The Right Must Embrace the Nerds
Why the Right’s Contempt for Nerds Is Its Biggest Weakness
For decades, the right has cultivated a culture of disdain toward “nerds.” Whether they’re STEM geniuses pushing technological boundaries or culture creators crafting the stories that shape our world, nerds—those who think deeply, innovate boldly, and challenge the status quo—are too often dismissed as irrelevant or pretentious by the conservative mainstream. This contempt has deep roots in the working-class culture the right champions, but it’s also the primary reason why conservatives keep losing the cultural and intellectual battles that define our era.
If the right wants to be more than a reactive movement clinging to the past, it must stop treating intellectuals and creatives with suspicion. Instead, it must embrace the contributions of both STEM nerds and culture nerds as essential to building a positive, forward-thinking vision for the future.
The Right’s Working-Class Blind Spot
Conservative ideology has long aligned itself with the values of the working class: practicality, hard work, and self-reliance. These values are admirable, but they’ve also bred a culture that looks down on pursuits that aren’t immediately “useful” in the traditional sense.
How Working-Class Culture Views Nerds
In working-class conservative circles, STEM nerds are often dismissed as socially awkward, out-of-touch technocrats, while culture nerds—artists, writers, filmmakers—are seen as indulgent, elitist, and disconnected from the “real world.” Intellectual and creative pursuits are frequently considered luxuries for people who don’t have to “work with their hands.”
This mindset leads to a knee-jerk suspicion of anyone dealing with abstract ideas or imaginative creations. It creates an environment where practical trades and immediate results are celebrated, but long-term vision and innovation are ignored.
The Consequences of This Mindset
This disdain has real consequences. By alienating the very people who could drive its cultural and intellectual revival, the right has created a movement that is perpetually reactive and backward-looking. Instead of shaping the future, it fights endlessly to preserve the past—because it lacks the creators and thinkers who can articulate a compelling vision of what comes next.
Why Nerds Matter
Nerds, in all their socially awkward, obsessive glory, are the people who drive culture. They invent the technology that transforms industries, write the stories that capture imaginations, and develop the philosophies that guide societies. By scorning these individuals, the right is cutting itself off from the tools it needs to succeed.
STEM Nerds: Builders of Tomorrow
STEM nerds are the architects of the future. From the scientists developing renewable energy solutions to the engineers designing space exploration technologies, these individuals shape the world in tangible, transformative ways.
The left has understood this for years, so it has poured resources into tech and academia, even co-opting STEM innovations into its cultural narrative. Climate change activism, for instance, combines scientific data with emotionally resonant storytelling to push progressive policy. Meanwhile, the right largely reduces its relationship with STEM to cherry-picking “facts” for short-term political arguments, ignoring the bigger picture of how technology could serve conservative values.
Culture Nerds: Shapers of Minds
While STEM nerds build the tools, culture nerds shape the world’s understanding of them. Writers, filmmakers, musicians, and other creatives create stories that inspire and unite people. They give meaning to technological advancements, turning dry facts into compelling narratives that move hearts and minds.
Consider the influence of Hollywood, music, and literature. The left uses these mediums to embed progressive values into society, making them feel natural and inevitable. The right, in contrast, has no comparable cultural machine. Why? Because it treats cultural creators as frivolous outsiders instead of integral allies.
Why the Right Keeps Losing
The right’s contempt for nerds—whether they’re in STEM or the arts—isn’t just a cultural failing. It’s a strategic disaster. Here’s why this attitude keeps conservatives stuck in a cycle of defeat:
1. Lack of Vision
Movements that win don’t just defend the status quo; they articulate a compelling vision for the future. Nerds are the people who can imagine what’s possible, whether through scientific innovation or creative storytelling. By rejecting these voices, the right limits itself to reactionary politics, fighting against change rather than shaping it.
2. No Cultural Influence
Culture is the foundation of politics. People don’t vote based on policy papers—they vote based on the stories they believe about who they are and where they’re going. The left dominates culture because it invests in artists and storytellers who craft emotionally resonating narratives. The right’s disdain for culture nerds has left it culturally irrelevant, with no foothold in the media that shapes public opinion.
3. Alienation of Talent
STEM nerds and culture nerds aren’t going to waste their talents in environments where they feel unwelcome. If the right continues to sneer at intellectual and creative pursuits, it will drive these individuals into the arms of the left, where they’ll find support and validation. The result? A brain drain that leaves the right less innovative, less inspiring, and less effective.
A Path Forward: Embracing the Nerds
If the right wants to stop losing, it must abandon its contempt for nerds and start treating them as indispensable allies. Here’s how:
1. Encourage Creativity and Innovation
Stop dismissing art, storytelling, and technological innovation as secondary to “real work.” Recognize that these pursuits are essential for shaping culture. Celebrate the contributions of artists, writers, engineers, and scientists as critical to the conservative movement.
2. Build Supportive Communities
Create spaces where STEM and culture nerds feel valued and supported. This means funding independent filmmakers, encouraging young scientists, and building platforms for conservative creators to share their work. A thriving cultural and intellectual ecosystem doesn’t happen by accident—it requires investment.
3. Forge Alliances Between STEM and the Arts
STEM and culture aren’t separate worlds—they’re complementary. Encourage collaboration between scientists and creatives to develop projects that inspire and inform. For example, use storytelling to frame technological advancements as part of a larger narrative about human freedom and ingenuity.
4. Create a Positive Vision
Use the contributions of STEM and culture nerds to articulate a vision for the future. Instead of just fighting against leftist ideas, offer a compelling alternative. What does a society built on conservative values look like in 2050? How can technology and art work together to achieve it? These are the questions nerds are uniquely equipped to answer.
Conclusion: A Movement for Builders and Dreamers
The right’s disdain for nerds has held it back for too long. By treating intellectuals, creatives, and innovators as outsiders, conservatives have alienated the very people who could lead their cultural and intellectual revival.
It’s time for a change. The right must embrace both STEM and culture nerds as essential to its mission. These are the builders of the future and the dreamers who imagine it. Without them, the conservative movement will remain stuck in the past—irrelevant, reactive, and perpetually losing.
The right must stop chastising the left for controlling culture while doing nothing to counter it. If you want to win hearts and minds, invest in those who can tell your stories. Fund the creators. Encourage the dreamers. Accept the visionaries.
Otherwise, accept that someone else will write the future—because you left the pen on the table.
