QuoteProject
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry.
Frank Zappa
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that politics often resembles entertainment rather than serious governance.

Frank Zappa's quote reflects his viewpoint on the nature of politics, suggesting that political events and the behavior of politicians have become more about spectacle and entertainment than about substantive governance and the betterment of society. It implies that political processes are often commodified and used for distraction, similar to how the entertainment industry functions.

Themes

PoliticsEntertainmentSpectacleGovernanceSociety

In practice

Example use cases

In a political debate, one might say, 'As Frank Zappa pointed out, politics is often more about entertainment than about the issues at hand.'

More from Frank Zappa

I like to watch the news, because I don't like people very much and when you watch the news... if you ever had an idea that people were really terrible, you could watch the news and know that you're right.
Frank ZappaRead
The richest people in the world aren't particularly smart or happy. And the happiest people in the world aren't particularly smart or rich.… That leaves me making music. But we can't talk about that.
Frank ZappaRead
Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. Freedom of speech, freedom of religious thought, and the right to due process for composers, performers and retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate this nasty bargain.
Frank ZappaRead
Don't mind your make-up, you'd better make your mind up.
Frank ZappaRead
Music is always a commentary on society.
Frank ZappaRead
I'm more interested in melodic things. I think the biggest challenge when you go to play a solo is trying to invent a melody on the spot.
Frank ZappaRead

Similar quotes

Back in 2014, my fellow Hong Kongers and I hoped to use nonviolent means to fight for our territory's democratic system - a simple right, promised by Beijing, to choose our own leader.
Joshua WongRead
The politician and the government expert receive their revenues, not from service voluntarily purchased on the market, but from a compulsory levy on the populace. These officials, therefore, wholly lack the pecuniary incentive to care about serving the public properly and competently.
Murray RothbardRead
I recognize the Republican Party as the sheet anchor of the colored man's political hopes and the ark of his safety.
Frederick DouglassRead
I am from the Left, but I am happy to work with people from the Right.
Emmanuel MacronRead
We hadn't heard anything about registering to vote because when you see this flat land in here, when the people would get out of the fields, if they had a radio, they'd be too tired to play it. So we didn't know what was going on in the rest of the state, even, much less in other places.
Fannie Lou HamerRead
If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate were, in effect, breaking into the home of every citizen.
Sam ErvinRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Frank Zappa | QuoteProject