--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke…" description: "\"On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke talking about the music business, we're still having to deal with the stench of the last fart of the dying co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/edward-norton-2203_america_on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke_296057.jpg" --- # On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke talking about… ![“On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke talking about the music business, we're still having to deal with the stench of the last fart of the dying corpse of this regressive vision that America is a white, middle-aged, male, conservative country.” quote by Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/edward-norton-2203_america_on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke_296057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/edward-norton-2203_america_on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke_296057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/edward-norton-2203_america_on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke_296057.jpg) > “On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke talking about the music business, we're still having to deal with the stench of the last fart of the dying corpse of this regressive vision that America is a white, middle-aged, male, conservative country.” [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America's cultural narrative is dominated by a narrow, conservative, middle‑aged, white male perspective, stifling diversity. **In simple terms:** US culture is ruled by a limited, old‑white‑male view. Key Takeaway Challenge and broaden cultural narratives. Themes culture diversity politics media identity stagnation Mood critical provocative Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - political discourse - media production - education - activism - policy making Key Concepts critical theory media studies social critique Questions to Reflect On - What steps can broaden representation? - How does this narrow view affect marginalized groups? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched narratives is slow and faces resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Middle aged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-aged/) [Music business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-business/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [Saudi Arabia isn't just a conservative country with different values we shouldn't judge. It is a modern Gilead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/saudi-arabia-isn-t-just-a-conservative-country-with-different-values/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [“A streak of Puritanism runs deep within American society. Permissive and pioneering as we may be on the one hand, we are strict and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-hallowell/a-streak-of-puritanism-runs-deep-within-american-society-permissive/) [Edward M. Hallowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-hallowell/) > [America is a conservative country with a small "c" - they want change, but they don't want too much change too fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/america-is-a-conservative-country-with-a-small-c-they-want-change-but/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [When you dig down, people are pretty progressive, by and large. I guess, I've said it many times - that a lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harkin/when-you-dig-down-people-are-pretty-progressive-by-and-large-i-guess/) [Tom Harkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harkin/) > [“Egypt is now a deeply conservative country that, over the past two decades, has so pervasively succumbed to the Wahhabi customs promoted by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/egypt-is-now-a-deeply-conservative-country-that-over-the-past-two/) [John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/) > [Before the Beatles, America was musically a very conservative country. You can see film footage of people at a baseball game, they all had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/before-the-beatles-america-was-musically-a-very-conservative-country/) [Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/) > [You have a country that is 20 percent liberal, 40 percent conservative. You have a country where maybe 22 percent have faith in government.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/you-have-a-country-that-is-20-percent-liberal-40-percent-conservative/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Cartoons were very conservative. The country was very conservative. Although the liberals were allegedly in charge for a long time, there was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-feiffer/cartoons-were-very-conservative-the-country-was-very-conservative/) [Jules Feiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-feiffer/) > [I don't write lyrics, the lyrics write Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-don-t-write-lyrics-the-lyrics-write-thom-yorke/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [My name may be Thom Yorke, but only I can call me Thom Yorke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/my-name-may-be-thom-yorke-but-only-i-can-call-me-thom-yorke/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Yeah, after making Pablo Honey, we started experimenting with cloning myself in order to double the band's creative energy. However, the experiment was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/yeah-after-making-pablo-honey-we-started-experimenting-with-cloning/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [No-one inspired me growing up more than Thom Yorke. I was eleven when the obsession hit hard and I'm still such a huge fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-king/no-one-inspired-me-growing-up-more-than-thom-yorke-i-was-eleven-when/) [Stacey King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-king/) > [My mom and dad got divorced when I was, like, 8, and when I went to my dad's house on the weekend, he'd play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-yachty/my-mom-and-dad-got-divorced-when-i-was-like-8-and-when-i-went-to-my/) [Lil Yachty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-yachty/) > [If I were to be any celebrity, I'd be Chris Martin. I've always wondered what it would be like to be jealous of Thom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/if-i-were-to-be-any-celebrity-i-d-be-chris-martin-i-ve-always/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Kid A is about an abortion. An abortion of the soul. \*Begins to cry, holds up air quotes\* Thom Yorke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/kid-a-is-about-an-abortion-an-abortion-of-the-soul-begins-to-cry/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) ## More by Edward Norton > [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [ As an actor, if you step to the side and you look at \[Thornton's performance\] technically, and you try to imagine doing what he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/as-an-actor-if-you-step-to-the-side-and-you-look-at-thornton-s/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [It's better for people to miss you than to have seen too much of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/it-s-better-for-people-to-miss-you-than-to-have-seen-too-much-of-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [You can't control everything that comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/you-can-t-control-everything-that-comes-to-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [The incentive for business is not, and cannot, be anything other than the root incentive for all business: they must profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/the-incentive-for-business-is-not-and-cannot-be-anything-other-than/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [My greatest hope is that we transcend the most fearful thing, which is that we are rapidly degrading the ecological systems on this planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/my-greatest-hope-is-that-we-transcend-the-most-fearful-thing-which-is/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [David Fincher is probably the best comprehensive director in terms of being a manger of a process that must drive forward. He has such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/david-fincher-is-probably-the-best-comprehensive-director-in-terms-of/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Sometimes their oppression of emotion and the weird way it comes out is more interesting than painting it in bold primary colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/sometimes-their-oppression-of-emotion-and-the-weird-way-it-comes-out/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [The thing I'm absolutely convinced of, no matter how crazy - technological the world is getting, is that people feel more connected through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/the-thing-i-m-absolutely-convinced-of-no-matter-how-crazy/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Making really great music, making really great films, writing great books is an antidote to all of that. And, as people, as artists, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/making-really-great-music-making-really-great-films-writing-great/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I like music, but I need to get outside more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-like-music-but-i-need-to-get-outside-more/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I've always liked the idea of taking old dramatic ideas and devices and making them feel relevant or contemporary or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-ve-always-liked-the-idea-of-taking-old-dramatic-ideas-and-devices/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I don't think you should sit around and wait for people to give you an opportunity to express yourself or do your work, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-think-you-should-sit-around-and-wait-for-people-to-give-you/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [To cite my own alma mater, it's shocking to me that Yale University can teach what it teaches at the Yale School of Environmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/to-cite-my-own-alma-mater-it-s-shocking-to-me-that-yale-university/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I had a huge advantage with Edward Norton because he's directed a movie before, so one thing he appreciates is how hard my job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-had-a-huge-advantage-with-edward-norton-because-he-s-directed-a/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) [Explore all 179 Edward Norton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke talking about the music business, we're still having to deal with the stench of the last fart of the dying corpse of this regressive vision that America is a white, middle-aged, male, conservative country.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Norton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke-talking-about-the-music/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke-talking-about-the-music/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/edward-norton-2203_america_on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke_296057.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/edward-norton-2203_america_on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke_296057.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/edward-norton-2203_america_on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke_296057.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On the downside, to paraphrase Thom Yorke talking about the music business, we're still having to deal with…” — Edward Norton", "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": "Edward Norton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "On the downside, to paraphrase Thom...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke-talking-about-the-music/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/on-the-downside-to-paraphrase-thom-yorke-talking-about-the-music/#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 } } ] } ```