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
Publicity is the life of this culture - in so far as without publicity capitalism could not survive - and at the same time publicity is its dream.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Publicity plays a crucial role in capitalism, shaping culture while also reflecting its ideals.
In this quote, John Berger emphasizes the intrinsic relationship between publicity and capitalism within the frameworks of culture and society. He suggests that publicity not only sustains capitalism by promoting consumption and ideas but also represents the aspirations and ideals of that very culture, creating a paradox where public perception influences economic survival and cultural identity simultaneously.
Themes
PublicityCapitalismCultureSocietyMedia
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the role of media in contemporary society.
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.
John BergerRead
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We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.
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So certainly, if we can tell evil stories to make people sick, we can also tell good myths that make them well.
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