After all, in a culture saturated with pressure for women to diet, anything that potentially adds to that - be it a celebrity losing weight, or me writing this column - can be seen as problematic.

For young women in a culture saturated with alluring images of riches and sensuality, it is an unlikely advertising come-on.

It encompasses the broader cultural, institutional, pedagogical, and ideological implications inherent in the transition from a culture of print literacy to a culture saturated with electronic media.

But behind such combative assertions is a very real worry: that the possibility of recognizing and relishing such moments, and of appreciating the unique visual power of film, is at risk in a culture saturated with cheap, flashy, corrupting images, few of them worthy of a second look.

In a political culture saturated with paid advocates, that tactic sets Mr. Lipsky apart: while he does traditional lobbying in City Hall, and while he greases palms - legally - with campaign contributions, much of his work involves bringing the people into the process.

In a culture saturated with essentialist modes of thinking, an ironic or strategic essentialism can sometimes be politically expedient.

In a culture saturated with sexual messages, where consenting adults seem to hop into bed at the bat of a feathery eyelash, a small minority are willfully dropping out of the game.

In a culture saturated with irony, Japanese earnestness has a certain appeal.