An ad that pretends to be art is at absolute best like somebody who smiles warmly at you only because he wants something from you. This is dishonest, but whats sinister is the cumulative effect that such dishonesty has on us: since it offers a perfect facsimile or simulacrum of goodwill without goodwills real spirit, it messes with our heads and eventually starts upping our defenses even in cases of genuine smiles and real art and true goodwill. It makes us feel confused and lonely and impotent and angry and scared. It causes despair.
A Supposedly Fun Thing Ill Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace
A Supposedly Fun Thing Ill Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace