--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Spare a thought in 2013, this horrible…" description: "\"“Spare a thought in 2013, this horrible horrible time to be alive, for the satirist. To satirise the self-satirising effluence that passes for populist..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/mj-nicholls-165849_time_spare-a-thought-in-2013-this-horrible-ho_1711626.jpg" --- # Spare a thought in 2013, this horrible horrible time to be… ![“Spare a thought in 2013, this horrible horrible time to be alive, for the satirist. To satirise the self-satirising effluence that passes for populist entertainment and the pathetic vanity of a self-deifying movie industry is no mean feat in an age comfortable in its metameta cage. Being born into…” quote by MJ Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/mj-nicholls-165849_time_spare-a-thought-in-2013-this-horrible-ho_1711626.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/mj-nicholls-165849_time_spare-a-thought-in-2013-this-horrible-ho_1711626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ca/mj-nicholls-165849_time_spare-a-thought-in-2013-this-horrible-ho_1711626.jpg) > ““Spare a thought in 2013, this horrible horrible time to be alive, for the satirist. To satirise the self-satirising effluence that passes for populist entertainment and the pathetic vanity of a self-deifying movie industry is no mean feat in an age comfortable in its metameta cage. Being born into a system that values success, usually financial, above everything else, into an essentially worthless and spoiled world of governments happy to toss art aside in favour of financial dominance and petty power, gives the writer a subject, but limited maneuverability in his approach. To merry heck with the leaders who close libraries, theatres and community centres in favour of opening more retail opportunities and call centres to slowly mind-melt the populace. Fuck these zoot-suited capitalist cockslingers with their pus-filled polyps for souls. Because the only respite from the failed system in this failed First World is through literature—not through the ideologues, rhetoricians or motivational yammerers, but through the wonderous drug of fiction.”” [MJ Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mj-nicholls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer critiques a profit‑driven society that marginalizes art, urging literature as a refuge against cultural decay and capitalist oppression. **In simple terms:** Art is undervalued; literature offers escape. Key Takeaway Support art, resist commodification. Themes Critique Society Art Capitalism Literature Resistance Mood angry defiant Type opinion satire When to use this quote - political activism - artistic expression - community building Key Concepts Satire Cultural criticism Economic disparity Questions to Reflect On - How can literature counteract cultural commodification? - What role should artists play in societal critique? A Different Perspective Capitalist narratives can dominate discourse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive Satirist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive-satirist-1252816/) [Satirise Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satirise-self-1252817/) [Satirising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satirising-1252818/) [Satirist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satirist/) [Satirist Satirise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satirist-satirise-1252815/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The idea of satirising oneself is a very bold move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-watkins/the-idea-of-satirising-oneself-is-a-very-bold-move/) [Jason Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-watkins/) > [The Day Today' was at least as interested in satirising form as content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/the-day-today-was-at-least-as-interested-in-satirising-form-as-content/) [Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/) > [In the two books I wrote, even though they were written in a sort of Joycean gobbledegook, there's many knocks at religion and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/in-the-two-books-i-wrote-even-though-they-were-written-in-a-sort-of/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [He has the obligation to society that any human being has. I don't think a satirist has any greater obligation to society than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/he-has-the-obligation-to-society-that-any-human-being-has-i-don-t/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [It didn't seem fair to me that Jon Stewart's rally didn't get the same kind of attention that Glenn Beck's did. Why was Beck's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-didn-t-seem-fair-to-me-that-jon-stewart-s-rally-didn-t-get-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [What arouses the indignation of the honest satirist is not, unless the man is a prig, the fact that people in positions of power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claud-cockburn/what-arouses-the-indignation-of-the-honest-satirist-is-not-unless-the/) [Claud Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claud-cockburn/) > [Satire has its limits. It is really up to the people to make the change. The satirist's role ends at the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/satire-has-its-limits-it-is-really-up-to-the-people-to-make-the/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [Satire or sense, alas! Can Sporus feel? Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/satire-or-sense-alas-can-sporus-feel-who-breaks-a-butterfly-upon-a/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [The late great Horace Lloyd Swithin (1844-1917), British essayist, lecturer, satirist, and social observer, wrote in his autobiographical Appointments, 1890-1901 (1902), "When one travels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/the-late-great-horace-lloyd-swithin-1844-1917-british-essayist/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I've spent my entire career being a satirist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-ve-spent-my-entire-career-being-a-satirist/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I found that not having a public profile was not hurting the work, and it freed me up to be the satirist I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/i-found-that-not-having-a-public-profile-was-not-hurting-the-work-and/) [Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) ## More Satirist quotes > [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [He has the obligation to society that any human being has. I don't think a satirist has any greater obligation to society than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/he-has-the-obligation-to-society-that-any-human-being-has-i-don-t/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I found that not having a public profile was not hurting the work, and it freed me up to be the satirist I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/i-found-that-not-having-a-public-profile-was-not-hurting-the-work-and/) [Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/) > [I've spent my entire career being a satirist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-ve-spent-my-entire-career-being-a-satirist/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [The late great Horace Lloyd Swithin (1844-1917), British essayist, lecturer, satirist, and social observer, wrote in his autobiographical Appointments, 1890-1901 (1902), "When one travels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/the-late-great-horace-lloyd-swithin-1844-1917-british-essayist/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [Satire or sense, alas! Can Sporus feel? Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/satire-or-sense-alas-can-sporus-feel-who-breaks-a-butterfly-upon-a/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Satire has its limits. It is really up to the people to make the change. The satirist's role ends at the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/satire-has-its-limits-it-is-really-up-to-the-people-to-make-the/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [What arouses the indignation of the honest satirist is not, unless the man is a prig, the fact that people in positions of power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claud-cockburn/what-arouses-the-indignation-of-the-honest-satirist-is-not-unless-the/) [Claud Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claud-cockburn/) > [It didn't seem fair to me that Jon Stewart's rally didn't get the same kind of attention that Glenn Beck's did. Why was Beck's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-didn-t-seem-fair-to-me-that-jon-stewart-s-rally-didn-t-get-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“Millions of business people are each constantly forced to choose between their desire to not be a bad person and their desire to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/millions-of-business-people-are-each-constantly-forced-to-choose/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [A satirist is a man whose flesh creeps so at the ugly and the savage and the incongruous aspects of society that he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/a-satirist-is-a-man-whose-flesh-creeps-so-at-the-ugly-and-the-savage/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [No novel has ever changed anything, as far as I can see. And the great satirists, like Swift and Dickens, tend to write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/no-novel-has-ever-changed-anything-as-far-as-i-can-see-and-the-great/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) [Browse all 118 Satirist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satirist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Spare a thought in 2013, this horrible horrible time to be alive, for the satirist. To satirise the self-satirising effluence that passes for populist entertainment and the pathetic vanity of a self-deifying movie industry is no mean feat in an age comfortable in its metameta cage. Being born into a system that values success, usually financial, above everything else, into an essentially worthless and spoiled world of governments happy to toss art aside in favour of financial dominance and petty power, gives the writer a subject, but limited maneuverability in his approach. To merry heck with the leaders who close libraries, theatres and community centres in favour of opening more retail opportunities and call centres to slowly mind-melt the populace. Fuck these zoot-suited capitalist cockslingers with their pus-filled polyps for souls. 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