Well what do they expect. 'Normal' people don't collect comic books or get into details about Star Trek (or Final Fantasy for that matter). It's only natural the geeks are portrayed as socially retarded, because let's face it, a load of geeks in real life are like that. Besides, the show does have some 'cool' nerds, like the guy who both Leonard and Penny fell in love with (the one with the motorbike).