Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show BusinessTelevision has conditioned us to tolerate visually entertaining material measured out in spoonfuls of time, to the detriment of rational public discourse and reasoned public affairs. In this eloquent, persuasive book, Neil Postman alerts us to the real and present dangers of this state of affairs, and offers compelling suggestions as to how to withstand the media onslaught. Before we hand over politics, education, religion, and journalism to the show business demands of the television age, we must recognize the ways in which the media shape our lives and the ways we can, in turn, shape them to serve out highest goals. |
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Contents
The Medium Is the Metaphor | 3 |
Media as Epistemology | 16 |
Typographic America | 30 |
The Typographic Mind | 44 |
The PeekaBoo World | 64 |
The Age of Show Business | 83 |
Now | 99 |
Shuffle Off to Bethlehem | 114 |
Reach Out and Elect Someone | 125 |
Teaching as an Amusing Activity | 142 |
The Huxleyan Warning | 155 |
Notes | 165 |
| 173 | |
Other editions - View all
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business Neil Postman Limited preview - 2005 |
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business Neil Postman Limited preview - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
advertising American Amusing answer appears argument attention audience become begin believe called century changes character claim communication continuous conversation course created culture discourse example expressed fact give given human idea important interest kind language largely learning least lives look matter means medium ment merely metaphor mind move nature newspaper offered once opinion oral ourselves photograph play political possible present President printed printed word problem produce question rational readers reason refer religion religious remarked sense serious sion social speak speech story Street suggested symbolic taken talk telegraph television tell things thought tion tradition true truth turn understanding University viewers watch writing written wrote York
Bibliographic information
| Title | Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business |
| Author | Neil Postman |
| Edition | revised |
| Publisher | Penguin, 2006 |
| ISBN | 014303653X, 9780143036531 |
| Length | 184 pages |
| Subjects | › › Performing Arts / Television / History & Criticism Social Science / Media Studies Technology & Engineering / Television & Video |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |