--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The television commercial is about…" description: "\"“The television commercial is about products only in the sense that the story of Jonah is about the anatomy of whales,”\" — Neil Postman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/neil-postman-1598_jonah_the-television-commercial-is-about-produ_711203.jpg" --- # The television commercial is about products only in the… ![“The television commercial is about products only in the sense that the story of Jonah is about the anatomy of whales,” quote by Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/neil-postman-1598_jonah_the-television-commercial-is-about-produ_711203.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/neil-postman-1598_jonah_the-television-commercial-is-about-produ_711203.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/neil-postman-1598_jonah_the-television-commercial-is-about-produ_711203.jpg) > ““The television commercial is about products only in the sense that the story of Jonah is about the anatomy of whales,”” [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) ## 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 likens TV ads to Jonah's story, suggesting that media narratives shape perception of reality, not just sell products. **In simple terms:** Media frames reality like stories, not just sales pitches. Key Takeaway Recognize media’s storytelling power. Themes media perception storytelling Mood critical analytical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - advertising - news reporting - education - political messaging Key Concepts narrative framing cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does storytelling influence your buying choices? - What stories do media tell about society? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex media effects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jonah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jonah/) ## Related quotes > [“Do you like a good ghost story?”-Jonah”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-michelle-burnett/do-you-like-a-good-ghost-story-jonah/) [Dana Michelle Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-michelle-burnett/) > [In 'Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels,' I retell the story of Jonah and show how Jonah was just as much in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/in-surprised-by-grace-god-s-relentless-pursuit-of-rebels-i-retell-the/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [“The television commercial has mounted the most serious assault on capitalist ideology since the publication of Das Kapital.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-has-mounted-the-most-serious-assault-on/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The television commercial is not at all about the character of products to be consumed. It is about the character of the consumers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-not-at-all-about-the-character-of/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [At thirteen I began modeling, doing my first television commercial in ninth grade for Pizza Hut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-thirteen-i-began-modeling-doing-my-first-television-commercial-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Richard Nixon was just offered $2 million by Schick to do a television commercial - for Gillette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford-2/richard-nixon-was-just-offered-2-million-by-schick-to-do-a-television/) Gerald R Ford > [I did a television commercial when I was 12 back home with Diaw. I have known him a long time. We are very close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-fournier/i-did-a-television-commercial-when-i-was-12-back-home-with-diaw-i/) [Evan Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-fournier/) > [Television screens saturated with commercials promote the utopian and childish idea that all problems have fast, simple, and technological solutions. You must banish from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/television-screens-saturated-with-commercials-promote-the-utopian-and/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Any real Bob Dylan fan would sleep with Jonah Lehrer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/any-real-bob-dylan-fan-would-sleep-with-jonah-lehrer/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [We make a mistake forsaking England and moving out into the periphery of life. After all, Taormina, Ceylon, Africa, America -- as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/we-make-a-mistake-forsaking-england-and-moving-out-into-the-periphery/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Lord, make me less like Jonah and more like Jesus. Save me from being the kind of person who cares more about my comfort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-s-smith/lord-make-me-less-like-jonah-and-more-like-jesus-save-me-from-being/) [Colin S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-s-smith/) > [Just a reminder, if you tell anyone about what happened with Jonah last night, I'll destroy all of my writing and never play music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/just-a-reminder-if-you-tell-anyone-about-what-happened-with-jonah/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Here's the point - and Jonah Goldberg reminds us of this. He wrote a blog post that was titled "The MacGuffinization of American Politics."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/here-s-the-point-and-jonah-goldberg-reminds-us-of-this-he-wrote-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“(Because Jonah’s real story is the one never told: never was he as stupendously happy as during those three days and three nights of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/because-jonah-s-real-story-is-the-one-never-told-never-was-he-as/) [Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) ## More by Neil Postman > [“to whom will the technology give greater power and freedom? And whose power and freedom will be reduced by it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/to-whom-will-the-technology-give-greater-power-and-freedom-and-whose/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Cyberspace' is a metaphorical idea which is supposed to be the space where your consciousness is located when you're using computer technology on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/cyberspace-is-a-metaphorical-idea-which-is-supposed-to-be-the-space/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Textbooks, it seems to me, are enemies of education, instruments for promoting dogmatism and trivial learning. They may save the teacher some trouble, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/textbooks-it-seems-to-me-are-enemies-of-education-instruments-for/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [The whole problem with news on television comes down to this: all the words uttered in an hour of news coverage could be printed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-whole-problem-with-news-on-television-comes-down-to-this-all-the/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“There being no international copyright laws, “pirated” editions abounded, with no complaint from the public, or much from authors, who were lionized.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/there-being-no-international-copyright-laws-pirated-editions-abounded/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The television commercial is not at all about the character of products to be consumed. It is about the character of the consumers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-not-at-all-about-the-character-of/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Many decisions about the form and content of news programs are made on the basis of information about the viewer, the purpose of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/many-decisions-about-the-form-and-content-of-news-programs-are-made/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“the world we live in is very nearly incomprehensible to most of us. There is almost no fact, whether actual or imagined, that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-world-we-live-in-is-very-nearly-incomprehensible-to-most-of-us/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Tüketici psikodramalarla yatıştırılan bir hastadır.