--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The appropriation of radical thinking by…" description: "\"The appropriation of radical thinking by lazy, self-obsessed hippies is a public relations disaster that could cost the earth.\" — Ben Elton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/ben-elton-12329_appropriation_the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by_2732641.png" --- # The appropriation of radical thinking by lazy… ![“The appropriation of radical thinking by lazy, self-obsessed hippies is a public relations disaster that could cost the earth.” quote by Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/ben-elton-12329_appropriation_the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by_2732641.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/ben-elton-12329_appropriation_the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by_2732641.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/ben-elton-12329_appropriation_the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by_2732641.png) > “The appropriation of radical thinking by lazy, self-obsessed hippies is a public relations disaster that could cost the earth.” [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lazy, self‑absorbed people co‑opt radical ideas, turning them into harmful PR disasters. **In simple terms:** Self‑centered appropriation harms radical ideas. Key Takeaway Guard ideas from selfish misuse. Themes culture media radicalism authenticity responsibility Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - media criticism - activist strategy - brand management - community building - educational campaigns Key Concepts appropriation public relations ideology integrity Questions to Reflect On - Who benefits from misusing radical ideas? - How can authenticity be preserved? A Different Perspective Not all radical ideas are inherently dangerous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appropriation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriation/) [Appropriation Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriation-radical-2966702/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Hippie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippie/) [Hippies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippies/) [Hippies Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippies-public-2966703/) [Lazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lazy/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Obsessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessed/) [Obsessed Hippies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessed-hippies-715981/) [Public relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-relations/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Radical Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-thinking-565920/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self obsessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-obsessed/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [When I was 13 and looking for my identity, I was obsessed with hippies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerli/when-i-was-13-and-looking-for-my-identity-i-was-obsessed-with-hippies/) [Kerli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerli/) > [We need radical thinking, creative ideas, and imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mairead-corrigan/we-need-radical-thinking-creative-ideas-and-imagination/) [Mairead Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mairead-corrigan/) > [When I started out, nearly every architect I knew was working in public practice; that's where the radical thinking was done. But, there's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rogers/when-i-started-out-nearly-every-architect-i-knew-was-working-in/) [Richard Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rogers/) > [I began to feel that my greatest sense of success would raise the level of masses of people, rather than the individual being accepted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-baker/i-began-to-feel-that-my-greatest-sense-of-success-would-raise-the/) [Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-baker/) > [I believe we are nearing a time when a combination of technology and radical thinking will make it possible for much more intensive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gauke/i-believe-we-are-nearing-a-time-when-a-combination-of-technology-and/) [David Gauke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gauke/) > [Many have built their careers buttressing the status quo, reinforcing what theyve already accomplished, and resisting the radical thinking that can topple their legacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/many-have-built-their-careers-buttressing-the-status-quo-reinforcing/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [America has never been moved to perfect our desire for greater democracy without radical thinking and radical voices being at the helm of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/america-has-never-been-moved-to-perfect-our-desire-for-greater/) [Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/) > [As the middle begins to feel safe enough to accept some of the so-called radical thinking, ideas move to the middle and a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guy/as-the-middle-begins-to-feel-safe-enough-to-accept-some-of-the-so/) [Jasmine Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guy/) > [The movement of grace toward gratitude brings us from the package of self-obsessed madness to a spiritual awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-movement-of-grace-toward-gratitude-brings-us-from-the-package-of/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's extraordinary how self-obsessed human beings are. The things that people always go on about is, 'tell us about us', 'tell us about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/it-s-extraordinary-how-self-obsessed-human-beings-are-the-things-that/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [We live in a time where loving yourself is mistaken for Self Obsessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hqlinestumblr/we-live-in-a-time-where-loving-yourself-is-mistaken-for-self-obsessed/) [HQLinesTumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hqlinestumblr/) > [There's a danger in Hollywood of becoming self-obsessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-broderick/there-s-a-danger-in-hollywood-of-becoming-self-obsessed/) [Beth Broderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-broderick/) > [Me: I'm fat. Society: Attention seeker! Me: I'm skinny. Society: Self obsessed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-m-fat-society-attention-seeker-me-i-m-skinny-society-self/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People do complain about the way I act on stage... They think on stage I act too arrogant, too self-obsessed, solecistic, self-contained, synonyms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/people-do-complain-about-the-way-i-act-on-stage-they-think-on-stage-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I pray not to be such a whiny, self-obsessed baby, and give thanks that I am not quite as bad as I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-pray-not-to-be-such-a-whiny-self-obsessed-baby-and-give-thanks-that/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More by Ben Elton > [ “\[H\]e was damned if he was going to water down his arguments simply to satisfy the preference of the mob for dogma and ignorance.