--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The distinction between reality and…" description: "\"The distinction between reality and fiction in America seems like it is becoming really blurry. With its religious fanaticism, reality TV programs and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/dana-schutz-39359_ages_the-distinction-between-reality-and-fict_1261323.jpg" --- # The distinction between reality and fiction in America… ![“The distinction between reality and fiction in America seems like it is becoming really blurry. With its religious fanaticism, reality TV programs and fake news broadcasts being aired by the government, the States feel like they are entering the Dark Ages.” quote by Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/dana-schutz-39359_ages_the-distinction-between-reality-and-fict_1261323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/dana-schutz-39359_ages_the-distinction-between-reality-and-fict_1261323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e0/dana-schutz-39359_ages_the-distinction-between-reality-and-fict_1261323.jpg) > “The distinction between reality and fiction in America seems like it is becoming really blurry. With its religious fanaticism, reality TV programs and fake news broadcasts being aired by the government, the States feel like they are entering the Dark Ages.” [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The line between fact and story in the US is eroding due to fanaticism, reality TV, and state‑run misinformation, making society feel like a new Dark Age. **In simple terms:** Reality and fiction are mixing, creating chaos. Key Takeaway Question truth and demand accountability. Themes media politics culture truth society Mood concerned critical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - political debate - media literacy - public policy - civic engagement Key Concepts propaganda information overload cultural decay Questions to Reflect On - How does media shape your perception of reality? - What can individuals do to protect truth? A Different Perspective The claim may overgeneralize complex media dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-ages/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Fake news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fake-news/) [Fanaticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fanaticism/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-tv/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) ## Related quotes > [If you write any kind of fiction about America, you immediately have to start doing some research about guns, so in some ways, 'Gun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/if-you-write-any-kind-of-fiction-about-america-you-immediately-have/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [What you have to do is enter the fiction of America, enter America as fiction. It is, indeed, on this fictive basis that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/what-you-have-to-do-is-enter-the-fiction-of-america-enter-america-as/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [You can't write good satirical fiction in America because reality will quickly outdo anything you might invent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-can-t-write-good-satirical-fiction-in-america-because-reality/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [It may be that the most avid readers of new fiction in America today are film producers, an indication of the trouble were in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/it-may-be-that-the-most-avid-readers-of-new-fiction-in-america-today/) [E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/) > [I certainly wake up every morning and thank God that I'm not a novelist because the theater is tough, but novel writing is infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-certainly-wake-up-every-morning-and-thank-god-that-i-m-not-a/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [I think we need to always mimic reality in our fiction. I think that we can stir things up and reveal a truth beneath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-rice/i-think-we-need-to-always-mimic-reality-in-our-fiction-i-think-that/) [Christopher Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-rice/) > [To come to know that nothing is good, nothing is bad, is a turning point; it is a conversion. You start looking in; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-come-to-know-that-nothing-is-good-nothing-is-bad-is-a-turning/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Reality is such pain. And for those of us who get fed up with that kind of reality, we simply choose to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryohgo-narita/reality-is-such-pain-and-for-those-of-us-who-get-fed-up-with-that/) [Ryohgo Narita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryohgo-narita/) > [Reality TV now doesn't feel reality TV when it started. The line between reality and fiction is blurred. So many of these people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-de-rossi/reality-tv-now-doesn-t-feel-reality-tv-when-it-started-the-line/) [Portia de Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-de-rossi/) > [I don't really believe that documentary is objective reality and fiction is all illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/i-don-t-really-believe-that-documentary-is-objective-reality-and/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [I juxtapose and slice up reality and fiction quite easily. I'm aware that it is up for grabs and a powerful tool to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/i-juxtapose-and-slice-up-reality-and-fiction-quite-easily-i-m-aware/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [“Celebrities are our heroes and heroines now, discussed the next day over latte or lunch. We have such a strong need to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-scottoline/celebrities-are-our-heroes-and-heroines-now-discussed-the-next-day/) [Lisa Scottoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-scottoline/) > [Obviously, in marketing, the best tool is to show the autobiography in fiction. It's inevitable how that happens, but it's generic. Say I've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinaw-mengestu/obviously-in-marketing-the-best-tool-is-to-show-the-autobiography-in/) [Dinaw Mengestu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinaw-mengestu/) > [“The one thing is fiction in a novel and the other thing is reality. With fiction you don't make a fuss - you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-one-thing-is-fiction-in-a-novel-and-the-other-thing-is-reality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Create a world in which these things do or do not exist, or in which they are extended in some way. Test reality against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/create-a-world-in-which-these-things-do-or-do-not-exist-or-in-which/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) ## More by Dana Schutz > [I often use hypothetical