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 35
... important way he is a measure of the high and wide level of literacy that existed in his time . In par- ticular , I want to note that in spite of his lowly origins , no ques- tion has ever been raised , as it has with Shakespeare ...
... important way he is a measure of the high and wide level of literacy that existed in his time . In par- ticular , I want to note that in spite of his lowly origins , no ques- tion has ever been raised , as it has with Shakespeare ...
Page 78
... important of all , there is no subject of public interest - politics , news , education , religion , science , sports— that does not find its way to television . Which means that all public understanding of these subjects is shaped by ...
... important of all , there is no subject of public interest - politics , news , education , religion , science , sports— that does not find its way to television . Which means that all public understanding of these subjects is shaped by ...
Page 92
... important fact about television is that people watch it , which is why it is called " television . " And what they watch , and like to watch , are moving pictures - millions of them , of short duration and dynamic variety . It is in the ...
... important fact about television is that people watch it , which is why it is called " television . " And what they watch , and like to watch , are moving pictures - millions of them , of short duration and dynamic variety . It is in the ...
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