Neil Postman is kind of a jerk. I read Amusing Ourselves to Death, tried to talk about it with my boyfriend, and got into an argument! Way to go, Postman.
Seriously though, I was surprised how defensive the bf got of television! As I was trying to explain Postman's stance in various tidbits that stood out to me, he quickly struggled to argue against everything I was regurgitating. We talked for quite a while about it, and ended up agreeing that he also should read the book before we talk about it again. I think he was scared that what I was repeating were my beliefs and not those of Postmans.
While I don't necessarily fully agree with the intensity of Postman's arguments, It's obvious that tv has changed our society. Do the negative changes outweigh the positive? It might still be too soon to tell.
On thing that I am sure of - it is quite clear that most people get pretty offended when someone starts to knock television. And it makes sense! We grow up with it; it teaches, entertains, informs..it's simply a standard of living in america. I can't tell you how many people are shocked when I tell them that I don't have a tv. It is almost like I become slightly less relatable as a person. And it's not like I abstain from technology all together, I get to watch movies (and tv minus commercials) on my computer, with no extra monthly cable bill.
But a lot of us know that person, the person who abstains from almost all forms of 'new' technology. They usually piss us off, because maybe sub-consciously we agree with Postman on some level? That we know that tv has changed so much about our daily life, what we come to expect as human beings...and hearing someone brag about their intention on the return to 'purer' times makes us jealous?
Maybe. Or maybe they're just really annoying, as seen in this clip from a 90's HBO show "Mr Show" (it's about a minute into the clip):
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While I've yet to hit my stride with AMUSING...I will say that Postman's TECHNOPOLY gave me some good grist for my mill. He makes a strong case for not taking it for granted that "technology" is merely a benign, helpful, and non-threatening presence in our lives. Let's face it, at this point, we need it more than it needs us...
ReplyDeleteI truly struggle with Postman, both with Technopoly and Amusing, I'm find myself constantly wanting to throw the book across the room with anger at his simplistic view and crushing of all of the technological accomplishments that we made. I have a hard time as well with his quoting of the bible and other non-modern texts, although this would be fine in most situations I feel that he's trying to understand a modern media through forcing the wording of those who have had no idea that these inventions would have been created. I am so frustrated by him...
ReplyDeleteI am really looking forward to this class discussion. Note to self: bring protective gear in case of hurtling books...
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because I'd never heard of Neil Postman before starting at Pratt. I'm still reading Amusing Ourselves to Death with detached skepticism (maybe I haven't gotten to the hurtle-worthy parts?), but I have to say Technopoly left me cold. I appreciate what Postman is trying to say, in both books, but I feel like as, Emily noted above, it's still too soon to tell. It's sort of like hearing about the impending Apocalypse but then realizing even if it comes, it won't be in your lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI've been reporting the Postman to my husband as I go, and his reactions are telling (though I'm not sure whether they say more about my husband, Postman, or my relating of Postman). His comments went from "Television is ruining everything? Sounds like my kind of book." to "He sounds like a real jerk." I'm pretty sure all of the books we're reading for class are going to be reading material around the house for a while.
ReplyDeleteMore to the point, I'm kind of curious about what Postman would make of the internet. It seems to me that it takes the unidirectional aspect of tv as a "communications" media and makes a (nearly) universally accessible communications media. Not only can you watch television online, you can leave comments for each episode. (I'm pretty sure I'm actually the only person who reads those, though I love it when someone leaves a comment for the star of the show, as if that person reads the comments there religiously.)