Bad taste Quote by Susan Sontag
“The discovery of the good taste of bad taste can be very liberating. The man who insists on high and serious pleasures is depriving himself of pleasure; he continually restricts what he can enjoy; in the constant exercise of his good taste he will eventually price himself out of the market, so to speak. Here Camp taste supervenes upon good taste as a daring and witty hedonism. It makes the man of good taste cheerful, where before he ran the risk of being chronically frustrated. It is good for the digestion.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Notes on "Camp", 1964
Embracing lowbrow or unconventional pleasures can free one from rigid standards, allowing joy and creativity.
In simple terms: Enjoying the unexpected can be freeing.
Key Takeaway
Allow yourself to enjoy the unconventional.
Themes
taste
hedonism
creativity
freedom
Mood
playful
liberating
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- social gatherings
- art criticism
- personal hobbies
- media consumption
Key Concepts
camp
aesthetic rebellion
joy
Questions to Reflect On
- What unconventional pleasure have you ignored?
- How does breaking taste rules affect your creativity?
A Different Perspective
Too much focus on novelty can lead to superficiality.
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
