"Today, everybody expects to be entertained, and they expect to be entertained all the time. Business meetings must be snappy, with bullet lists and animated graphics, so executives aren’t bored. Malls and stores must be engaging, so they amuse as well as sell us. Politicians must have pleasing video personalities and tell us only what we want to hear. Schools must be careful not to bore young minds that expect the speed and complexity of television. Students must be amused—everyone must be amused, or they will switch: switch brands, switch channels, switch parties, switch loyalties. This is the intellectual reality of western society at the end of the century."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Science fiction authors from the United StatesNovelists from the United StatesNon-fiction authors from the United StatesFilm producers from the United StatesTelevision producers
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Chapter 4, “Castelgard” - Section 01:13:52 (p. 443)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Related Quotes
"Media carries with it a credibility that is totally undeserved. You have all experienced this. [...] Briefly stated, …"
"I want to mention in passing that punditry has undergone a subtle change over the years. In the old days, commentator…"
"As I went down to my car, [Peter Randall] said, "If you don't want to get involved I'll understand" I looked back at …"
"Science is the most exciting and sustained enterprise of discovery in the history of our species. It is the great adv…"
"Let's be clear: all professions look bad in the movies. And there's a good reason for this. Movies don't portray care…"
"Carr was left with a ring, in the palm of his hand, a small gold circle, leading him nowhere."
"They passed a farmhouse, a simple shack surrounded by animals — a lazy burro, clucking chickens, a litter of pigs. Th…"
"Characterization lies at the heart of the impulse to polarize every issue — what we might call the Crossfire Syndrome…"
"This polarization of the issues has contributed greatly to our national paralysis, because it posits false choices wh…"
"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming…"