Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Astra Taylor

Quote by Astra Taylor

“I think somebody who is more self-reflective should ask why they personally aren't going on that path. If amateurism is so great, why didn't you stay one? You have to look at the larger economy, a backdrop of unemployment; it's shitty out there.”

Quote by Astra Taylor

Create image

Author

Astra Taylor
Astra Taylor

Astra Taylor is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and writer, known for her in-depth exploration of social and political issues. Born in 1979, she has been producing documentaries since the 2000s, and her work has received international recognition. more

You May Also Like

“Look back on the utopian dreams of the previous century, or even the century before that, where people thought machines would ultimately give us a quality of life where our needs would be taken care of so we could all basically be artists together in the evening, after we had fished, hunted, raised cattle - or whatever it was Marx imagined for us.”

PeopleNeedsGivingLooksDreamWould BeCareTogetherArtistQualityTakenCenturyMachinesRaisedEveningQuality Of LifeCattleUtopianHunted
Author:Astra Taylor
Create image

“I try to look at the evolution of these utopian claims. In the late '60s there was an assumption that the wealth generated by industry would be taxed and then put into social programs and it would provide a baseline of stability that would allow people to have the time for self-expression; and that social contract has eroded over the last four decades and now it's every person for themselves.”

PeopleTryingLooksPersonsSelfWould BeLastsSocialWealthFourExpressionIndustryEvolutionLateProgramClaimsDecadesAssumptionContractsStabilitySelf ExpressionUtopianSocial ContractSocial Programs
Author:Astra Taylor
Create image

“As an individual navigating this reality, you have to make choices to survive. Sometimes you happily work for free if it's something you love and believe in. I'm not categorically saying that working for free is bad. I'm just looking at the broader implications of it, and also challenge this idea - and again, this is an argument made by certain people in the tech world - that amateurs are automatically more pure and will triumph over stodgy professionals.”

PeopleIfsWorldBelieveMadeIdeasSometimesRealityCertainChoicesIndividualChallengesPureArgumentTriumphImplicationsSomething You Love
Author:Astra Taylor
Create image

“One thing that's important to point out is that this kind of populism has a long and mixed history. It's part of this tradition of problematic anti-elitism where the elites are always the liberal class - the intellectuals, the professors, the artists - and not the economic elites. Why are we so mad and aggrieved at newspaper editors but not at corporate executives? I think we need to look more at the latter, at economic elites.”

ThinkingNeedsLooksKindLongImportantArtistClassOne ThingEconomicTraditionMadNewspapersCorporateLatterExecutivesEditorsProfessorsElitesElitismPopulismNewspaper Editors
Author:Astra Taylor
Create image

“I would like people to be more aware of the fact that ultimately we are paying for things, and it's not just as privacy advocates point out that we're paying with our time and our data. We're also paying with money, because the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on advertising is just factored into the cost of the goods that we buy. It's all coming out of our pocket, just in a really roundabout way.”

PeopleWayFactsCostDollarsBillionsAdvertisingDataOur TimePrivacyPocketsGoodsComing Out
Author:Astra Taylor
Create image