O nerd pride day is celebrated in may 25th. Also known as Towel Day, the date celebrates nerd culture and makes reference to the launch of film “Star Wars: A New Hope”, from 1977, and to “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy”, by Douglas Adams.
The popularization of the nerd universe from great superhero movies, series and works of fiction contributed to the consolidation of a nerd community. With this, Nerd Pride Day brings together people who have often been excluded and ignored to express their interests.
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Topics of this article
- 1 - Summary about Nerd Pride Day
- 2 - What are nerds and geeks?
- 3 - Origin of Nerd Pride Day
- 4 - Towel Day and nerd pride
- 5 - Nerd Pride Day in Brazil
Summary about Geek Pride Day
Nerd Pride Day emerged in Spain in 2006.
The date was created by the Spanish writer Germán Martínez and refers to the film “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977).
On Nerd Pride Day, Towel Day is also celebrated, a commemorative date in the nerd universe that makes reference to Douglas Adams, author of “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy”.
With the release of major audiovisual productions from the nerd universe, the nerd community has expanded.
Nerds and geeks are people who are interested in science and technology.
What are nerds and geeks?
nerds and geeks are people who are interested in subjects related to science and technology. These groups are known for being consumers of pop culture productions, such as superhero movies and series and technological products. These are people who may have difficulties in relating socially.
Despite having some similarities, the terms have different origins and meanings. Both were used since their origins in a pejorative way, referring to people who did not fit into social standards.
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A The word geek came from the English “geck” (silly) and the German “gek” (crazy).. Currently, the term is used in dictionaries to define people who are technology enthusiasts and specialists.
There is no consensus on the origin of the nerd term, one of the explanations refers to the acronym for Northern Electric Research and Development, a research department of Northern Electric, a Canadian electric power company. Researchers and technicians worked in this sector who were very dedicated and intelligent.
However, some linguists do not believe in this hypothesis, since in 1951, the term nerd was used in an article about youth habits, from Newsweek magazine.
In the popular imagination, over time the figure of the nerd has been associated with the person who wears glasses, very intelligent, who are not physically attractive and who tend not to relate to other people other than their own equals. With that, the nerds were part of the groups that were excluded in school environments.
On the small screen, the series “The Big Bang Theory” became well known for telling the story of a group of nerdy scientist adult friends. In the plot, the caricatured characteristics of the nerd figure are present, and social relationships are established between these people, such as dating and marriage.
Over time, the nerd identity was strengthened along with the movement of popularization of consumption of cultural itemslike the “Star Wars” film series. In this sense, this group begins to establish itself socially with its well-defined characteristics and even become popular in society.
Geeks form the group of people who have an interest or even work in the universe of technology, computers, electronic games, comic books (HQs), among other products from pop culture.
Read too:October 16 — Science and Technology Day
Origin of Geek Pride Day
nerd pride day began to be celebrated in 2006 in Spain. Writer Germán Martínez was responsible for creating the date with the intention of celebrating the nerd community.
A date was chosen in reference to the film "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope", released on May 25, 1977.
On May 25, 2006, Señor Buebo, as Martínez is known, gathered around 300 people to celebrate the universe and nerd culture. Since then, the date has been popularized around the world.
Geek Pride Day is a time to reinforce nerd culture and all aspects related to it. A day to bring together people with common interests and tastes, a social integration of people who were often ignored.
Towel Day and Geek Pride
O Towel Day also makes reference to a cultural work from the nerd universe, the literary saga “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxies”, by British author Douglas Adams.
Adams passed away on May 11, 2001. That same year, days later, on May 25, a tribute was paid to the writer. And with that, Towel Day was created.
A towel is an essential object in the works of Adams, as it is one of the most useful items for the interstellar backpacker, the main character of the books. Members of the nerd community gather on May 25th and bring towels to these gatherings as a tribute to Adams and his narrative.
Nerd Pride Day in Brazil
Nerd Pride Day in Brazil is celebrated with the organization of events, meetings and awards to celebrate nerd culture.
One of them is the Golden Cube Award, held on May 25, which grants awards to different categories of the geek universe, such as:
geek personality of the year;
geek channel of the year;
geek streamer of the year;
geek podcast of the year;
geek press of the year;
e-sports award of the year;
business geek of the year;
best cosplay.
Many different meetings of nerds and geeks are held in several Brazilian cities. In these events, participants usually take their towels as a reference to Towel Day. The opportunity is for exchanging and celebrating nerd identity and culture.
Reading rooms and libraries also carry out activities such as storytelling and moments that recall narratives such as the series of books “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxies”.
image credits
[1] Stefano Buttafoco / Shutterstock
[2] Ekaterina_Minaeva / Shutterstock
[3] AKKHARAT JARUSILAWONG / Shutterstock
Sources:
SILVA, Alexandre Souza da. Aspects of the relationship between consumption and identities in nerd culture. Course Completion Work (Production in Communication and Culture). El Salvador, 2015. Available in: https://repositorio.ufba.br/handle/ri/31587.
MENDES, Felipe Barros da Silva; SILVA, Lucas Melo Ferreira. From nerd to geek: an analysis of the symbolisms of representativeness and consumption practices. Crises Magazine, 2021. Available in: https://periodicos.ufpe.br/revistas/crises/article/view/250243.
FILHO, Artur Rodrigo Itaqui Lopes; WESCHENFELDER, Gelson Vanderlei. Let's talk about what it's like to be a nerd today? Praksis Magazine. The. 20, no. 1 | New Hamburg, 2023. Available in: https://periodicos.feevale.br/seer/index.php/revistapraksis/article/view/3163.
By Lucas Afonso
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