situations to generate information and imagery for paintings and to create a fictional space where a subject can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/i-often-use-hypothetical-situations-to-generate-information-and/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [I'm mostly drawn to narratives that are difficult for me to visualize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/i-m-mostly-drawn-to-narratives-that-are-difficult-for-me-to-visualize/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [I like the feeling of not knowing where to look when you are only performing for one person or watching someone practice. It creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/i-like-the-feeling-of-not-knowing-where-to-look-when-you-are-only/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [There are a lot of artists in Gowanus, and certain things come into your visual vocabulary from living there - the scale of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/there-are-a-lot-of-artists-in-gowanus-and-certain-things-come-into/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [You just have to work really hard and throw everything into it. ... It's really hard to be an artist, and even if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/you-just-have-to-work-really-hard-and-throw-everything-into-it-it-s/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [That's when I feel really excited about a painting. When it starts to feel real, when it feels like it has a personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/that-s-when-i-feel-really-excited-about-a-painting-when-it-starts-to/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [I just saw a clip of Maria Bamford. She has a comedy show that was filmed and performed from her bed - the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/i-just-saw-a-clip-of-maria-bamford-she-has-a-comedy-show-that-was/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [I'm never interested in the painting being a mirror to culture. I think that's really boring. What I'm interested in is painting as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/i-m-never-interested-in-the-painting-being-a-mirror-to-culture-i/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [My paintings are loosely based on meta narratives. The pictures float in and out of pictorial genres. Still life's become personified, portraits become events,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/my-paintings-are-loosely-based-on-meta-narratives-the-pictures-float/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) > [I think that's just part of how it is with making art. Sometimes you're just flooded with ideas, and then other times you're questioning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-schutz/i-think-that-s-just-part-of-how-it-is-with-making-art-sometimes-you/) [Dana Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) [Explore all 11 Dana Schutz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-schutz/) ## More Ages quotes > [The body is at its best between the ages of thirty and thirty-five; the mind is at its best about the age of forty-nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-body-is-at-its-best-between-the-ages-of-thirty-and-thirty-five/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [People do stop me a lot, and what is really very rewarding is that the ages of the people who stop me vary so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/people-do-stop-me-a-lot-and-what-is-really-very-rewarding-is-that-the/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > [I have a very low tolerance for boredom and often think I would have missed out on books entirely if Id grown up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-have-a-very-low-tolerance-for-boredom-and-often-think-i-would-have/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [It is pain that ages us, not years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-prudden/it-is-pain-that-ages-us-not-years/) Bonnie Prudden > [We owe America something because they turned us into a touring band. But at least we feel confident about appearing in Britain again now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-marriott/we-owe-america-something-because-they-turned-us-into-a-touring-band/) Steve Marriott > [It's amazing when I do a gig how many people of different ages come up to me afterwards and chat to me about songs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-henderson/it-s-amazing-when-i-do-a-gig-how-many-people-of-different-ages-come/) [Ella Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-henderson/) > [There were three terrible ages of childhood - zero to 10, 10 to 20, and 20 to 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/there-were-three-terrible-ages-of-childhood-zero-to-10-10-to-20-and/) [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) > [Nothing ages like laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/nothing-ages-like-laziness/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Music has no limits, borders or ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia/music-has-no-limits-borders-or-ages/) [Thalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia/) > [Ripen your mind to the glorious history of the ages and revel in your mastery as today's youth shall look upon you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillian-degenerez/ripen-your-mind-to-the-glorious-history-of-the-ages-and-revel-in-your/) [Maximillian Degenerez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillian-degenerez/) > [I think that as I had children, I have five sons, and they got into video games and were the prime ages through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-think-that-as-i-had-children-i-have-five-sons-and-they-got-into/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Get off the stages, this is my show, my performance, for the ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-b/get-off-the-stages-this-is-my-show-my-performance-for-the-ages/) [Lil B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-b/) > [Chemotherapy is just medieval. It's such a blunt instrument. We're going to look back on it like we do the dark ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/chemotherapy-is-just-medieval-it-s-such-a-blunt-instrument-we-re/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-needham/the-seven-ages-of-man-spills-drills-thrills-bills-ills-pills-and-wills/) [Richard J. Needham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-needham/) > [A nation may be born in a day, but the great truths which make for the glory and uplift of the race only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/a-nation-may-be-born-in-a-day-but-the-great-truths-which-make-for-the/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) Browse all 263 Ages quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The distinction between reality and fiction in America seems like it is becoming really blurry. 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