Agendas Quote by David Foster Wallace
“Such techniques, including meta-discursive stuff, self-reference, irony, black humor, cynicism, grotesquerie and shock, it would be safe to say that television or televisual values rule the culture. Television is successfully using a lot of those same techniques but using them for a very different agenda, which is to sort of create an ethos and please people and to sell products to consumers.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Consider the Lobster, 2004
TV uses sensational techniques to shape culture and sell products.
In simple terms: TV manipulates with style to sell.
Key Takeaway
Critically evaluate media messages.
Themes
media
culture
manipulation
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
critical
observational
When to use this quote
- advertising
- political messaging
- entertainment consumption
Key Concepts
critical theory
consumerism
Questions to Reflect On
- What techniques do you notice in ads?
- How does satire affect your perception?
A Different Perspective
Audience may resist manipulation.
