that "if a kid loves math, chess or generally science, (he/she) is branded as a nerd or freak and subject to the heavy beating by the other kids." While growing up, I loved math, chess, and science in general among other things. However, I never experienced the "heavy beatings" he suggests I would have. In fact, I only really encountered the stigma he suggests in sixth grade, when a bully decided to throw my books out the window at a bus, among other assorted little things. I was never in a fight, and I was hardly ever lonely during recess with the other "nerds".

In fact in high school, I joined the wrestling team and because a student athletic trainer. Some football players looked down on me, but most didn't. In other sports, everyone was generally nice. None of the wrestlers called me names or treated me badly either. Sure there were a few minor exceptions when I started each, but I deserved that embarassment for not thinking before I spoke. Overall, both experiences were among the best of my life.

As a side note: Stallman publically criticised a nervous nerd, who was asking him a question, during his first visit in Pittsburgh in 25 years in front of an crowd of hundreds. I thought that was pretty low; I understood his nervousness and would have tried to be more gracious. ho hum.