Skip to content

People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt…

“People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere…” quote by Banksy
Download Open image
““People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity. Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.””

Banksy

About This Quote

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

The quote condemns the pervasive, intrusive power of advertisers, urging individuals to reclaim and repurpose unwanted ads as personal expression.

In simple terms: Advertisers dominate, but you can hijack their messages.

Key Takeaway

Take control of unwanted ads.

Themes

media power consumer rights rebellion creativity

Mood

defiant empowering provocative

Type

activist inspirational

When to use this quote

  • public spaces
  • social media
  • personal art projects
  • community workshops

Key Concepts

intellectual property digital culture activism

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can you ethically transform an ad?
  • What risks arise from repurposing copyrighted material?
A Different Perspective

Legal restrictions limit how you can reuse ads.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Banksy

Explore all 140 Banksy quotes

More Copyright law quotes

Browse all 39 Copyright law quotes