To say that "the camera cannot lie" is merely to underline the multiple deceits that are now practised in its name.
Marshall McluhanRead
Appetite is essentially insatiable, and where it operates as a criterion of both action and enjoyment (that is, everywhere in the Western world since the sixteenth century) it will infallibly discover congenial agencies (mechanical and political) of expression.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that human desires are endless and will always find ways to be expressed in society.
Marshall McLuhan's quote highlights the insatiable nature of human appetite, suggesting that since the sixteenth century, this endless yearning has influenced both our actions and enjoyment. He indicates that in the context of the Western world, such appetites will naturally find and adopt various mechanical and political forms that allow for expression, emphasizing the interplay between desire and societal structures.
Themes
AppetiteDesireExpressionSocietyMechanicalPoliticalWesternEnjoyment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion on consumerism to illustrate how society's desires drive market trends.
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The poet, the artist, the sleuth, whoever sharpens our perception tends to antisocial; rarely 'well adjusted,' he cannot go along with currents and trends.
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