Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia Quotes

“It was October 17th, 2084 and stupid opinions were illegal in the United States of America. Up until 2059 stupid opinions had been very legal, very common, and extremely monetized. You could make lots of money off stupid opinions back before 2059. Some people made zounds of money talking about how stupid the stupid opinions were. Other people made zounds of money defending stupid opinions and building a platform on the idea that—no matter how stupid an opinion was—it was each American’s right to have and promote stupid and dangerous opinions. Few people talked about worthwhile opinions then. Worthwhile opinions were not exciting. They did not get likes or views. If something didn’t get likes or views back then, it didn’t exist.

But it was 2084. A stupid opinion had not been shared online for 25 years. The internet had atrophied. It was just a big store now. The big store mostly sold banana-flavored cigarettes. Almost everyone smoked banana-flavored cigarettes.”
― Stephen Nothum, Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia

“Too many people want to be right.
It’s overrated.”
― Stephen Nothum, Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia

“Be kind to your child. Love him. Love him so he is safe. Love him so you can have him. Having the child. That’s the thing. You’ve got to have them. Because when you don’t. When you don’t…”
― Stephen Nothum, Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia

“People who are certain about everything on this planet have always left me feeling uneasy.”
― Stephen Nothum, Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia

“You know that feeling when you suddenly realize that you are alive, that you’ve lived days without noticing that you’re alive, days without realizing that you control the most minute movements of your extremities, days without truly thinking about the impact of every little thing you do, days without living at all, days of merely existing...”
― Stephen Nothum, Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia

“Yes. America is burning, and the fire is so big that it obscures reality, so big that we all bought tickets, so big that we enjoy watching, so big that we say, “Fire is all there is, all there ever will be, and so I’ll burn too.” But could we snuff it out? Could we finally see the ashes and the truth that lies in their flakes? Would we want to see it? It doesn’t matter what we want. That’s all that’s mattered so far and look where it got us.
Yes. I can pour the first bucket. No fire wants to be put out, but it doesn’t want to burn either. It’s just reacting. Everything and everyone is just reacting constantly. And now I am going act, to operate outside the fire, to be the first wave of a deluge that will end America as we know it. Good riddance.”
― Stephen Nothum, Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia

“But, I don’t need to believe in my innocence. I just am innocent.”
“Not to the world out there you’re not.”
― Stephen Nothum, Teething and Other Tales From the American Dystopia