<p>Ok. I think that I respect other people's lifestyles, especially if these are based on their own decisions and responsibility.</p>
<p>There are many reasons underlying the variety of motivations and skills, and while some prefer may talking about Big Brother and "Reality" TV all the time, others spend their entire lives debating about politics and current issues.
I think that every person has the right to have different tastes and harness them as she or he wishes :) The usefullness of whatever activities one engages in - arts, sciences, politics, entertainment, games, philosophy - can often be subjective, but that should be left to the individual's freedom of decision [or to philosophers debates].
Right?</p>
<p>Reality TV-"nerds" may be accused of lacking in intellectual themes in their discussions. But this may somehow derive from the fact that they don't need or don't care about Maxwells' theories or evolution.
Bodybuilder-"nerds" are often stereotyped as "with lot of muscles but no brains". Maybe the majority of these people don't feel the initial necessity to engage in intellectual discussions in order to survive.</p>
<p>The same thing goes the other way round:
maybe intellectual "nerds" are so amazed by what they are discussing about that they don't even care much about bodybuilding, Reality TV and pop music (these are stereotypes here in Italy, not sure whether it's the same over there).
Computer "nerds" are so used to typing and programming that they loose familiarity with face to face communication. Essentially, though, they are simply following their lives necessities and interests.</p>
<p>It is obviously not very open-minded to relate only with people who have your same interests, and this is what probably creates the stereotype conflict between different majorities and minorities of people (as it commonly happens in other social issues, too).
Right?</p>
<p>Computer nerds might face some problems if they want to find a job that includes lot of skills such as face to face negotiation, public speaking, etc.
Though it is not so difficult to learn such skills, people coming from one group often tend to prioritize their own traits as opposed to the traits developed by the remaining society, and thereby fail to acquire the "other people's" skills quickly.
Thus, a mixture of doubt, fear and unfamiliarity towards the skills they can have, but have not practised for long time.</p>
<p>I have seen this kind of problem in other contexts, too. I met a Middle Eastern friend whose parents had immigrated to Italy. She said that she would have liked to sing in a rock band... "But I can't sing in a rock band because otherwise I would be 'like an Italian' ".</p>
<p>Although this example may seem to belong to another debate (racism, immigration, etc.), the behavioral dynamics are the same: "whatever I and my personality/culture/interests group coulnd't do in the past, I won't be able to do in the future, too."</p>
<hr>
<p>Okay, let's come back to RPG players now :)</p>
<p>I would like to ask, especially those who are close to them (and those who the RPG-stereotype discussed here): Do they have common backgrounds?
What else do they do in their lives?
Among themselves, do they maintain their social skills?</p>