I was definitely a nerd in school but, like the guys in the post, had a group of friends and my own activities. The popular kids were definitely a different group, but they weren't better than us. It's not a linear ordering of groups.
totally agree, i had the same experience in high school. i hope i didn't imply in my article that there is a linear ordering of groups (i haven't read it over in a long time).
in my high school, the nerds were often comfortable in their own skin (and had deep interests that could engage them), but the majority of kids in high school aren't nerds and aren't popular either ... they're somewhere in between. those are the kids who strive to become popular and have all sorts of angst because many fail to achieve that goal.