--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Smug respectability, like the poor, we've…" description: "\"Smug respectability, like the poor, we've had with us always. Today, however, ... such obtuseness is an indulgence we can no longer afford. The compute..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/studs-terkel-3020_computer_smug-respectability-like-the-poor-we-ve_2943498.jpg" --- # Smug respectability, like the poor, we've had with us… ![“Smug respectability, like the poor, we've had with us always. Today, however, ... such obtuseness is an indulgence we can no longer afford. The computer, nuclear energy for better or worse, and sudden, simultaneous influences upon everyone's TV screen have raised the ante and the risk considerably.” quote by Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/studs-terkel-3020_computer_smug-respectability-like-the-poor-we-ve_2943498.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/studs-terkel-3020_computer_smug-respectability-like-the-poor-we-ve_2943498.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/studs-terkel-3020_computer_smug-respectability-like-the-poor-we-ve_2943498.jpg) > “Smug respectability, like the poor, we've had with us always. Today, however, ... such obtuseness is an indulgence we can no longer afford. The computer, nuclear energy for better or worse, and sudden, simultaneous influences upon everyone's TV screen have raised the ante and the risk considerably.” [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technological advances increase societal risks and demand responsibility. **In simple terms:** Tech raises stakes. Key Takeaway Act responsibly with tech. Themes technology risk responsibility Mood concerned urgent Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - education - media literacy Key Concepts ethical innovation social impact Questions to Reflect On - How can we mitigate tech risks? - What responsibilities do creators have? A Different Perspective Rapid change can outpace regulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Indulgence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indulgence/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Like Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-poor-903102/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Nuclear energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-energy/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Raised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raised/) [Respectability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectability/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Risk Considerably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk-considerably-4400627/) [Simultaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simultaneous/) [Smug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smug/) [Smug Respectability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smug-respectability-4400625/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Obtuseness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-obtuseness-4400626/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) ## Related quotes > [“He buys Playboy magazines and looks through them once, then gives them to me. That’s what it’s like to be rich. Here’s what it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-franklin/he-buys-playboy-magazines-and-looks-through-them-once-then-gives-them/) [Tom Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-franklin/) > [“I knew what it was like to be poor, and that once you had become rich, anything was better than being poor again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-alexandra/i-knew-what-it-was-like-to-be-poor-and-that-once-you-had-become-rich/) [Belinda Alexandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-alexandra/) > [I'd like to live like a poor man with lots of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-d-like-to-live-like-a-poor-man-with-lots-of-money/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [I should like to live like a poor man, with a great deal of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-should-like-to-live-like-a-poor-man-with-a-great-deal-of-money/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“And they looked like poor fishermen. But this was Cuba, where everyone had a second job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/and-they-looked-like-poor-fishermen-but-this-was-cuba-where-everyone/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [I still think I'm like the poor girl from Colorado who worked three jobs to buy a car. That's still my mentality, so I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-adams/i-still-think-i-m-like-the-poor-girl-from-colorado-who-worked-three/) [Amy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-adams/) > [I'd like to live like a poor man with a lot of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-d-like-to-live-like-a-poor-man-with-a-lot-of-money/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [See, the poor dream all their lives of getting enough to eat and looking like the rich. And what do the rich dream of??…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/see-the-poor-dream-all-their-lives-of-getting-enough-to-eat-and/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [However rich I may have been, I have always lived like a poor man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/however-rich-i-may-have-been-i-have-always-lived-like-a-poor-man/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [“In a depression, I’d imagine rich people try to dress like they’re poor, and poor people try to dress like they’re rich. As for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/in-a-depression-i-d-imagine-rich-people-try-to-dress-like-they-re/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Live and think like a poor man and you'll always be OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/live-and-think-like-a-poor-man-and-you-ll-always-be-ok/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [“If you don't act like your poor, pretty soon you will be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-a-martin-jr/if-you-don-t-act-like-your-poor-pretty-soon-you-will-be/) [Ronald A. Martin Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-a-martin-jr/) > [“He was surprised to discover that when rich people were starving they looked so much like the poor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-was-surprised-to-discover-that-when-rich-people-were-starving-they/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [I would like to live like a poor person with a lot of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-would-like-to-live-like-a-poor-person-with-a-lot-of-money/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Conferences are just like the poor and the Democrats, they will always be with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/conferences-are-just-like-the-poor-and-the-democrats-they-will-always/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) ## More by Studs Terkel > [My epitaph? My epitaph will be, 'Curiosity did not kill this cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/my-epitaph-my-epitaph-will-be-curiosity-did-not-kill-this-cat/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“It was in ’35—we had this campaign to raise a million tax dollars. In the town of Phillips, one evening, during a blizzard, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/it-was-in-35-we-had-this-campaign-to-raise-a-million-tax-dollars-in/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I read somewhere that when a person takes part in community action, his health improves. Something happens to him or to her biologically. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-read-somewhere-that-when-a-person-takes-part-in-community-action/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Don't be an examiner, be the interested inquirer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/don-t-be-an-examiner-be-the-interested-inquirer/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Hope never trickles down. It always springs up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/hope-never-trickles-down-it-always-springs-up/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I never drove a car. I'm hopeless that way. I press the wrong buttons on the tape recorder. But if the person I'm interviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-never-drove-a-car-i-m-hopeless-that-way-i-press-the-wrong-buttons/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/to-survive-the-day-is-triumph-enough-for-the-walking-wounded-among/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“I’ll never forget that Depression Easter Sunday. Our son was four years old. I bought ten or fifteen cents’ worth of eggs. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-ll-never-forget-that-depression-easter-sunday-our-son-was-four/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [All you need in life is truth and beauty and you can find both at the Public Library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/all-you-need-in-life-is-truth-and-beauty-and-you-can-find-both-at-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Reading a book should not be a passive exercise, but rather a raucous conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/reading-a-book-should-not-be-a-passive-exercise-but-rather-a-raucous/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I hope for peace and sanity - it's the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-hope-for-peace-and-sanity-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“The total cost of the Federal Arts Project was only $23 million. Many of these paintings, sculptures and prints were given to museums, courthouses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-total-cost-of-the-federal-arts-project-was-only-23-million-many/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I find labels "liberal" and "conservative" of little meaning. Our language has become perverted along with the thoughts of many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-find-labels-liberal-and-conservative-of-little-meaning-our-language/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“Who knows Bob’s name in this outfit—let alone his lame child’s? (“The last place I worked for, I was let go,” recalls the bank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/who-knows-bob-s-name-in-this-outfit-let-alone-his-lame-child-s-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [The trouble with censorship is that once it starts it is hard to stop. Just about every book contains something that someone objects to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-trouble-with-censorship-is-that-once-it-starts-it-is-hard-to-stop/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) [Explore all 142 Studs Terkel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## More Computer quotes > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/) [Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/in-nine-months-a-group-of-children-left-alone-with-a-computer-in-any/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) > [Why do you do what you do? Why do you dress the way you dress?Why do you do what you do with your time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-conway/why-do-you-do-what-you-do-why-do-you-dress-the-way-you-dress-why-do/) [Tim Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-conway/) > [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) [Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Smug respectability, like the poor, we've had with us always. Today, however, ... such obtuseness is an indulgence we can no longer afford. 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