A 10-year-old boy says Apple’s nerd emoji is an insult to everyone who wears glasses. For this reason, he started a petition to change the cell phone symbol.
There was a time when people who didn’t fit the typical stereotype struggled with social prejudice. Unfortunately, society has too often ridiculed people who wear glasses and are fans of technology, video games or science fiction.
Fortunately, this has changed massively over the last few years. Nerds no longer fulfill clichés but appear cool in their own way. Glasses are seen as a fashion accessory rather than a negative feature. This could also be the reason why a streamer’s signed glasses were traded for a large sum on eBay.
To keep it that way, a 10-year-old student decided to start a petition against the nerd emoji wearing glasses. He finds it offensive and therefore calls on Apple to change the icon. Our colleagues from 3DJuegos.com also reported on it.
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10-year-old wants Apple to replace the nerd emoji
What did the student do? The 10-year-old boy from England started a petition against Apple’s nerd emoji via petitiononline.uk. He is supported by his French teacher, among others. She put the signature collection online on his behalf.
Since he wears glasses himself, he feels personally affected. He wants to get Apple to change the current look of the emoji. His parents were not surprised by his actions because, according to them, he “always had a clear opinion about everything.”
Why should Apple change the nerd emoji? The student believes that the look of the nerd emoji is offensive to everyone who wears glasses in the world. What bothers him most is the protruding teeth. The boy even sees it as a comparison to rabbits or rats.
He worries about people who wear glasses for the first time in their lives. Apple’s symbol could discourage them. There is too great a risk that glasses will be viewed as a negative feature thanks to the nerd emoji.
How likely are his chances of success? As of this writing, his petition has so far garnered over 2,400 signatures. However, it is unclear whether Apple will take note of his action and even comply with his request. For comparison, a petition from fans of the Witcher series already has over 330,000 supporters.
This is definitely supported by an emoji that Apple has already changed in the past. This was the revolver symbol. The US company saw a need for action and replaced this with the symbol of a water pistol.
As a counter-proposal, the 10-year-old boy designed his own symbol. He calls it the genius emoji. The smiley on it also wears glasses. Instead of protruding teeth, his version shows a small smile.
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