One of the reasons that it has been well received is through the means of show business as entertainment. The change has been a natural one, a smooth transition. The entertainment behemoths know exactly what they are doing and doing it in a way to gather in larger audiences. However, lets not forget about choice. As with the couch potato, he is in command with the remote control, because, in fact, if he does not appreciate what is being viewed, he can always change the channel to a different type of entertainment, an entertainment that dictates to his culture.
Television is a wonderful pleasure to the eyes. It's an outflow of hundreds of channels to choose from. There is always something to view. Neil Postman states that: .
American television is, indeed, a beautiful spectacle, a visual delight, pouring forth thousands of images on any given day. The average length of a shot on network television is only 3.5 seconds, so that the eye never rest, always has something new to see. Moreover, television offers viewers a variety of subject matter, requires minimal skills to comprehend it, and is largely aimed at emotional gratification. Even commercials, which some regard as an annoyance, are exquisitely crafted, always pleasing to the eye, and accompanied by exciting music. There is no question but that the best photography in the world in presently seen on television commercials [millions of dollars are spent on television commercials during the NFL Superbowl]. American television, in other words, is .
3.
devoted entirely to supplying its audience with entertainment The problem is not that television presents us with entertaining subject matter but that all subject matter is presented as entertaining (86-87).
The news, it is an entertainment show that is bent on showing how much of a cruel world it is that we live in. The more gruesome the headline, the more interesting the show.
In Amusing Ourselves to Death Neil Postman declares "we are a people on the verge of amusing ourselves to death."" The decline of the Age of Typography and the ascendancy of the Age of Television have generated a great media metaphor shift in America, with the result that much of our public discour...
However, surely it is overly simplistic to claim, as Neil Postman does in his book, "Amusing Ourselves to Death," that these forms of communication, namely television and its predecessors, the telegraph and photograph, single-handedly brought about this decline in the quality of public discourse? ... It should be said that, despite Postman's failure to look at the big picture, and even though there are flaws in his argument, many aspects of "Amusing Ourselves to Death" are worthy of note. ...
During the reading of "Amusing Ourselves to Death," I found my self agreeing and disagreeing at the same time about many of the points Postman makes. The main point of the book the author is trying to convey is the effect of the development of television in our generation and how bad it is for us....
On Ellen's death bed, she is not longer able to repress her true emotions and, even though deep inside of her is something that pushes her to the true and almost permit her to wail her sorrow, she ends up denying all over again. ... It invites to identify ourselves with Granny Weatherall and to attend to aspects of the overall situation to which she herself is only dimly aware. What amuses me the most is the great capacity of denial that human beings can have. We can convince ourselves of something and, if it is practiced enough, we end up believing as a total, undeniable true what at th...
The Puppetry of Postman While reading the tenth chapter of Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death, the reader is manipulated. Television shows such as "Sesame Street," that are generally thought of as educational are portrayed as dentrimental to a child's conception of what is proper behavior...
Death and Emily Dickinson One of the great mysteries in life is death. ... Contrary to popular belief of death being a cold, heartless killer Dickinson personifies Death as a civil gentleman. ... One can infer that Dickinson was at ease and relaxed with Death as they rode in their carriage slowly traveling towards eternity. " The Carriage held but just Ourselves-- and Immortality."" ... In this poem death is not seen as a grave and solemn experience but from a comical and amusing view as demonstrated by the fly interposing on one's death. ... Death is the primary truth of life. ...
Sean Stockman Intercultural Communications December 4, 2002 Amusing Ourselves to Death I have just read Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. Postman states that the age of typography has been replaced by the age of television. This has changed the way we look at the world and the way we think...
Not aware of it, many of us know someone, if not ourselves, who is an alcoholic. ... Other symptoms include forgetting things that happened while intoxicated, irritability, an unorganized personal or professional life, and seclusion from things that used to occupy time and amuse one's self. ... Deaths due to alcohol use and abuse are very common. Nearly 100,000 deaths annually are caused by alcohol. ...
