--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily…" description: "\"“Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily map to shit and shinola, of course.”\" — Hal Duncan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/hal-duncan-11149_popular_popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily_2884993.png" --- # Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily map to shit and… ![“Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily map to shit and shinola, of course.” quote by Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/hal-duncan-11149_popular_popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily_2884993.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/hal-duncan-11149_popular_popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily_2884993.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/hal-duncan-11149_popular_popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily_2884993.png) > ““Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily map to shit and shinola, of course.”” [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that popularity and unpopularity don't always align with quality or value. **In simple terms:** Popularity doesn't always equal quality. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about fame. Themes perception value popularity Mood skeptical analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - media analysis - marketing - personal branding Key Concepts social status subjective judgment Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess true value beyond popularity? - What factors cause popular things to be low quality? A Different Perspective Popularity can be misleading without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Sf-criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sf-criticism/) ## Related quotes > [It is safest to take the unpopular side in the first instance. Transit from the unpopular is easy... but from the popular to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lamb-melbourne/it-is-safest-to-take-the-unpopular-side-in-the-first-instance-transit/) William Lamb Melbourne > [I have never made it a consideration whether the subject was popular or unpopular, but whether it was right or wrong; for that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/i-have-never-made-it-a-consideration-whether-the-subject-was-popular/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [I think that most of us would prefer to be popular than unpopular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-think-that-most-of-us-would-prefer-to-be-popular-than-unpopular/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“One can revise the rules, shift the goal posts, but to do so is just to conjure a chimera and mask it as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/one-can-revise-the-rules-shift-the-goal-posts-but-to-do-so-is-just-to/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Brain out, sponge in’ fiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/brain-out-sponge-in-fiction/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“HARD SF and EPIC FANTASY – both of these forms have been conventionalised, proscribed and prescribed, such that they constitute valid GENRES in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/hard-sf-and-epic-fantasy-both-of-these-forms-have-been/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Writers are a combative bunch when it comes to aesthetics, and the generation before GENRE are born into a discourse that’s been brewing since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/writers-are-a-combative-bunch-when-it-comes-to-aesthetics-and-the/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“In a spectaculist fabrication, the cardinal rule is Shit Blows Up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/in-a-spectaculist-fabrication-the-cardinal-rule-is-shit-blows-up/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Here now, in the elsewhen of the SF Café, we’ve had the shenanigans going on for decades, but we haven’t yet adjusted to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/here-now-in-the-elsewhen-of-the-sf-caf-we-ve-had-the-shenanigans/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Ray Bradbury’s entire oeuvre exemplifies the crumbling of SCIENCE FICTION into the open interplay of science fiction, fantasy and horror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/ray-bradbury-s-entire-oeuvre-exemplifies-the-crumbling-of-science/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Fiction that fails to engage an audience with the emotional intricacies of viable characters will, for many in that audience, simply alienate them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/fiction-that-fails-to-engage-an-audience-with-the-emotional/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Science fiction long assimilated the notion that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic (much to its benefit), while fantasy long since assimilated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/science-fiction-long-assimilated-the-notion-that-any-sufficiently/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“AI will begin as Artificial Idiocy . Who cares if a computer can play chess or take control of cyberspace? Can it trash Tokyo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/ai-will-begin-as-artificial-idiocy-who-cares-if-a-computer-can-play/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [When Reagan left office, he was the most unpopular living president, apart from Nixon, even below Carter. If you look at his years in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/when-reagan-left-office-he-was-the-most-unpopular-living-president/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [A president can be unpopular for good reasons. You know, I'm not always on the side that the people are right, for God's sake.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/a-president-can-be-unpopular-for-good-reasons-you-know-i-m-not-always/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## More by Hal Duncan > [“Welcome to Erehwyna!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/welcome-to-erehwyna/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Susurrus whispers through the grass and gorse, godling of the Martian wind, gene-spliced tyke of Zephyros and Ares. His story needs no Ovid, tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/susurrus-whispers-through-the-grass-and-gorse-godling-of-the-martian/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“But the bigots always see those whom they hate as morally corrupt, as if they confuse their own aesthetics of disgust and fear with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/but-the-bigots-always-see-those-whom-they-hate-as-morally-corrupt-as/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Susurrus is a different kind of flirt though, fickle as a godling of wind can only be but light and warm as one father,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/susurrus-is-a-different-kind-of-flirt-though-fickle-as-a-godling-of/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Where names of people or places would mean little to a contemporary reader, I figured "translation errors" could create interesting new meanings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/where-names-of-people-or-places-would-mean-little-to-a-contemporary/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“One can revise the rules, shift the goal posts, but to do so is just to conjure a chimera and mask it as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/one-can-revise-the-rules-shift-the-goal-posts-but-to-do-so-is-just-to/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [I'm sort of exploring