Two small retro televisions with blank pale screens stand side by side against dusty pink.

Original artwork, not a still

Frank Lloyd Wright

Television is chewing gum for the eyes.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker likens television to chewing gum for the eyes: something to work over constantly that offers little nourishment. The quip criticises the medium as a way of keeping vision busy without feeding the mind, presented as the speaker's witty judgement rather than a measured verdict.

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