--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I call TVs 'erasers' because they have…" description: "\"“I call TVs 'erasers' because they have not only wiped away the entire human experience to date, but whatever it was they were wetting their pants abou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/kurt-vonnegut-41_human-experience_i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not_2133692.jpg" --- # I call TVs 'erasers' because they have not only wiped away… ![“I call TVs 'erasers' because they have not only wiped away the entire human experience to date, but whatever it was they were wetting their pants about only fifteen minutes earlier.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/kurt-vonnegut-41_human-experience_i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not_2133692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/kurt-vonnegut-41_human-experience_i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not_2133692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/kurt-vonnegut-41_human-experience_i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not_2133692.jpg) > ““I call TVs 'erasers' because they have not only wiped away the entire human experience to date, but whatever it was they were wetting their pants about only fifteen minutes earlier.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. TVs dominate culture, erasing past experiences and quickly shifting focus to trivial concerns. **In simple terms:** TVs erase history and create fleeting worries. Key Takeaway Recognize media’s impact on memory. Themes culture technology media memory distraction Mood critical reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - personal reflection - media consumption - historical awareness Key Concepts cultural erasure attention economy Questions to Reflect On - How does constant media consumption affect personal memory? - What can we do to preserve cultural history? A Different Perspective TVs also provide education and connection; they are not solely negative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Erasers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erasers/) [Erasers Wiped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erasers-wiped-4410061/) [Human experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-experience/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Tvs Erasers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs-erasers-4410060/) [Wetting Pants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wetting-pants-4410062/) [Wiped Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiped-away-364146/) ## Related quotes > [“Using chemicals is like wetting your pants. It feels real good while you're doing it, but sooner or later you've got to clean up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-eder/using-chemicals-is-like-wetting-your-pants-it-feels-real-good-while/) [Marcus Eder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-eder/) > [“WHEN A FIERCE-LOOKING GUY COMES OUT of a mirror as though it’s a doorway, and when he grabs for you and snags your shirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/when-a-fierce-looking-guy-comes-out-of-a-mirror-as-though-it-s-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Wetting one's pants is no kind of self-esteem builder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-juby/wetting-one-s-pants-is-no-kind-of-self-esteem-builder/) [Susan Juby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-juby/) > [“You can't keep doing this," Liam added under his breath, "You've just gotta let it go." Tears sprang to my eyes, and I wiped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-roecker/you-can-t-keep-doing-this-liam-added-under-his-breath-you-ve-just/) [Lisa Roecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-roecker/) > [On London Bridge where we met,and had to say goodbye for but a short while, the wind bought tears to my eyes. I wiped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-macdonald/on-london-bridge-where-we-met-and-had-to-say-goodbye-for-but-a-short/) [Kyle MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-macdonald/) > [I have said no To everything, in order to get at myself. I have wiped away moonlight like mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/i-have-said-no-to-everything-in-order-to-get-at-myself-i-have-wiped/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“Unseeing, even when seen unfeeling, even when felt, to those scattered loves and the abashment that meet the eyes, I had tried to brush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/unseeing-even-when-seen-unfeeling-even-when-felt-to-those-scattered/) [Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/) > [America won't be safe if independent will is wiped away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mast/america-won-t-be-safe-if-independent-will-is-wiped-away/) [Brian Mast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mast/) > [The ephemeral nature of live performance is the part I love most - it's a monk's sand painting, carefully constructed, then wiped away in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-cash/the-ephemeral-nature-of-live-performance-is-the-part-i-love-most-it-s/) [Rosanne Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-cash/) > [“The young people I loved have probably been wiped away by the real world, existing only as they once were in my memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-danton-the-bull-years/the-young-people-i-loved-have-probably-been-wiped-away-by-the-real/) [Sophia Danton The Bull Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-danton-the-bull-years/) > [“We have so much to learn from a fallen teardrop which is wiped away from our cheek…never to be felt again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/we-have-so-much-to-learn-from-a-fallen-teardrop-which-is-wiped-away/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [“You wrote words with your hand, but your mind wiped me away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/okey-ndibe/you-wrote-words-with-your-hand-but-your-mind-wiped-me-away/) [Okey Ndibe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/okey-ndibe/) > [“Nostalgia, as always, had wiped away the bad memories and magnified the good ones. no one was safe from its onslaught.