--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our society is blind. We have lost our…" description: "\"Our society is blind. We have lost our ability to be affected by imagery.\" — Alfredo Jaar" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/alfredo-jaar-30663_ability_our-society-is-blind-we-have-lost-our-ab_3178790.jpg" --- # Our society is blind. We have lost our ability to be… ![“Our society is blind. We have lost our ability to be affected by imagery.” quote by Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/alfredo-jaar-30663_ability_our-society-is-blind-we-have-lost-our-ab_3178790.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/alfredo-jaar-30663_ability_our-society-is-blind-we-have-lost-our-ab_3178790.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/alfredo-jaar-30663_ability_our-society-is-blind-we-have-lost-our-ab_3178790.jpg) > “Our society is blind. We have lost our ability to be affected by imagery.” [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques society's desensitization to visual media, losing emotional impact. **In simple terms:** Society no longer feels affected by images. Key Takeaway Re‑engage empathy with visual storytelling. Themes media desensitization empathy visual culture Mood critical reflective concerned Type analytical social commentary inspirational When to use this quote - advertising - news - art installations - education - activism Key Concepts psychology media studies social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can we restore emotional response to images? - What role should media play in shaping empathy? A Different Perspective May overlook the power of images to inspire positive action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Affected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affected/) [Affected Imagery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affected-imagery-5815621/) [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Blind Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-lost-1601587/) [Imagery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagery/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-ability/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Society Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-blind-4057936/) ## Related quotes > [“Society has become that blind to the truth, that is bothers them to hear it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-inner-light/society-has-become-that-blind-to-the-truth-that-is-bothers-them-to/) [The Inner Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-inner-light/) > [Have I been blind, have I been lost, inside myself and my own mind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/have-i-been-blind-have-i-been-lost-inside-myself-and-my-own-mind/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [I've lost the ability to be surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-beadle/i-ve-lost-the-ability-to-be-surprised/) [Michelle Beadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-beadle/) > [“If I lost the ability to speak, what would my life be saying?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evinda-lepins/if-i-lost-the-ability-to-speak-what-would-my-life-be-saying/) [Evinda Lepins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evinda-lepins/) > [People en masse have lost the ability to go out there and meet people in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-hussey/people-en-masse-have-lost-the-ability-to-go-out-there-and-meet-people/) [Matthew Hussey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-hussey/) > [I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to read and write and speak, and it really put me by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-lost-my-ability-to-read-and/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [“He explained how once we began to chime the hour, we lost the ability to be satisfied. There was always a quest for more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-explained-how-once-we-began-to-chime-the-hour-we-lost-the-ability/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [once we began to chime the hour, we lost the ability to be satisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-we-began-to-chime-the-hour-we-lost-the-ability-to-be-satisfied/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“It was herself she was exhausted by. She had lost the ability to keep her discrete worlds discrete—a skill that many consider to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-was-herself-she-was-exhausted-by-she-had-lost-the-ability-to-keep/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [This is a nation that has lost the ability to be self-critical, and that makes a lie out of the freedoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/this-is-a-nation-that-has-lost-the-ability-to-be-self-critical-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [“Davos has become the emblem of a global elite that has lost its ability to listen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/davos-has-become-the-emblem-of-a-global-elite-that-has-lost-its/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [A person who is insane has no sense of their place; they've lost that ability, which our friend don Juan describes as the tonal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-person-who-is-insane-has-no-sense-of-their-place-they-ve-lost-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“I had been feeling permanently on the cusp of a flu, feeling at that point where I just wanted to borrow somebody else's coat-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-had-been-feeling-permanently-on-the-cusp-of-a-flu-feeling-at-that/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“We've lost our ability to live with the secrets of the world. And yet there they are before us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-ve-lost-our-ability-to-live-with-the-secrets-of-the-world-and-yet/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I got interested in the emotions after studying patients who had lost the ability to emote and feel under certain circumstances. Many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/i-got-interested-in-the-emotions-after-studying-patients-who-had-lost/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) ## More by Alfredo Jaar > [ I follow many tragedies around the world. At one point I \[will\] feel like I've accumulated an enormous amount of information, a critical mass… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/i-follow-many-tragedies-around-the-world-at-one-point-i-will-feel/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [America is our continent. You feel in the daily language that Americans use the word "America" to erase the rest of the continent from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/america-is-our-continent-you-feel-in-the-daily-language-that/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [Certainly when you do a work for a public space, you lose control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/certainly-when-you-do-a-work-for-a-public-space-you-lose-control/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [I remember her eyes. The eyes of Gutete Emerita.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/i-remember-her-eyes-the-eyes-of-gutete-emerita/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [I think that all art is socially conscious. There is no alternative. Whatever we produce contains a political and social statement. There's no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/i-think-that-all-art-is-socially-conscious-there-is-no-alternative/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [How many languages do we really speak?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/how-many-languages-do-we-really-speak/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [Nowadays I see my work being used, without my permission, as if it was an attack against the Trump regime. People want to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/nowadays-i-see-my-work-being-used-without-my-permission-as-if-it-was/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [I think I'm a journalist in one sense - I want to communicate to people about certain things that are happening around us, around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/i-think-i-m-a-journalist-in-one-sense-i-want-to-communicate-to-people/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [We are the result of the stimulus we receive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/we-are-the-result-of-the-stimulus-we-receive/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [For me, what was important was to record everything I saw around me, and to do this as methodically as possible. In these circumstances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/for-me-what-was-important-was-to-record-everything-i-saw-around-me/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [As we all know, the objective and mission of the photojournalist is to show us the reality of the world. And in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/as-we-all-know-the-objective-and-mission-of-the-photojournalist-is-to/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [Reality cannot be photographed or represented. We can only create a new reality. And my dilemma is how to make art out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/reality-cannot-be-photographed-or-represented-we-can-only-create-a/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [Journalistic information and presentation actually discourage action... we think we know, and because we think we know, we think we care. But it stops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/journalistic-information-and-presentation-actually-discourage-action/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [My work is always based on reality. I'm not an artist that creates works of fiction. I'm not an artist who is in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/my-work-is-always-based-on-reality-i-m-not-an-artist-that-creates/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) > [Images have an advanced religion; they bury history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfredo-jaar/images-have-an-advanced-religion-they-bury-history/) [Alfredo Jaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) [Explore all 17 Alfredo Jaar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfredo-jaar/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our society is blind. 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