A quick read that brings up many interesting points about the media, Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, though written in 1985, has some relevance to today’s society. The first part of the book is repetitive, and occasionally he contradicts himself. At the beginning of chapter two, he discusses junk on television and states that “the best things on television are its junk, and no one and nothing is seriously threatened by it,” before making multiple claims throughout the book that we are in fact threatened by this junk (16). Although Postman brings up interesting points for consideration with regard to television, he goes too far with some claims.
Postman makes a valid point on page 78 when he states that public understanding of certain subjects is shaped by the biases of television. This is a fair warning that we should not rely completely on the media for all our opinions. I believe it has even more relevance today than when he wrote it. Look at the current election, for example. Most people follow this by watching the news, or they turn to websites that have the same coverage; CNN.com and FoxNews.com are two of them. In the end, our understanding of the candidates and the election is shaped by the media.
In part two, Postman discusses the way that religion, politics, and entertainment are portrayed on television, among other things. He makes a fair point when he states that religious experience is impossible to portray on TV, and that perhaps broadcasters have gone too far here (118). I disagree, however, with his warnings about certain television shows, like Sesame Street, disrupting the educational process for children (142). Today, this show is a pleasant alternative to violent movies that children could be watching instead. Sesame Street’s website supports this by stating: “All children deserve a chance to learn and grow. To be prepared for school. To better understand the world and each other. To think, dream and discover. To reach their highest potential.”
Overall, Postman takes the tone of someone giving a death sentence to our culture. One would think that television was never meant to be entertainment at all! Although I do agree with his concern that we are a very media dependent culture, it’s been twenty-three years since he wrote the book, and we are still a functioning society.
Postman makes a valid point on page 78 when he states that public understanding of certain subjects is shaped by the biases of television. This is a fair warning that we should not rely completely on the media for all our opinions. I believe it has even more relevance today than when he wrote it. Look at the current election, for example. Most people follow this by watching the news, or they turn to websites that have the same coverage; CNN.com and FoxNews.com are two of them. In the end, our understanding of the candidates and the election is shaped by the media.
In part two, Postman discusses the way that religion, politics, and entertainment are portrayed on television, among other things. He makes a fair point when he states that religious experience is impossible to portray on TV, and that perhaps broadcasters have gone too far here (118). I disagree, however, with his warnings about certain television shows, like Sesame Street, disrupting the educational process for children (142). Today, this show is a pleasant alternative to violent movies that children could be watching instead. Sesame Street’s website supports this by stating: “All children deserve a chance to learn and grow. To be prepared for school. To better understand the world and each other. To think, dream and discover. To reach their highest potential.”
Overall, Postman takes the tone of someone giving a death sentence to our culture. One would think that television was never meant to be entertainment at all! Although I do agree with his concern that we are a very media dependent culture, it’s been twenty-three years since he wrote the book, and we are still a functioning society.
