Living an authentic life in an age of image and spin

“I find the very image-conscious culture that we live in to be incredibly oppressive. …It fascinates me, especially now in this media-driven age, that we’re encouraged to purchase a pre-packaged experience rather than have the experience ourselves. You know, you watch the politicians debate, and, as if that wasn’t phony enough, then there’s a commentary afterwards where someone’s going, ‘Well, I thought he looked really good. He handled himself. He seemed at ease.’ They don’t even comment on what the person said; they’re commenting on how he appeared as he said it. …I think as human beings we have a spiritual need to live an authentic life, and that’s becoming more and more difficult. You see so many people who strive to live the inauthentic life and then they get there and they wonder why they’re not happy.”
–Alan Ball, Creative Screenwriting interview, Jan/Feb 2000