"Today, we must look to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada as a metaphor of our national character and aspiration.." (3) Neil Postman sets the tone for his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, as he begins by comparing our culture to the glitzy city of Las Vegas. Postman describes our culture as one that has become dependent on entertainment, whether it's in news, politics, sports, or religion. Throughout the book Postman touches on many different themes, but mainly focuses on television and how it shapes our society.
Although Postman makes valid points throughout the book, I feel that some of his opinions seem bias and do not portray our society or television in a positive light. When television was first created in the 1920s it may have been used simply as a means of communication, however it has evolved into a more entertainment-based medium, and many people will agree that that's not such a bad thing. Postman discusses the many different aspects of television including commercials, news, and even children's shows. For each topic he has a negative outlook on how they have become entertaining rather than just informing. "What has music have to do with news? Why is it there? It is there I assume, for the same reason music is used in theatre and films-to create a mood and provide a leitmotif for the entertainment." (102)
One point that I agree with is that, "Speech, of course is the primal and indispensable medium. It made us human, keeps us human, and in fact defines what human means." (9) I find this to be valid because before there were newspapers, televisions, or books, humans spread information simply by word of mouth and without speech, there would be no way of communicating.
Overall, I find Postman's book to be extremely insightful by presenting a different view on the media and television. Even though this book was published back in 1985 it has become even more relevant to society today. Not only do we have television to entertain ourselves, but also cell phones, the Internet, and video games. Postman describes television as a show business that has caused us to want to find entertainment in everything we do including education, news, and politics. I understand that throughout the years our culture has changed, but with all the technological advances it's almost impossible not to change.
Although Postman makes valid points throughout the book, I feel that some of his opinions seem bias and do not portray our society or television in a positive light. When television was first created in the 1920s it may have been used simply as a means of communication, however it has evolved into a more entertainment-based medium, and many people will agree that that's not such a bad thing. Postman discusses the many different aspects of television including commercials, news, and even children's shows. For each topic he has a negative outlook on how they have become entertaining rather than just informing. "What has music have to do with news? Why is it there? It is there I assume, for the same reason music is used in theatre and films-to create a mood and provide a leitmotif for the entertainment." (102)
One point that I agree with is that, "Speech, of course is the primal and indispensable medium. It made us human, keeps us human, and in fact defines what human means." (9) I find this to be valid because before there were newspapers, televisions, or books, humans spread information simply by word of mouth and without speech, there would be no way of communicating.
Overall, I find Postman's book to be extremely insightful by presenting a different view on the media and television. Even though this book was published back in 1985 it has become even more relevant to society today. Not only do we have television to entertain ourselves, but also cell phones, the Internet, and video games. Postman describes television as a show business that has caused us to want to find entertainment in everything we do including education, news, and politics. I understand that throughout the years our culture has changed, but with all the technological advances it's almost impossible not to change.
