Amusing Ourselves to Death - Paper
November 11, 2012

Amusing Ourselves to Death – Paper

“At different times in our history, different cities have been the focal point of radiating American Spirit.” This is how Neil Postman begins his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. He opens the book by discussing how different cities have represented the core values and focus of our nation at that time. The first example he used was Boston. At the beginning of America’s split from England, the spirit of our country was rooted in the patriotism of Boston. Acts that motivated the nation, such as the Boston Tea Party, are examples of the truth of this statement. Today, however, Postman says that we are represented by the nature of the city of Las Vegas. Pictures of huge slot machines and promiscuous women fill our mind at the thought of Las Vegas. These pictures represent how our main focus and goal in life has shifted toward entertainment. We must be entertained at all times. This attitude has effected many areas of society such as; religion, politics, news, and education. Postman, however, looks simply at how television has played a vital role in this cultural transformation in these areas. He discusses how, through television, our society has propelled itself into, “the age of show business.” I agree with Postman’s view on how television has turned our culture into one that is centered on entertainment. Postman’s main thesis is based on two very popular books, George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. These two books vary greatly in their themes of how the future will look; Orwell depicts a dark, totalitarian culture while Huxley shows us a culture in which the people are brainwashed and are made to believe that their lives are happy. Postman states that Huxley’s vision is spot on while Orwell’s is not accurate. Postman believes that we have been mobbed by information that has pushed us into a state of mental and spiritual numbness. In view of this belief, the point that Postman is trying to make is that the medium through with we receive information determines the way in which we use that information. For example, in the 19th century, people received their information and news in the form of the written word. Whether it was through newspapers or letters, this was how people stayed informed. This shaped how those people acted towards the news and media. Today, however, we get our information and news through television. Postman does not openly condemn the use of television for entertainment purposes, the issue is that television takes serious matters and turns them into purely entertainment. The problem is not the method of receiving the information; it is how that form affects our view of the news. The shift towards a show business attitude with regard to the media has had an enormous negative effect on our society. The first area in which Postman examines how television has hurt our society is in the area of news. It used to be that news was basically local, because transporting news over a long distance quickly was difficult. This kept the news relevant to the people receiving it. Most news presented on television today, however, is totally irrelevant to the audience because it comes from all over the world. News of a terrible boating accident off the coast of the Florida Keys has nothing to do with a farmer from Iowa. But those are the kinds of stories that are broadcasted to the whole country every day. “Facts push other facts into and out of consciousness at speeds that neither permit nor require evaluation,” says Postman on page 70. The enormous amount of irrelevant information that television throws at us causes us to miss most, if not all, of the news. I can personally attest to this. Whenever I watch the news, I am often unfazed by the tragic events going on simply because I see tragic things so much.
In addition to this, the adding of video and pictures to the news has only furthered the problem. When there is no picture involved, we can clearly see how a piece of information is totally irrelevant to us. But when the picture is added we get a sense that we understand the situation because we can see it. This makes a bad problem worse because we no longer recognize irrelevant information for what it is.
The third problem with the way television presents news is how the news is presented in the programs. Tons of random pieces of facts and data and stories are lumped together. Also, the way in which news in condensed into two minute sound bites and the jokes and banter between segments, makes us numb to the seriousness of these stories. When I watch the news, this seeming lack of care of these terrible events disturbs me.
Another area in which television has hurt our society is in politics. In today’s world, politicians are not elected for their positions, but rather for their popularity. They are celebrities. This is due in large part, to television and is mainly done through commercials. Political commercials now consist of bashing opponents and stating that electing a certain official will bring immediate and positive change, instead of presenting logical answers to tough questions. I am often frustrated by these commercials for these very same reasons. I often ask myself, “Why don’t they talk about the real issues?” Commercials have also moved people to vote for who reminds them of themselves rather than the candidate who shares their same views. To further illustrate this movement toward the show business mind set, Postman shows us the difference between the Lincoln – Douglass style Presidential debates and today’s Presidential debates. The former debates allowed the candidates to talk about their views and plans in great detail. In contrast, today’s presidential debates are designed to fit in a television schedule. Personally, I believe a Lincoln – Douglass style, debate would be more beneficial to our society in determining the right candidate for president. I also think that these kinds of debates would put the focus back where it needs to be; on the candidate’s views and plans. Furthermore, television has also damaged education. Television has moved people to desire that education always be entertaining. One such example is the show “Sesame Street.” Through shows like this, children view education as entertaining and any form of education that is not entertaining is tuned out. Instead of fighting this, teachers often use these programs in the classroom which only furthers the problem. There are two basic problems that make educational television a form of incomplete learning. First, there can be no questions asked. If a viewer does not understand a concept that is being taught on television, there is no opportunity to ask questions to learn. Secondly, lessons cannot be built upon. Each educational show stands by itself. Therefore there is no compounded learning which keeps the learning on each subject a shallow overview. These reasons, and others, prevent educational television from being an effective way of learning. I agree with Postman on this topic. I can see how learning from television is incomplete and inadequate.
Finally, and perhaps the most ridiculous of all, is the way in which television has affected religion. You can find religious television programs all the time. They are literally everywhere. This may seem like a good thing, because the word is reaching so many people. But we must ask ourselves if this is an effective way to teach and preach God’s word. There are three things that make religious television an ineffective way to spread the truth of the Bible. One is the celebrity aspect of preachers on television. The way religious shows present the preachers make God seem like a background character to their show. While this may not be true of all religious programming, it often is. Secondly is the place in which the television is in people’s homes. Most people’s television is in a living room or bedroom. These places make watching a religious show a leisure activity instead of true worship. Having religious shows readily available to watch at home can also prompt people to not go to church and just stay home. Third and finally is the ability to change channels on television. If the religious program does not hold a viewer’s attention, that channel is often changed. Because of this, these programs are designed more to keep viewers interest than to reach them with God’s word. I agree that preachers on religious shows are often portrayed as celebrities and that these shows cannot replace going to church, but I disagree with the view that adequate warship cannot be done at home. I worship at home all the time and often feel better about those experiences than during corporate worship.
According to Postman, these problems have only continued to compound themselves because television changes our culture. “Television is our culture’s principal mode of knowing about itself. Therefore—and this is the critical point—how television stages the world becomes the model for how the world is properly to be staged,” says Postman. Throughout Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman showed us many different ways in which television has hurt our culture and society. He gave examples in the areas of news, politics, education, and religion. In addition, he showed that Huxley’s forewarning in Brave New World is quite significant and accurate. Reading this book has opened my eyes to see how much television really has changed our culture and how focused we have become on entertainment. Because of this, we must be careful not to fall prey to the mass of information thrown our way and try to solve the problems that television presents us with. That way, we do not amuse ourselves to death.

Bibliography
Huxley, A. (1932). Brave New World. New York: Harper Perennial .
Orwell, G. (1949). Nineteen Eighty-Four. Signet Classics.
Postman, N. (1987). Amusing Ourselves to Death. New York: Penguin Books.