SF fans are stereotyped as socially challenged nerds. I'm sure not ALL of them are,

[raccoon]

but wonder why that's the stereotype? :shrug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. I imagine it is because if you plot the curve of sci-fi fans,

the top of the bell curve is solidly in the "nerd" or "socially awkward" or "geeky" area.

Because sci-fi also tends to be liked mostly by intelligent people who like to think, especially think about math, science, the universe, and so on; and often, those intelligent thinking people are nerds and socially awkward.

I think it's a pretty well deserved stereotype; I fit it, and I am a big sci-fi and fantasy geek.

[NewJeffCT]

2. What Rabrrrrrr said

plus, in all my D&D gaming over the years, about half the gaming group tends to be socially challenged nerds. I also think Sci-Fi gives nerds/geeks the escape to a world where your mind is often a very powerful asset, and in that type of setting a nerd thinks he can do better than in the real world.

[TZ]

3. because a lot of them are science oriented too

and the scientist as nerd/socially awkward is an archetypal stereotype in our society (which is a hoot because almost none of the scientists I've known in my 20+ years in the field is like that..some of them in fact are some of the most outrageously hilarious extraverts I've ever met!)

[fNord]

4. so this isn't about The Giants....

Because I couldn't believe that the denizens of San Francisco were considered socially odd