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/h-e-was-damned-if-he-was-going-to-water-down-his-arguments-simply-to/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [“People in that crowd want to make poverty history, but NOT if they have to pay for it themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/people-in-that-crowd-want-to-make-poverty-history-but-not-if-they/) [ben elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [We've all got to look at ourselves, start with yourself, that's all you can do. I believe that we can act responsibly as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/we-ve-all-got-to-look-at-ourselves-start-with-yourself-that-s-all-you/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [“We've just lost our way, that's all. But what if you could give us a chance to do better? Just one chance? One single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/we-ve-just-lost-our-way-that-s-all-but-what-if-you-could-give-us-a/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [I try hard not to preach, but I get carried away, which is a mistake, but it's a risk worth running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/i-try-hard-not-to-preach-but-i-get-carried-away-which-is-a-mistake/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [Artists don't create society, they reflect it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/artists-don-t-create-society-they-reflect-it/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [The earth only has so much bounty to offer and inventing ever larger and more notional prices for that bounty does not change its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/the-earth-only-has-so-much-bounty-to-offer-and-inventing-ever-larger/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [My advice to anyone adapting a novel is that once they've read it and learnt to understand it, then they must throw it away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/my-advice-to-anyone-adapting-a-novel-is-that-once-they-ve-read-it-and/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [My parents were secular. I am an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/my-parents-were-secular-i-am-an-atheist/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [“New York will always seem more real than anything Britain has to offer. It is strange that, although the majority of British people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/new-york-will-always-seem-more-real-than-anything-britain-has-to/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [Yes, OK, farty is a silly word. I wish I'd never used it. I'm 34. Perhaps it was a word for my 20s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/yes-ok-farty-is-a-silly-word-i-wish-i-d-never-used-it-i-m-34-perhaps/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [I think it is very difficult to legislate for morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/i-think-it-is-very-difficult-to-legislate-for-morality/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [If I did things for the money, I'd have done adverts in the 1980s, when I was hot enough to be offered them, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/if-i-did-things-for-the-money-i-d-have-done-adverts-in-the-1980s-when/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [“To positively discriminate in favour of groups that have been negatively discriminated against in the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/to-positively-discriminate-in-favour-of-groups-that-have-been/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [You're mugging old ladies every bit as much if you pinch their pension fund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/you-re-mugging-old-ladies-every-bit-as-much-if-you-pinch-their/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) [Explore all 55 Ben Elton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) ## More Appropriation quotes > [What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we loved black culture?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/what-would-america-be-like-if-we-loved-black-people-as-much-as-we/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [We have some of the most influential Members of Congress here today, and I do hope that we can get this appropriation for these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-have-some-of-the-most-influential-members-of-congress-here-today/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“What you have now then is the marketing of racialized identities as tools for consumption. And certain racialized bodies and images are associated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amalia-mesa-bains/what-you-have-now-then-is-the-marketing-of-racialized-identities-as/) [Amalia Mesa-Bains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amalia-mesa-bains/) > [Here one must think profoundly to the very basis and resist all sentimental weakness: life itself is essentially appropriation, injury, conquest of the strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/here-one-must-think-profoundly-to-the-very-basis-and-resist-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [As chairman of the Senate subcommittee responsible for NASA appropriations, I say not a penny for this nutty fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-proxmire/as-chairman-of-the-senate-subcommittee-responsible-for-nasa/) [William Proxmire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-proxmire/) > [Feminist pedagogy can only be liberatory if it is truly revolutionary because the mechanisms of appropriation within white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/feminist-pedagogy-can-only-be-liberatory-if-it-is-truly-revolutionary/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and duty of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/i-can-find-no-warrant-for-such-an-appropriation-in-the-constitution/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [I'm not tied to the news cycle. I can do an episode on cultural appropriation, not on Rachel Dolezal. We might make a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-kasher/i-m-not-tied-to-the-news-cycle-i-can-do-an-episode-on-cultural/) [Moshe Kasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-kasher/) > [I propose in the following discussion to call one's own labor, and the equivalent exchange of one's own labor for the labor of others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-oppenheimer/i-propose-in-the-following-discussion-to-call-one-s-own-labor-and-the/) [Franz Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-oppenheimer/) > [“The postmodern notion of "appropriation" is not a good fit. In New Mexico, the "indigenous" is a syncretic fusion of Native American and Hispano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-r-lippard/the-postmodern-notion-of-appropriation-is-not-a-good-fit-in-new/) [Lucy R. Lippard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-r-lippard/) > [If you want to talk about cultural appropriation, we have to go back to the Greeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/if-you-want-to-talk-about-cultural-appropriation-we-have-to-go-back/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Translation is not appropriation, as is sometimes claimed; it is a form of listening that then changes how you speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-weinberger/translation-is-not-appropriation-as-is-sometimes-claimed-it-is-a-form/) [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) > [“The alternative to appropriation is a world in which artists only reference their own cultures." "That's an oversimplification of the issue." "The alternative to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/the-alternative-to-appropriation-is-a-world-in-which-artists-only/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [There are two methods, or means, and only two, whereby man's needs and desires can be satisfied. One is the production and exchange of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/there-are-two-methods-or-means-and-only-two-whereby-man-s-needs-and/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [“Even you, the professional helper, often mistaken for the enlightened Guru or Staretz, can become lost in your thoughts that you must be competent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-e-spradlin/even-you-the-professional-helper-often-mistaken-for-the-enlightened/) [Scott E. Spradlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-e-spradlin/) [Browse all 108 Appropriation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The appropriation of radical thinking by lazy, self-obsessed hippies is a public relations disaster that could cost the earth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Elton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by-lazy-self-obsessed-hippies/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appropriation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by-lazy-self-obsessed-hippies/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/ben-elton-12329_appropriation_the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by_2732641.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/ben-elton-12329_appropriation_the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by_2732641.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd2/ben-elton-12329_appropriation_the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by_2732641.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The appropriation of radical thinking by lazy, self-obsessed hippies is a public relations disaster that…” — Ben Elton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ben Elton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The appropriation of radical thinking by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by-lazy-self-obsessed-hippies/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/the-appropriation-of-radical-thinking-by-lazy-self-obsessed-hippies/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```