Quote by Susan Sontag
American energy is the energy of violence, of free-floating resentment and anxiety unleashed by chronic cultural dislocations which must be, for the most part, ferociously sublimated. This energy has mainly been sublimated into crude materialism and acquisitiveness. Into hectic philanthropy. Into benighted moral crusades, the most spectacular of which was Prohibition. Into an awesome talent for uglifying countryside and cities. Into the loquacity and torment of a minority of gadflies: artists, prophets, muckrakers, cranks, and nuts. And into self-punishing neuroses. But the naked violence keeps breaking through, throwing everything into question.
Summary
This quote suggests that American society is fueled by a strong undercurrent of violence, resentment, and anxiety caused by constant cultural changes. To cope with this energy, it is largely repressed and redirected into materialism, philanthropy, moral crusades, and destructive urbanization. However, the aggression occasionally resurfaces, causing upheaval and uncertainty. The quote suggests that beneath the surface of American society, there is a constant struggle to contain the wild energy that often manifests as violence and discord.
Topics
America
By Susan Sontag
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