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/t-ketici-psikodramalarla-yat-t-r-lan-bir-hastad-r/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Huxley grasped, as Orwell did not, that it is not necessary to conceal anything from a public insensible to contradiction and narcotized by technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/huxley-grasped-as-orwell-did-not-that-it-is-not-necessary-to-conceal/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The written word is assumed to have been reflected upon and revised by its author,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-written-word-is-assumed-to-have-been-reflected-upon-and-revised/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [We do not measure a culture by its output of undisguised trivialities but by what it claims as significant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-do-not-measure-a-culture-by-its-output-of-undisguised-trivialities/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“In America, the least amusing people are its professional entertainers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/in-america-the-least-amusing-people-are-its-professional-entertainers/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-were-keeping-our-eye-on-1984-when-the-year-came-and-the-prophecy/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The question is not, Does or doesn't public schooling create a public? The question is, What kind of public does it create? A conglomerate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-question-is-not-does-or-doesn-t-public-schooling-create-a-public/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) [Explore all 220 Neil Postman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) ## More Jonah quotes > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [“(Because Jonah’s real story is the one never told: never was he as stupendously happy as during those three days and three nights of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/because-jonah-s-real-story-is-the-one-never-told-never-was-he-as/) [Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/) > [Here's the point - and Jonah Goldberg reminds us of this. He wrote a blog post that was titled "The MacGuffinization of American Politics."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/here-s-the-point-and-jonah-goldberg-reminds-us-of-this-he-wrote-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Just a reminder, if you tell anyone about what happened with Jonah last night, I'll destroy all of my writing and never play music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/just-a-reminder-if-you-tell-anyone-about-what-happened-with-jonah/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Lord, make me less like Jonah and more like Jesus. Save me from being the kind of person who cares more about my comfort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-s-smith/lord-make-me-less-like-jonah-and-more-like-jesus-save-me-from-being/) [Colin S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-s-smith/) > [Any real Bob Dylan fan would sleep with Jonah Lehrer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/any-real-bob-dylan-fan-would-sleep-with-jonah-lehrer/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [We make a mistake forsaking England and moving out into the periphery of life. After all, Taormina, Ceylon, Africa, America -- as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/we-make-a-mistake-forsaking-england-and-moving-out-into-the-periphery/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [There are a lot of really funny guys who are very natural in what they do: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/there-are-a-lot-of-really-funny-guys-who-are-very-natural-in-what/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [“When you fall in love, when Love really does its worst, it gives you no cause. It swallows you whole. It allows no refusals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-raquel-lee/when-you-fall-in-love-when-love-really-does-its-worst-it-gives-you-no/) [Candice Raquel Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-raquel-lee/) > [“Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord. He went to Joppa, where he found a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tata-velasquez/jonah-however-set-out-in-the-opposite-direction-in-order-to-get-away/) Tata Velasquez > [Jonah Griggs. Not just a name but a state of mind I never want to revisit, although I do keep him at the back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/jonah-griggs-not-just-a-name-but-a-state-of-mind-i-never-want-to/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [“The Bible frequently uses symmetries and inversions. By such comparisons (parallels and contrasts) the unique aspects of reality begin to emerge. Comparing two objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-zehabe/the-bible-frequently-uses-symmetries-and-inversions-by-such/) [Michael Ben Zehabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ben-zehabe/) > [His father's made us paint half this town and if we stick around any longer he'll make us paint the rest of it." -Jonah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/his-father-s-made-us-paint-half-this-town-and-if-we-stick-around-any/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [“The world has a lot to offer. There’s a lot to explore. I like to take advantage of that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/the-world-has-a-lot-to-offer-there-s-a-lot-to-explore-i-like-to-take/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Wealth is not a sign of dignity, dear Jonah. Only those who put faith above wealth are worthy of this honour. Abandon wealth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-shel/wealth-is-not-a-sign-of-dignity-dear-jonah-only-those-who-put-faith/) [Viktor Shel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-shel/) [Browse all 172 Jonah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jonah/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The television commercial is about products only in the sense that the story of Jonah is about the anatomy of whales,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Postman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-about-products-only-in-the-sense-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Jonah" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-about-products-only-in-the-sense-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/neil-postman-1598_jonah_the-television-commercial-is-about-produ_711203.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/neil-postman-1598_jonah_the-television-commercial-is-about-produ_711203.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/neil-postman-1598_jonah_the-television-commercial-is-about-produ_711203.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The television commercial is about products only in the sense that the story of Jonah is about the anatomy…” — Neil Postman", "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": "Neil Postman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The television commercial is about products...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-about-products-only-in-the-sense-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-about-products-only-in-the-sense-that/#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 } } ] } ```