I found this and thought that is was a really interesting take on the subject.
http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html
My wife keeps telling my daughter that she has to be really smart so she can be popular in high school and I keep telling her that doesn't happen in the U.S. She disagrees. I mean I am sure it happens in a very few schools, but not a vast majority and almost never in a public school.
