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A review by sarah_david1979
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I mean... ugh.
This took me forever to get through because IT. IS. DRY. It's also incredibly dense. Imagine the thickest, dryest loaf of bread you've ever eaten and there isn't a glass of water around for miles. You can really only consume it in small bites. This isn't one you're gonna want to devour.
The irony is that you feel the need to finish because the author immediately sets this tone of, "People have become so mindless because of television that they simply aren't capable of the deep thinking required by reading. They are sooooo dumb and need to be entertained by EVERYTHING. They can't even handle a boring book that's full of great points!" Well played, Postman. I was like, "Well, not me! I'm gonna read this whole boring book just to prove I can do it."
Sure, there are nuggets of truth. But also... calm down.
It did make me think about the world of entertainment we live in today and how we got here.
But it also never mentioned slavery during the first few chapters which felt like a major oversight if we're making claims that basically everyone had access to texts, and thus, we were the most educated society in history. I kept wondering, "Is he going to make a connection between the lack of slaves' access to texts and their ability to engage in important national conversations?" No. Glossed right over that part so he could continue his analysis of how television is making us absolute zombies who are incapable of critical thinking.
He also made claims about how television negatively influences education and curriculum that (I believe) have not come to fruition since the book's publication.
In the end, I felt like he was just an old-timer that was pissed and shaking his fist at the changing world.
One thing I definitely did agree with was his proposed solution: Let teachers fix the problem of understanding the impacts of television because (as he notes) teachers are ultimately who we turn to whenever there is a societal problem that needs fixing. Thanks for putting that on my shoulders. Ha! (For what it's worth, I do think the world of education has risen to this demand.)
Anyhow, I wouldn't recommend it unless you're looking for a sleep aid.
This took me forever to get through because IT. IS. DRY. It's also incredibly dense. Imagine the thickest, dryest loaf of bread you've ever eaten and there isn't a glass of water around for miles. You can really only consume it in small bites. This isn't one you're gonna want to devour.
The irony is that you feel the need to finish because the author immediately sets this tone of, "People have become so mindless because of television that they simply aren't capable of the deep thinking required by reading. They are sooooo dumb and need to be entertained by EVERYTHING. They can't even handle a boring book that's full of great points!" Well played, Postman. I was like, "Well, not me! I'm gonna read this whole boring book just to prove I can do it."
Sure, there are nuggets of truth. But also... calm down.
It did make me think about the world of entertainment we live in today and how we got here.
But it also never mentioned slavery during the first few chapters which felt like a major oversight if we're making claims that basically everyone had access to texts, and thus, we were the most educated society in history. I kept wondering, "Is he going to make a connection between the lack of slaves' access to texts and their ability to engage in important national conversations?" No. Glossed right over that part so he could continue his analysis of how television is making us absolute zombies who are incapable of critical thinking.
He also made claims about how television negatively influences education and curriculum that (I believe) have not come to fruition since the book's publication.
In the end, I felt like he was just an old-timer that was pissed and shaking his fist at the changing world.
One thing I definitely did agree with was his proposed solution: Let teachers fix the problem of understanding the impacts of television because (as he notes) teachers are ultimately who we turn to whenever there is a societal problem that needs fixing. Thanks for putting that on my shoulders. Ha! (For what it's worth, I do think the world of education has risen to this demand.)
Anyhow, I wouldn't recommend it unless you're looking for a sleep aid.