Construed As A Means Instead Of An

Most American Cities Shop To Their Best Advantage When Seen From A Height Or From A Distance, At A Point Where The Ugliness Of The Buildings Dissolves Into The Beauty Of An Abstraction.

The Supply Of Government Exceeds Demand.

What Kind Of People Do We Wish To Become, And How Do We Know An American When We See One? Is It Possible To Pursue A Common Purpose Without A Common History Or A Standard Text?

The Mystical Nature Of American Consumption Accounts For Its Joylessness. We Spend A Great Deal Of Time In Stores, But If We Don't Seem To Take Much Pleasure In Our Buying, It's Because We're Engaged In The Acts Of Sacrifice And Self-definition. Abashed In The Presence Of Expensive Merchandise, We Recognize Ourselves . . . As Suppliants Admitted To A Shrine.

Democracy Is Born In Dirt, Nourished By The Digging Up And Turning Over As Much Of It As Can Be Brought Within Reach Of A Television Camera Or Subpoena.