Bad taste Quote by John Irving
“You can't say you're going to ban something in the name of good taste, because then you have directed someone to play the role of good-taste police. We - Americans - permit bad taste in this country. In fact, we even encourage it.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: John Irving on Censorship, 2018
Attempting to ban taste under moral pretenses creates a self‑appointed arbiter, undermining freedom and paradoxically encouraging the very thing it condemns.
In simple terms: Banning taste creates a moral police and backfires.
Key Takeaway
Question authority, protect freedom.
Themes
censorship
morality
freedom of expression
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- media regulation
- art criticism
- public policy
Key Concepts
ethics
political theory
Questions to Reflect On
- Is taste subjective?
- Who decides cultural standards?
A Different Perspective
Moral policing can stifle creativity.
![“JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" [Owen Meany] said crossly. "LOOK AT THOSE WEIRDO TV MIRACLE-WORKERS--THEY'RE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN MAGIC! BUT THE REAL MIRACLES AREN'T ANYTHING YOU CAN…” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70e/john-irving-337_atheists_just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-bet_31804.jpg)
