---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our…"
description: "\"Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our popular culture has somehow made all that stuff acceptable.\" — Daniel Clowes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/145/daniel-clowes-3835_acceptable_avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our_2336864.png"
---

#  Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our popular culture…

![“Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our popular culture has somehow made all that stuff acceptable.” quote by Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/145/daniel-clowes-3835_acceptable_avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our_2336864.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/145/daniel-clowes-3835_acceptable_avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our_2336864.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/145/daniel-clowes-3835_acceptable_avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our_2336864.png)

> “Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our popular culture has somehow made all that stuff acceptable.”

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Nerd culture has moved from fringe to mainstream, showing how subcultural passions can become widely accepted.

**In simple terms:** Geek interests are now mainstream.

Key Takeaway

Embrace niche passions, they can shape culture.

Themes

culture acceptance subculture mainstream identity

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

cultural sociological

When to use this quote

- online communities
- convention panels
- media representation
- fan conventions

Key Concepts

social dynamics cultural diffusion identity formation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does mainstreaming affect authenticity?
- What drives niche interests to become popular?

A Different Perspective

Mainstream acceptance can dilute original subcultural meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Nerd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerd/) [Popular culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-culture/)

## Related quotes

> [I think men spend so much time passing for being men. There's a sense among many writers of color that the most invisible figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-think-men-spend-so-much-time-passing-for-being-men-there-s-a-sense/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [I think that it's interesting how shows like 'Walking Dead' or even 'Game of Thrones,' with all its fantasy elements, have become so popular.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/i-think-that-it-s-interesting-how-shows-like-walking-dead-or-even/)

[AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/)

> [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/)

[Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/)

> [I was a total nerd growing up. I'd rather sit home and read a novel on New Year's Eve and say, 'Wow, I read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-broderick/i-was-a-total-nerd-growing-up-i-d-rather-sit-home-and-read-a-novel-on/)

[Beth Broderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-broderick/)

> [I was a huge bookworm, total nerd, so I was a victim in middle school. I was in three academic clubs, so I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gale-anderson/i-was-a-huge-bookworm-total-nerd-so-i-was-a-victim-in-middle-school-i/)

Nicole Gale Anderson

> [I wasn't any good at romnace. I was a total nerd. My thing is, I was just too romantic. I was the romantic goofball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-wasn-t-any-good-at-romnace-i-was-a-total-nerd-my-thing-is-i-was/)

[Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/)

> [I'm a total nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/i-m-a-total-nerd/)

[Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/)

> [I really liked sports and athletic stuff, but I was a total nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-keery/i-really-liked-sports-and-athletic-stuff-but-i-was-a-total-nerd/)

[Joe Keery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-keery/)

> [I'm just a total nerd, in all honesty. I'm a massive, insane record fan - that's how I got into playing music. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/i-m-just-a-total-nerd-in-all-honesty-i-m-a-massive-insane-record-fan/)

[Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/)

> [I was a total nerd and had, like, two friends, and then I left my school and got signed to a record deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-jonas/i-was-a-total-nerd-and-had-like-two-friends-and-then-i-left-my-school/)

[Kevin Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-jonas/)

> [No, I'm not a nerd. The only thing I nerd out about is psychology magazines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-nash/no-i-m-not-a-nerd-the-only-thing-i-nerd-out-about-is-psychology/)

Amber Nash

> [I was the worst-dressed person in Scranton. I was a total nerd. Obviously, I got picked on, but I was also able to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-was-the-worst-dressed-person-in-scranton-i-was-a-total-nerd/)

[Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/)

> [I'm a total nerd. I love fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-thompson/i-m-a-total-nerd-i-love-fantasy/)

[Scott Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-thompson/)

> [When I'm in the studio, I become a total nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn/when-i-m-in-the-studio-i-become-a-total-nerd/)

[Robyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn/)

> [“Obviously one of us went to Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and one of us didn't." "Obviously one of is a total nerd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-lee-o-malley/obviously-one-of-us-went-to-professor-xavier-s-school-for-gifted/)

[Bryan Lee O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-lee-o-malley/)

## More by Daniel Clowes

> [“This is the Mona Lisa of bad diners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/this-is-the-mona-lisa-of-bad-diners/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [I lose faith in everything else, but rarely in my work. If I start to get bored, I change it to make it more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-lose-faith-in-everything-else-but-rarely-in-my-work-if-i-start-to/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [Surely comics require more effort on the part of the reader than movies or television. I'm always learning new things you can do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/surely-comics-require-more-effort-on-the-part-of-the-reader-than/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [You need to be, like, turning down high-paying illustration work because you want to work on your comic. That's when you know you're doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/you-need-to-be-like-turning-down-high-paying-illustration-work/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [Though to the average person that you'll meet on an airplane, if you tell them you draw comics, they'll still have sort of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/though-to-the-average-person-that-you-ll-meet-on-an-airplane-if-you/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [That'll be my claim to fame: My grandmother-in-law is the oldest iPad user!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/that-ll-be-my-claim-to-fame-my-grandmother-in-law-is-the-oldest-ipad/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [Usually when I put together a book like this Death-Ray hardcover or that Ghost World special edition, then I have to reread it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/usually-when-i-put-together-a-book-like-this-death-ray-hardcover-or/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [I think that's what we're all most terrified about: that we'll just die and disappear and we'll leave no trace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-think-that-s-what-we-re-all-most-terrified-about-that-we-ll-just/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [When I go back and reread the stuff, I'm always floored by how deeply personal and revealing it actually is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/when-i-go-back-and-reread-the-stuff-i-m-always-floored-by-how-deeply/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [I'd always wanted to do a weekly strip, or a strip that was in installments like that. It's been fun trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-d-always-wanted-to-do-a-weekly-strip-or-a-strip-that-was-in/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [You have to find the tone of the piece and modulate that. There are ways to indicate that - I try to incorporate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/you-have-to-find-the-tone-of-the-piece-and-modulate-that-there-are/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [Often I'll do research just to get a time period correct, but I didn't have to for the '70s... I feel like I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/often-i-ll-do-research-just-to-get-a-time-period-correct-but-i-didn-t/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [My feeling is that it's one of the very few things that comics can do that you really can't do in any other medium.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/my-feeling-is-that-it-s-one-of-the-very-few-things-that-comics-can-do/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [All I can say on the Guilford story - and this comes more from my perspective as a father than an artist - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/all-i-can-say-on-the-guilford-story-and-this-comes-more-from-my/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [I think I've had the fantasy of a ray-gun that could erase the world from the time I was a very little kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-think-i-ve-had-the-fantasy-of-a-ray-gun-that-could-erase-the-world/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

[Explore all 121 Daniel Clowes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

## More Acceptable quotes

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/)

[Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/)

> [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/)

[Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/)

> [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/)

[Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/)

> [THE REAL PURPOSE OF HOLOCAUST REVISIONISM IS TO MAKE NATIONAL SOCIALISM AN ACCEPTABLE POLITICAL ALTERNATIVE AGAIN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/the-real-purpose-of-holocaust-revisionism-is-to-make-national/)

Harold Covington

> [The government has once again made the right socially acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/the-government-has-once-again-made-the-right-socially-acceptable/)

[Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/)

> [The study of Freemasonry is the study of man as a candidate for a blessed eternity. It furnishes examples of holy living, and displays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-study-of-freemasonry-is-the-study-of-man-as-a-candidate-for-a/)

[William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/)

> [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/)

[Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/)

> [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/)

Sally Struthers

> [We cannot guess the outcome of our actions... Which is why our actions must always be acceptable in themselves, and not as strategies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/we-cannot-guess-the-outcome-of-our-actions-which-is-why-our-actions/)

[Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/)

> [In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/)

[William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/)

> [It's horrible how money and fame can make you acceptable while, if you're not famous or rich, you're not acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-tonioli/it-s-horrible-how-money-and-fame-can-make-you-acceptable-while-if-you/)

[Bruno Tonioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-tonioli/)

> [I disagree with the prevailing point of view of some black leaders that special treatment for blacks is acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/i-disagree-with-the-prevailing-point-of-view-of-some-black-leaders/)

[Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/)

> [We get used to a certain kind of colour of form or format, and it's acceptable. And to puncture that is sticking your neck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-krasner/we-get-used-to-a-certain-kind-of-colour-of-form-or-format-and-it-s/)

[Lee Krasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-krasner/)

Browse all 750 Acceptable quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our popular culture has somehow made all that stuff acceptable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Daniel Clowes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our-popular-culture-has-somehow/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acceptable"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our-popular-culture-has-somehow/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/145/daniel-clowes-3835_acceptable_avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our_2336864.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/145/daniel-clowes-3835_acceptable_avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our_2336864.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/145/daniel-clowes-3835_acceptable_avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our_2336864.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our popular culture has somehow made all that stuff acceptable.” — Daniel Clowes",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Daniel Clowes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Avatar is a total nerd thing,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our-popular-culture-has-somehow/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/avatar-is-a-total-nerd-thing-and-yet-our-popular-culture-has-somehow/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
