--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you told me thirty years ago that…" description: "\"If you told me thirty years ago that people would be parodying documentary films, I never would have believed it. It wasn't clear that the films themse..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/errol-morris-2512_audience_if-you-told-me-thirty-years-ago-that-peo_3230167.jpg" --- # If you told me thirty years ago that people would be… ![“If you told me thirty years ago that people would be parodying documentary films, I never would have believed it. It wasn't clear that the films themselves even had an audience, let alone an audience for parodies of them.” quote by Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/errol-morris-2512_audience_if-you-told-me-thirty-years-ago-that-peo_3230167.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/errol-morris-2512_audience_if-you-told-me-thirty-years-ago-that-peo_3230167.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/errol-morris-2512_audience_if-you-told-me-thirty-years-ago-that-peo_3230167.jpg) > “If you told me thirty years ago that people would be parodying documentary films, I never would have believed it. It wasn't clear that the films themselves even had an audience, let alone an audience for parodies of them.” [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It reflects on the unexpected rise of parody as a cultural response to documentary films, highlighting shifts in audience engagement. **In simple terms:** Parodies of documentaries became popular unexpectedly. Key Takeaway Recognize evolving media trends. Themes media culture humor film technology Mood analytical humorous Type critical observational When to use this quote - film festivals - online platforms - education - marketing - content creation Key Concepts media studies cultural criticism Questions to Reflect On - Why do audiences enjoy parody? - How does parody affect documentary credibility? A Different Perspective Parody can undermine the seriousness of original works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-films/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Parody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parody/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [With good parody, you have to be smarter that the people you’re parodying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/with-good-parody-you-have-to-be-smarter-that-the-people-you-re/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [If smart people are parodying it, that's a sure sign that some less smart people are believing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/if-smart-people-are-parodying-it-that-s-a-sure-sign-that-some-less/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I fell into presenting after doing about a decade of parody shows of presenter-based shows, and a lot of it was me parodying a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deayton/i-fell-into-presenting-after-doing-about-a-decade-of-parody-shows-of/) [Angus Deayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deayton/) > [I have done films because I believed in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-roy/i-have-done-films-because-i-believed-in-them/) [Rahul Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-roy/) > [Both 'Thappad' and 'Tanhaji' were films that we believed in and we're proud to support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhushan-kumar/both-thappad-and-tanhaji-were-films-that-we-believed-in-and-we-re/) [Bhushan Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhushan-kumar/) > [Twenty to thirty years ago, who was making documentary films? Nobody. Well, relatively few people. It was an art form that had limited theatrical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/twenty-to-thirty-years-ago-who-was-making-documentary-films-nobody/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The 'Room On Fire' tour was us parodying ourselves. It was almost comical when I look back at it. We were really living off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fab-moretti/the-room-on-fire-tour-was-us-parodying-ourselves-it-was-almost/) [Fab Moretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fab-moretti/) > [I love 'Airplane,' and I love 'Naked Gun' and all those films, where you're parodying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/i-love-airplane-and-i-love-naked-gun-and-all-those-films-where-you-re/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [There's a rich history at Westboro of parodying pop culture. The thing about pop culture is that it gives us a shared language. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-phelps-roper/there-s-a-rich-history-at-westboro-of-parodying-pop-culture-the-thing/) [Megan Phelps-Roper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-phelps-roper/) > [It's easy to be smart when you are parodying smart people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/it-s-easy-to-be-smart-when-you-are-parodying-smart-people/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Having spent a substantial part of my career parodying religious figures from my own Christian background, I am aghast at the notion that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/having-spent-a-substantial-part-of-my-career-parodying-religious/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [I guess I'm part of the art house, but we really have to shake up our ideas, because we're kind of self-parodying ourselves. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mullan/i-guess-i-m-part-of-the-art-house-but-we-really-have-to-shake-up-our/) [Peter Mullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mullan/) > [With documentary-film projects, you hope you highlight an area of concern people haven't thought about before. A lot of times, I'm asking myself -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/with-documentary-film-projects-you-hope-you-highlight-an-area-of/) [Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/) > [If you want to tell the untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got to find a language. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-tell-the-untold-stories-if-you-want-to-give-voice-to/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Documentary films have always been my passion, I have done documentaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/documentary-films-have-always-been-my-passion-i-have-done/) [Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/) ## More by Errol Morris > [God is greater than anything that man can do or has done. He is not undone by just a train of powder. "Our God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/god-is-greater-than-anything-that-man-can-do-or-has-done-he-is-not/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [In the case of The Thin Blue Line, I was surprised actually by many things. I was shooting down in Texas where the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/in-the-case-of-the-thin-blue-line-i-was-surprised-actually-by-many/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [When 'The Thin Blue Line' came out, I was criticized by many people for using reenactments, as if I wasn't dedicated to the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/when-the-thin-blue-line-came-out-i-was-criticized-by-many-people-for/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [There is such a thing as truth, but we have a vested interest in not seeing it, in avoiding it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/there-is-such-a-thing-as-truth-but-we-have-a-vested-interest-in-not/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Simply coming to the perpetrator and delivering the message is Nozick's definition of revenge. And in that sense, Adi is exacting revenge. When people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/simply-coming-to-the-perpetrator-and-delivering-the-message-is-nozick/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The proper route to an understanding of the world is an examination of our errors about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-proper-route-to-an-understanding-of-the-world-is-an-examination/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The chance that any given sentence is a lie, rather than a truth, I think, is fairly great. An intentional lie, a self-deception, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-chance-that-any-given-sentence-is-a-lie-rather-than-a-truth-i/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [ Maybe \[killers\] is one of my real passions. Why deny it? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/maybe-killers-is-one-of-my-real-passions-why-deny-it/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [I envy certain writers, because there are writers who do go into a kind of different zone, where the writing isn't controlled anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-envy-certain-writers-because-there-are-writers-who-do-go-into-a/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Right now, we live in bad times in this country, and the fact that there are filmmakers addressing political and social issues is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/right-now-we-live-in-bad-times-in-this-country-and-the-fact-that/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [You can talk about a caption underneath a photograph being true or false, because there is a linguistic element. You can claim that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/you-can-talk-about-a-caption-underneath-a-photograph-being-true-or/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [The fact that the world is utterly insane makes it tolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-fact-that-the-world-is-utterly-insane-makes-it-tolerable/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Appearing on the front page of the New York Times even given the state of papers today is still something that's seen by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/appearing-on-the-front-page-of-the-new-york-times-even-given-the/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [You can't tell by looking at a film-clip whether it is a drama or a documentary without knowing how it was produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/you-can-t-tell-by-looking-at-a-film-clip-whether-it-is-a-drama-or-a/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Tell me what's wrong with this idea: If you're selling to somebody, find someone like that person to sell to them. If you're trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/tell-me-what-s-wrong-with-this-idea-if-you-re-selling-to-somebody/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) [Explore all 163 Errol Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you told me thirty years ago that people would be parodying documentary films, I never would have believed it. 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