Nerd culture is murdering intellectuals

The author argues that while nerd culture's ascendancy—marked by events like The Lord of the Rings' 2001 premiere—has brought cultural benefits like the rise of science fiction and science popularizers, it has also come with significant downsides. Though nerdom is now a unifying cultural force where mainstream audiences embrace comic books, fantasy, and sci-fi content that were once considered shameful and uncool, the article suggests this dominance has had negative consequences, particularly for intellectualism itself.