Open Question: Why does America seem to dislike geeks and nerds so much?

Warning: long post! Sorry, but I felt like a rant today! I don't get it but for some reason there are people that can't stand folks like me. I've seen media depictions, read internet opinions, and even had some personal experiences when I was younger of people who just don't like what can been seen as a geek or nerd. I grew up not always feeling so good about myself because of this. Yes, I can shrug it off (I usually do anyways) and yes, I have a sense of humor just like the next guy and Napoleon Dynamite was kind of OK, but at times the barrage of these images and attitudes sometimes get to me. At times it makes me feel a little less than and less appreciated and accepted. If you're going to do it for humor, I don't care but most of it isn't funny to me, just corny, stupid beyond belief, and not completely representative. What gets to me though is that when anything associated with such groups is mentioned such as video games, comic books, superheroes, science fiction, role-playing, and to a slightly lesser extent classical music, good grades, intelligence, etc., the word geek or nerd seems to be immediately on some people’s lips. The fact of the matter is that these so-called individuals aren't the only ones into these things, especially nowadays, and not all geeks and nerds are into all of this or in the variety of images plenty of people have. In many instances, you'd even see people like me getting into things unlike the stereotypes, making definition less clear cut. By the way, "nerd" and "geek" aren't completely interchangeabl (there's a difference, but many disagree as to what it is). I could go into the many other details of what people like me are seen as and even how I don't fit most of it, but it would go on longer than this post already is and I don't want that. I'll guess I'll end it here by asking... Why? Why are we hammered on by so many people and our classification being used as a negative status symbol and something to stay away from or not be? I don't get it...