After reading the Amusing Ourselves to Death written by Neil Postman, I have decided to write about chapter 6. In the chapter the age of show business, it was the opening paragraph caught my eye. I enjoyed reading how a dedicated graduate student uses his TV as a light source for studying purposes after discovering his light was broken. It went on to talk about other creative ways of using a TV for a book case or an electronic bulletin board. All of these were quite original uses.
It was interesting to read that so many hours US TV programs are exported to other countries which occurred at the same time as the decline of America's moral and political prestige. We could conclude that" American television programs are in demand not because America is loved but because American television is loved."( location 1537). American television require minimal skills to comprehend it and is aimed at emotional gratification.
Many good points were discussed about news shows. In the past, it was talked about news not being taken seriously. For example, good looks of the cast, pleasant and up beat music and footage for entertainment not for education. I myself at times do not like to watch the news now because of the many negative stories that are covered such as war, illness, crime, and negative politics. It can be depressing to watch it now. However, NBC now has a segment at the end of the news titled " making a difference." This segment focuses on something positive such as something someone has done to help a given situation.
In 1985, around the time this book was written, most went to television for education on government, scientific advancement, baseball scores, weather, etc. Since this book was written, now many of us get that information right from our cell phones. There is much more texting instead of talking and emails have replaced the written letter.
I like how you mention how much technology has changed since 1985. Television was so important then but now we also have the Internet and cell phones. But we still want to be entertained by our technology. You make a good point that today there is more texting than talking and emails have replaced the written letter.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is interesting because Postman asks what television really is and how it shapes our society. It’s funny that Americans spend so much time watching television, which requires so little skill to comprehend. Postman states that it is the nature of the medium of television to suppress the content of ideas in order to accommodate the requirements of visual interest that he says are the values of show business. I also liked all the stories in this chapter about life in 1985.