--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nowadays, of course, just about our only…" description: "\"“Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our grandchildren, so that the message of our p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-s_1264990.jpg" --- # Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry… ![“Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our grandchildren, so that the message of our principal art forms, movies and television and political speeches and newspaper columns, for the sake of the economy, simply has to be this: War is…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-s_1264990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-s_1264990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-s_1264990.jpg) > ““Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our grandchildren, so that the message of our principal art forms, movies and television and political speeches and newspaper columns, for the sake of the economy, simply has to be this: War is hell, all right, but the only way a boy can become a man is in a shoot-out of some kind, preferably, but by no means necessarily, on a battlefield.”” [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. The quote critiques how modern culture glorifies violence as a rite of passage, driven by economic interests and media. **In simple terms:** Media sells violence as a path to adulthood. Key Takeaway Question media narratives that link masculinity to war. Themes culture media violence masculinity economics Mood critical reflective Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - film criticism - political commentary - education - parenting - policy making Key Concepts propaganda social critique masculine identity Questions to Reflect On - How does media shape our view of masculinity? - What alternatives to violent rites of passage exist? A Different Perspective It overlooks non‑violent ways to achieve maturity and the harm of glorifying war. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Battlefields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battlefields/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Grandchildren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandchildren/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Merchandising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merchandising/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-speech/) [Political speeches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-speeches/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Is Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-is-hell/) ## Related quotes > [Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our grandchildren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-solvent-industry-is-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“That was an ordinary way for a patriotic American to talk back then. It's hard to believe how sick of war we used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-was-an-ordinary-way-for-a-patriotic-american-to-talk-back-then/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“What the hell do you know about what we lost?! You think we had it easy? That we had it better than you? That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-remender/what-the-hell-do-you-know-about-what-we-lost-you-think-we-had-it-easy/) [Rick Remender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-remender/) > [“War is hell and waiting is hell and war is waiting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-burana/war-is-hell-and-waiting-is-hell-and-war-is-waiting/) [lily burana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-burana/) > [“Let no one ever from henceforth say a word in any way countenancing war. It is dangerous even to speak of how here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siegfried-sassoon/let-no-one-ever-from-henceforth-say-a-word-in-any-way-countenancing/) [Siegfried Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siegfried-sassoon/) > [I don't really understand the point about carping about every casualty, every bombing, every death. War is hell. That's why people say war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/i-don-t-really-understand-the-point-about-carping-about-every/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Yes, war is hell. It is awful. It involves human beings killing other human beings, sometimes innocent civilians. That is why we despise war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/yes-war-is-hell-it-is-awful-it-involves-human-beings-killing-other/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/it-is-only-those-who-have-neither-fired-a-shot-nor-heard-the-shrieks/) [William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/) > [War is a lie. War is a racket. War is hell. War is waste. War is a crime. War is terrorism. War is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-rowley/war-is-a-lie-war-is-a-racket-war-is-hell-war-is-waste-war-is-a-crime/) Coleen Rowley > [I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/i-am-tired-and-sick-of-war-its-glory-is-all-moonshine-it-is-only/) [William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/) > [The artist must be like that Marine. He has to know how to be miserable. He has to love being miserable. He has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-artist-must-be-like-that-marine-he-has-to-know-how-to-be/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [This is the soldier brave enough to tellThe glory-dazzled world that "war is hell":Lover of peace, he looks beyond the strife,And rides through hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/this-is-the-soldier-brave-enough-to-tellthe-glory-dazzled-world-that/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [War is hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/war-is-hell/) [William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/) > [War is Hell you can NOT refine it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/war-is-hell-you-can-not-refine-it/) [William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/) > [“People like to say, ‘War is hell.’ Well, that saying’s true. I’ve seen it. But the saying’s also bullshit, because it ignores a truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-robert-nolan/people-like-to-say-war-is-hell-well-that-saying-s-true-i-ve-seen-it/) Eric Robert Nolan ## 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 Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our grandchildren, so that the message of our principal art forms, movies and television and political speeches and newspaper columns, for the sake of the economy, simply has to be this: War is hell, all right, but the only way a boy can become a man is in a shoot-out of some kind, preferably, but by no means necessarily, on a battlefield.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-solvent-industry-is-the-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-solvent-industry-is-the-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-s_1264990.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-s_1264990.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kurt-vonnegut-41_art_nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-s_1264990.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our…” — 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": "“Nowadays, of course, just about our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-solvent-industry-is-the-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nowadays-of-course-just-about-our-only-solvent-industry-is-the-2/#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 } } ] } ```