This is the lesson of all great television commercials…
““This is the lesson of all great television commercials: They provide a slogan, a symbol or a focus that creates for viewers a comprehensive and compelling image of themselves. In the shift from party politics to television politics, the same goal is sought. We are not permitted to know who is best at being President or Governor or Senator, but whose image is best in touching and soothing the deep reaches of our discontent. We look at the television screen and ask, in the same voracious way as the Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" We are inclined to vote for those whose personality, family life, and style, as imaged on the screen, give back a better answer than the Queen received. As Xenophanes remarked twenty-five centuries ago, men always make their gods in their own image. But to this, television politics has added a new wrinkle: Those who would be gods refashion themselves into images the viewers would have them be.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Television turns political candidates into image-driven brands, shaping voter choices through visual appeal rather than policy.
In simple terms: TV makes politics about image, not ideas.
Key Takeaway
Focus on substance over image.
Themes
media influence
politics
image
branding
public perception
Mood
critical
analytical
skeptical
Type
observational
commentary
critical
When to use this quote
- election campaigns
- advertising
- media analysis
- public opinion formation
Key Concepts
symbolic representation
media theory
political communication
Questions to Reflect On
- How does media shape your political choices?
- Can image replace policy in elections?
A Different Perspective
Images can oversimplify complex issues, leading to misinformed decisions.