“A neutron walks into a bar and asks how much for a drink. The bartender replies, ‘For you, no charge: The Ideology of NERDS

     In today's society  Ideologies are all around us. The Dominant Ideologies of today's society are basically stereotypes.  That the mother of the house has to stay in the house, or the man is the main bread winner, are a few.  In our time of pop culture we have had our fair share of "nerds" in sitcoms. Starting with  Steve Urkel's high pants, wide glasses and clumsy ways  on Family Matters, or Screech's  awkward ways on Saved By the Bell. Sitcoms have made it hard for us not to have a permanent ideology of what a "nerd" should be.  The Big Bang Theory emphasis and challenges the ideology of "nerds".
     The Big Bang Theory encompasses  what in today's society is know as a "nerd".  Characters like Raj show the ideology that "nerds" can't talk to girls. Raj is a smart guy from India that has a complex that he can't even talk when girls are around. Howard is the comic book "nerd".  He is the "nerd" that we think of that has no friends.  Howard lives with his mother and doesn't have an "actual" degree, well in his friends minds he doesn't.  Also, you can say Howard is the ladies man.  Yet, you kind of have to get ladies in order to be a ladies man.  All Howard does is hit on girls in a creepy way that freaks them out. This is the "nerd" like Screech or Urkel that can talk to girls, but they just aren't any good at it.  Sheldon is the "nerd" stereotype that is to smart for his own good.  I know we all have that one friend that is so smart that they have no common sense, that is Sheldon.  Often he makes people mad because in the middle of the conversation he will correct them for something a normal person wouldn't catch.  Finally, Leonard is the exception to the rule.  He challenges the Ideologies of what a  "nerd" is.  Leonard is semi good looking, he is smart, and has the most common sense in the whole group.  Not only that, but he gets the hot girl.  That would be Penny of course, the girl who lives across the hall. Leonard's friends represent the common ideology for a "nerd".  Telling him that there is no way in the world that he can get Penny.  Yet, in the end it still happens. Leonard changes the way we see how a "nerd " should be. Like displayed in the Go Daddy Super Bowl ad, "nerds" can get hot girls it just doesn't always happen.  Leonard is still very awkward and weird.  He still gets nervous around girls and sometimes he is to smart for his own good.  Yet, he challenges the ideology of what we believe a "nerd" should be.
    Even though The Big Bang Theory builds on the ideology of what a "nerd" is.  It also challenges it in a way that makes us reconsider what a "nerd" really is.