where pacifism and socialism come into conflict. How do you reconcile a passionate rejection of might and violence with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-m-sort-of-exploring-where-pacifism-and-socialism-come-into-conflict/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Prejudice validates itself as righteous abhorrence of the criminally deviant. So Christian homophobia is just a metonym of that abjection in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/prejudice-validates-itself-as-righteous-abhorrence-of-the-criminally/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Cause what do groanhuffs know? All’s they’ve done is heard our tales and passed em along in a game of Chinese Whispers, getting em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/cause-what-do-groanhuffs-know-all-s-they-ve-done-is-heard-our-tales/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [The conflict between pacifism and socialism ultimately reflects a greater quandary of how one engages with such a system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/the-conflict-between-pacifism-and-socialism-ultimately-reflects-a/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“I kissed the boys and made them cry ... in ecstasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-kissed-the-boys-and-made-them-cry-in-ecstasy/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“For many readers, writers, editors and agents ... pretty much the working (in)definition: SF is short for So Fuck? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/for-many-readers-writers-editors-and-agents-pretty-much-the-working/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“They say that nothing can stand against such a man, for the one gun – that marked Mutiny – deals instant death, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/they-say-that-nothing-can-stand-against-such-a-man-for-the-one-gun/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Homophobia's just one form of abjection, and wherever you have a marker of deviance - skin colour, gender, gender identity, disability - you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/homophobia-s-just-one-form-of-abjection-and-wherever-you-have-a/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“Losing maturity in one’s fiction for the sake of marvels and monsters can also mean losing propriety, and that’s not always a bad thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/losing-maturity-in-one-s-fiction-for-the-sake-of-marvels-and-monsters/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) [Explore all 61 Hal Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) ## More Popular quotes > [“As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-truslow-adams/as-we-look-over-the-list-of-the-early-leaders-of-the-republic/) [James Truslow Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-truslow-adams/) > [I remain, however, fairly optimistic for the future of period drama because it's just such a popular thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-remain-however-fairly-optimistic-for-the-future-of-period-drama/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [I was never looking to be popular. The trade-off for me in seeking other people's opinions is the potential to help that you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cuomo/i-was-never-looking-to-be-popular-the-trade-off-for-me-in-seeking/) [Chris Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cuomo/) > [I particularly enjoy cello music because our daughter plays the cello. I have listened to her practice for so many hours that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-particularly-enjoy-cello-music-because-our-daughter-plays-the-cello/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [It doesn't matter who you are, how many awards you've won, how popular you are, or how much critical acclaim you've had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/it-doesn-t-matter-who-you-are-how-many-awards-you-ve-won-how-popular/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) > [I ain't whats popping b\*tch I'm whats popular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabolous/i-ain-t-whats-popping-b-tch-i-m-whats-popular/) Fabolous > [Seems like Americans just want it to be Halloween all year. The holiday just keeps getting more popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/seems-like-americans-just-want-it-to-be-halloween-all-year-the/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [Bullfights are hugely popular because you can sit comfortably with a hot dog and possibly watch a man die. It wont be me, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/bullfights-are-hugely-popular-because-you-can-sit-comfortably-with-a/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [For a group of friends or a family dinner, fish tacos are popular and fun to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/for-a-group-of-friends-or-a-family-dinner-fish-tacos-are-popular-and/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [When I was young, running with a gang was a cool thing to do; that's how you get popular; that's how you get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-compston/when-i-was-young-running-with-a-gang-was-a-cool-thing-to-do-that-s/) [Martin Compston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-compston/) > [Everyone has those times when you feel like you don't fit in. Everyone struggles to a certain extent with being cool and popular, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-boldman/everyone-has-those-times-when-you-feel-like-you-don-t-fit-in-everyone/) [Spencer Boldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-boldman/) > [In their heyday, comics were a dominant force in popular culture, but that's over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/in-their-heyday-comics-were-a-dominant-force-in-popular-culture-but/) [Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/) > [Congress as a whole is less popular than it's been since polling was invented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/congress-as-a-whole-is-less-popular-than-it-s-been-since-polling-was/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm pretty much out of popular culture altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-m-pretty-much-out-of-popular-culture-altogether/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) Browse all 750 Popular quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily map to shit and shinola, of course.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hal Duncan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily-map-to-shit-and-shinola-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Popular" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily-map-to-shit-and-shinola-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/hal-duncan-11149_popular_popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily_2884993.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/hal-duncan-11149_popular_popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily_2884993.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/hal-duncan-11149_popular_popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily_2884993.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily map to shit and shinola, of course.” — Hal Duncan", "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": "Hal Duncan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Popular and unpopular don’t necessarily map...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily-map-to-shit-and-shinola-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/popular-and-unpopular-don-t-necessarily-map-to-shit-and-shinola-of/#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 } } ] } ```