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I believe that all stereotypes can be used positively and negatively. How they're received is based purely on context.
The one I get all the time? "God, you're such a nerd." I concur. I am a nerd. I don't fit all the usual imagery (glasses, runny nose, afraid of women), but I certainly am nerdy. I fix computers for fun. I'd rather stay up all night playing computer games or D&D than have a few beers. It's just who I am, and my friends love me for it.
But in a different context, that same word could be derogatory. I don't personally use it that way, but I've heard nerd often used to mean "different than us," or "smarter than us, so we're going to beat you up." I didn't hear those often directed at me, because I fought back, but I still DID hear them.
If you can't embrace a stereotype as positive or endearing, then you haven't really engaged it. When I was younger, I thought nerd was always a bad thing. Then I came to terms with it, and I realized it's almost always a compliment, and I take it as such. Again, it's about context.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
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