The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
John BergerRead
Glamour cannot exist without personal social envy being a common and widespread emotion. The industrial society ... recognises nothing except the power to acquire ... No other kind of hope or satisfaction or pleasure can any longer be envisaged within the culture of capitalism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that glamour and societal values are intertwined with envy and capitalism, indicating that our desires are shaped by the standards of wealth and acquisition.
John Berger's quote critiques the capitalist culture, emphasizing that glamour—a construct of beauty and desirability—thrives on envy among people. In an industrial society, the pursuit of wealth becomes the primary source of hope and pleasure, overshadowing other potential avenues for fulfillment and pushing aside the notion of satisfaction derived from non-material aspects of life.
Themes
GlamourEnvyCapitalismSocietyWealthPower
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about consumer culture, one could reference this quote to highlight the role of envy in driving societal values.
More from John Berger
All quotes →Unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
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We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
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The camera relieves us of the burden of memory. It surveys us like God, and it surveys for us. Yet no other god has been so cynical, for the camera records in order to forget.
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Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.
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Being a unique superpower undermines the military intelligence of strategy. To think strategically, one has to imagine oneself in the enemy's place. If one cannot do this, it is impossible to foresee, to take by surprise, to outflank. Misinterpreting an enemy can lead to defeat. This is how empires fall.
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