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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Page 17
... character of the media of com- munication through which information is conveyed . I want to discuss how media are implicated in our epistemologies . In the hope of simplifying what I mean by the title of this chapter , media as ...
... character of the media of com- munication through which information is conveyed . I want to discuss how media are implicated in our epistemologies . In the hope of simplifying what I mean by the title of this chapter , media as ...
Page 56
... character of discourse in a print- based culture and the character of discourse in a television- based culture are also evident if one looks at the legal system . In a print - based culture , lawyers tended to be well educated , devoted ...
... character of discourse in a print- based culture and the character of discourse in a television- based culture are also evident if one looks at the legal system . In a print - based culture , lawyers tended to be well educated , devoted ...
Page 128
... character of products to be consumed . It is about the character of the consumers of products . Images of movie stars and famous athletes , of serene lakes and macho fishing trips , of elegant dinners and romantic interludes , of happy ...
... character of products to be consumed . It is about the character of the consumers of products . Images of movie stars and famous athletes , of serene lakes and macho fishing trips , of elegant dinners and romantic interludes , of happy ...
Contents
The Medium Is the Metaphor | 3 |
Media as Epistemology | 16 |
Typographic America | 30 |
Copyright | |
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advertising Aldous Huxley America amusing argument audience become believe Billy Graham called celebrities Charles Finney claims classroom coherent communication conversation course created culture Diff'rent Strokes Douglas eighteenth entertainment epistemology example exposition fact Frye Huxley idea implied intellectual irrelevant Jerry Falwell Jimmy Swaggart language learning Lincoln-Douglas debates literacy Marshall McLuhan matter means medium ment merely metaphor Mimi mind movie nature newscaster newspaper nineteenth century oral Orwell Pat Robertson photograph play preachers President printed word printing press problem public discourse question radio rational readers reason religion religious Reverend Robert Schuller rock music sense serious Sesame Street show business sion social speech story symbolic tele telegraph television commercial television program television screen television show television's thing tion tradition truth typographic viewers visual Walter Ong watch writing written word York