Matt Gemmell tweeted a link about why he can’t bear to watch ” Big Bang Theory.” It’s certainly a valid criticism of the show, but to each their own. Some people might enjoy that kind of comedy; I won’t call it an objectively bad show, but I can’t stand to watch it, either.

My friends and, often, my mother will encourage me to watch the show, since as a nerd, I must love humour about nerds. They even compare me to one of their favourite characters to persuade me to watch the show. Don’t get me wrong - I love nerdy humour! When the MC at my wedding dropped one of these, I was laughing my ass off! Here’s the problem …

Big Bang Theory is a show about some (ostensibly) genius roommates and their awkward interactions with regular people. To regular people watching the show, this must seem exotic and funny. After completing my Computer Science degree with a minor in Mathematics, this is neither exotic nor funny. Because it is my life. I’ve worked with Sheldon. I’ve gone to class with Sheldon. I’ve had to tolerate the pedantic snobbery of Sheldons, plural, in the form of coworkers, classmates, and professors and it sucks.

The worst part is, to be perfectly honest, that I acknowledge that I can be a pedantic asshole at times, too. By definition of “nerd” I am immersed in a subculture that values depth of knowledge and enjoys arguments over the minutest of details. That self-recognition will always ruin a show like Big Bang Theory for me.

So no, thank you, I don’t want to watch a show about how comical it is that pedantic and socially awkward people, you know, exist.