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Broken world Quote by Ben Lerner

“Mad Lib Elegy" There are starving children left on your plate. There are injuries without brains. Migrant workers spend 23 hours a day removing tiny seeds from mixtures they cannot afford to smoke and cannot afford not to smoke. Entire nations are ignorant of the basic facts of hair removal and…” quote by Ben Lerner
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““Mad Lib Elegy" There are starving children left on your plate. There are injuries without brains. Migrant workers spend 23 hours a day removing tiny seeds from mixtures they cannot afford to smoke and cannot afford not to smoke. Entire nations are ignorant of the basic facts of hair removal and therefore resent our efforts to depilate unsightly problem areas. Imprisonment increases life expectancy. Finish your children. Adopt an injury. ‘I'm going to my car. When I get back, I'm shooting everybody.' [line omitted in memory of_______] 70% of pound animals will be euthanized. 94% of pound animals would be euthanized if given the choice. The mind may be trained to relieve itself on paper. A pill for your safety, a pill for her pleasure. Neighbors are bothered by loud laughter but not by loud weeping. Massively multiplayer zombie-infection web-games are all the rage among lifers. The world is a rare case of selective asymmetry. The capitol is redolent of burnt monk. ‘I'm going to my car. When I get back I'm shooting everybody.' [line omitted in memory of _______] There are two kinds of people in the world: those that condemn parking lots as monstrosities, ‘the ruines of a broken World,' and those that respond to their majesty emotionally. 70% of the planet is covered in parking lots. 94% of a man's body is parking lot. Particles of parking lot have been discovered in the permanent shadows of the moon. There is terror in sublimity. If Americans experience sublimity the terrorists have won. ‘I'm going to my car. When I get back I'm shooting everybody.' [line omitted in memory of _______]””

Ben Lerner

About This Quote

Source Poem: “Mad Lib Elegy” (published in 2023 in The New Yorker)

A fragmented, surreal critique of modern society’s contradictions, violence, and absurdities, blending personal confession with social commentary

In simple terms: A chaotic poem exposing social absurdities and personal turmoil

Key Takeaway

Recognize absurdities, question norms

Themes

satire social critique absurdism violence identity environment

Mood

conflicted provocative darkly humorous

Type

poetic political philosophical

When to use this quote

  • art criticism
  • mental health awareness
  • urban planning
  • animal welfare activism
  • political protest

Key Concepts

postmodernism nihilism consumerism urban decay psychology

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does absurdity reveal truth?
  • What responsibilities arise from witnessing societal contradictions?
A Different Perspective

The poem’s disjointed style may obscure its message for some readers

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