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/nostalgia-as-always-had-wiped-away-the-bad-memories-and-magnified-the/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [They took away what should have been my eyes (but I remembered Milton's Paradise). They took away what should have been my ears, (Beethoven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/they-took-away-what-should-have-been-my-eyes-but-i-remembered-milton/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“I didn’t want to cry in front of you.” He wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumb. “I want you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-carr/i-didn-t-want-to-cry-in-front-of-you-he-wiped-away-the-tears-with-the/) [Robyn Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-carr/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Erasers quotes > [Fame is like a big eraser. It's strange, now that I'm famous. In my parents' opinion, all the shitty things - all the wreckage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/fame-is-like-a-big-eraser-it-s-strange-now-that-i-m-famous-in-my/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [An old man said Eraser are made For those who make MISTAKES. A youth replied Erasers are made for those who are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/echoyan/an-old-man-said-eraser-are-made-for-those-who-make-mistakes-a-youth/) [EchoYan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/echoyan/) > [The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-with-a-pencil-at-one-end/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [“Mistakes? That's why they put erasers on pencils.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-barnett/mistakes-that-s-why-they-put-erasers-on-pencils/) [Rick Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-barnett/) > [An old man said Erasers r made 4 those who make mistakes. A youth replied Erasers r made 4 those who r willing 2…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/an-old-man-said-erasers-r-made-4-those-who-make-mistakes-a-youth/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The two most important tools an architect has are the eraser in the drawing room and the sledge hammer on the construction site.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/the-two-most-important-tools-an-architect-has-are-the-eraser-in-the/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [When you make your mark in the world, watch out for the envious with erasers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/when-you-make-your-mark-in-the-world-watch-out-for-the-envious-with/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [He who knows how to shave the razor, will know how to erase the eraser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-michaux/he-who-knows-how-to-shave-the-razor-will-know-how-to-erase-the-eraser/) [Henri Michaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-michaux/) > [My degree was in sculpture. I always think that drawing is a sculptural process. I always feel like I'm carving the image out rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-longo/my-degree-was-in-sculpture-i-always-think-that-drawing-is-a/) [Robert Longo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-longo/) > [When you compare Christmas to Hanukkah, there's no comparison. Christmas is great. Hanukkah sucks! First night you get socks. Second night, an eraser, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/when-you-compare-christmas-to-hanukkah-there-s-no-comparison/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [Erasers are for people who make errors. But a better saying: Erasers are for people willing to correct their mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/erasers-are-for-people-who-make-errors-but-a-better-saying-erasers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man said: Erasers are made for those who make mistakes. Another man replied: Erasers are made for those who are willing to correct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshycrazyness/a-man-said-erasers-are-made-for-those-who-make-mistakes-another-man/) [EwshyCrazyness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewshycrazyness/) > [You can't live life without an eraser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/you-can-t-live-life-without-an-eraser/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [My heart is a colored pencil but my brain is an eraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-watsky/my-heart-is-a-colored-pencil-but-my-brain-is-an-eraser/) [George Watsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-watsky/) > [Why are pencils equipped with erasers if not to correct mistakes?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-l-mcclung/why-are-pencils-equipped-with-erasers-if-not-to-correct-mistakes/) [Nellie L. McClung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-l-mcclung/) [Browse all 68 Erasers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erasers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I call TVs 'erasers' because they have not only wiped away the entire human experience to date, but whatever it was they were wetting their pants about only fifteen minutes earlier.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not-only-wiped-away-the-entire/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Erasers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not-only-wiped-away-the-entire/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/kurt-vonnegut-41_human-experience_i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not_2133692.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/kurt-vonnegut-41_human-experience_i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not_2133692.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/kurt-vonnegut-41_human-experience_i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not_2133692.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I call TVs 'erasers' because they have not only wiped away the entire human experience to date, but whatever…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I call TVs 'erasers' because they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not-only-wiped-away-the-entire/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-call-tvs-erasers-because-they-have-not-only-wiped-away-the-entire/#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 } } ] } ```