Leonid Fridman's Article 'America Needs Its Nerds'

The main thesis of “America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman is how the “so-called nerds” should embrace themselves instead of pretending to be someone they’re not. Nerds and geeks are shunned by not finding interest in the activities that most kids do. The time of making fun of them is now gradually disappearing because more people realize that we need the nerds to contribute to the growth of society. In our countries, the “nerds” are praised upon and held as an example, instead of being an symbol of ridicule for others in a classroom setting. In the U.S.A, we ostracized them instead of serving them an inspiration. We need to transform the imbued notion that geeks are just there for us to mock them and replaced it with the proper praise

A respected author John Green questions, "Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice you 're a nerd is like saying, ‘Hey I knows that you 'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you 'd rather be thoughtful of them be vapid, that you believe that there things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan and why is that?” Many people who are passionate about their studies question the same thing. Leonid Fridman wrote a passage “America Needs its Nerds” in order to raise concern that our society does not value intelligence. Fridman uses compare and contrast to get his point across to the readers. He makes the text more relatable by characterizing the typical American mindset. He successfully explains to the reader that the persecution of intellectuals is something our country should not be doing.

“America Needs Its Nerds” an article created by Leonid Fridman, puts forth a pertinent issue in today’s society: intellectually adept students are ostracized. Fridman argues that smart, curious students need to stop feeling ashamed for being smart and curious. Society needs to change because their current philosophy towards intellect is one of pessimism. Fridman develops these arguments in his essay by utilizing the rhetorical strategy of parallelism, drawing conclusions, and through his use of diction.

America Needs Its Nerds, written by Leonid Fridman, expresses the country’s need for studious people. The United States look down on kids that would rather learn than play sports. Leonid argues that this anti-intellectualism idea is not good for the greater community. Without intellectuals the U.S. will not be as great as countries that value academics. Leonid Fridman uses motifs, hyperboles, and criticizing questions to support his argument on how nerds and geeks are essential to society.

In the weighty argumentative essay, “America Needs Its Nerds”, by Leonid Fridman, he points out a very important issue students who are academically gifted face: their intellectual advances often have them labeled as degrading terms such as geek or nerd. Throughout Fridman’s argument, he structures his agreement to attend to the appeal to logos and his belief that we do, in fact need our “nerds.” Fidman first exemplifies his assertive tone in the mere first few words of the text saying, “There is something very wrong with the system of values in a society that has only derogatory terms like nerd and geek for the intellectually curious and academically curious.” His anger towards the American system of values becomes evident early on, thus

Every high school has two categories, and I bet as always, the jocks are popular and the intellectual or “nerds” are at the bottom of the social ranks. What would happen if the social categories were flipped? In the article, “America Needs its Nerds”, Leonid Fridman uses emotionally charged diction, an honest atmosphere, and syntax in order to argue that if America is going to thrive, then the negative outlook on nerds must be flipped to a positive view. Similarly, the author expresses his argument using precise, and emotionally charged diction.

“America Needs its Nerds” Analysis Leonid Fridman’s use of irony, the rhetorical triangle, and rhetorical questions in his article “America Needs its Nerds” develops his argument that American society should be more accepting of intellectuals. His tone is critical of society’s values, which is seen through his use of phrases such as, “there is something very wrong with the system of values,” (1). Through his reference to Harvard University, a “prestigious academic institution” (11), he demonstrates that society tends to look down upon intellectuals by revealing that many students are “ashamed to admit” (13) the amount of time they spend on their studies. The fact that even at Harvard, a school known for its focus on intellectualism, students still perpetuate the anti-intellectualism stereotype shows the extent of the problem with the values of America’s current society.

The persuasive article Individuality vs Conformity argue, that teenagers should find a healthy middle between Individuality and Conformity. The author supports his/her analysis by describing how the high school students act towards non-conformist students. The author 's purpose is to show high school students that it’s ok to be different and themselves in order so that they learn to love themselves. The author writes in a emotional style for the readers of high school students and others interested in the topic of Conformity and Individuality.

Mark Bauerlein, author of ‘The Dumbest Generation’, argues that today’s youth has had a decline in academics due to new technology in today’s economy. In retrospect, we’re growing up in a different time than the generation before us; the world and it’s products are different as to be expected, and with them we must learn new materials than they did. Today’s generation isn’t ‘dumb’, instead we’re adjusting to the times and retaining different knowledge than the generations before us. Many older generations always thinks that the generation after theirs is ‘dumber’, and think themselves to be the superior one.

In this passage, Leonid Fridman expresses his concerns, regarding how the word "geek’" or “nerd" is used as a derogatory term rather than a complimentary term. Fridman develops his argument by using rhetorical devices such as hyperboles, rhetorical questions, and juxtaposition to emphasize his reasoning. He explains how there is a flaw within the system of values in our society that thinks of nerds as social pariahs.

Certain ideals that are valued in American society have caused concern in some people due to the alarming threat they pose. In the passage, “America Needs its Nerds,” by Leonid Fridman, the author discusses a social problem he sees that is prominent in the United States. Throughout the reading, Fridman mentions how often anti-intellectualism is seen and why it is our issue in America. Fridman’s purpose in writing this passage is to bring the issue to the minds of people and to make them question their own personal stance. Fridman uses different strategies in order to convey his idea that people who are curious and serious about knowledge should not be labeled a nerd.

When reading this narrative, the author repeatedly states

Before this remark, the narrator only would put one to two words maximum in all capital letters. This remark has the total of four words which if a big jump from one

He also plays with expectations of the reader, and towards the end of the last chapter he breathlessly elevates

In today's society a countless amount of intelligent young adults throw away their talent by making short sided decisions, or partaking in harmful habits. Some claim the dilemma on modern media glamorizing such bad habits. Others asseverate that the people around them are to blame. None the less Gwendolyn Brooks expresses these concerns in an almost morbid fashion with her powerful poem "We Real Cool" which conveys a cautionary theme that those who chose to live fast paced lives filled with so called "cool" choices tend to live short lives. Her use of rhythm, dialect, and word choice presents the almost unnerving theme in an incredibly haunting way .