inf-site/quotes/4ac0713d-01fe-4375-94e1-1054816e2afb

author: David Foster Wallace
content: "An ad that pretends to be art is \u2014 at absolute best \u2014 like somebody\
  \ who smiles warmly at you only because he wants something from you. This is dishonest,\
  \ but what's sinister is the cumulative effect that such dishonesty has on us: since\
  \ it offers a perfect facsimile or simulacrum of goodwill without goodwill's 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."
id: 4ac0713d-01fe-4375-94e1-1054816e2afb