Learning Unit 6:

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Neil Postman – Intro

Neil Postman (1931-2003), scholar and communication theorist, was a professor of Communication at the Department of Culture and Communication of the New York University.

He focused his research on the effect of mass media on education. Postman saw clear signs of an unstoppable decline in the American educational system. In this lecture, we will analyze the role of mass media, in particular Television, in the process of erosion of American education.

Neil Postman (1931-2003), scholar and communication theorist, was a professor of Communication at the Department of Culture and Communication of the New York University.

He focused his research on the effect of mass media on education. Postman saw clear signs of an unstoppable decline in the American educational system. In this lecture, we will analyze the role of mass media, in particular Television, in this decline

We will analyze in this course two of his most important works:

Amusing ourselves to death, published in 1985, which will be the subject of this learning unit, and

The Disappearance of Childhood (1982).

Other works by Neil Postman:

Crazy Talk, Stupid Talk (1976)

The End of Education (1995)

Table of Contents:

Foreword

Part I

Chapter 1: the Medium Is the Metaphor

Chapter 2: Media as Epistemology

Chapter 3: Typographic America

Chapter 4:the Typographic Mind

Chapter 5: the Peek-a-Boo World

Part II

Chapter 6: the Age of Show Business

Chapter 7: “Now… This”

Chapter 8: Shuffle Off to Bethlehem

Chapter 9: Reach Out and Elect Someone

Chapter 10: Teaching as an Amusing Activity

Chapter 11: the Huxleyan Warning

Notes Bibliography

In addition to the foreword, you will have to read chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11.

Of course, as I always do, I recommend the reading of the entire book. You can find affordable editions of this book in Amazon:

The book is available as pdf file in our contents collection. Click here to download it.

Foreword: Orwell vs. Huxley

Amusing Ourselves to Death starts with the comparison of the two most famous dystopian novels of the 20th century:

George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) and

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932)

One of the questions you need to ask yourself is which of both prophesies, according to Postman, is coming closer to the reality.

Chapter 1: the Medium Is the Metaphor

In learning unit 4, we discussed Marshal McLuhan’s book Understanding Media and learned the meaning of his famous phrase: The Medium Is the Message. Neil Postman is a devoted disciple of Marshall McLuhan. Still, he introduces a variation is his most famous statement. According to Postman, it would be more accurate to state that the medium is the metaphor.

Why is, according to Postman, this nuance necessary?

And what are the implications to understand the contents of TV?

Another statement in the first chapter, deserves our attention:

“Cosmetics has replaced ideology”.

What does Postman mean with this sentence?

Chapter 2: Media as Epistemology

Epistemology is the science that studies the origin and nature of knowledge. It also establishes the criteria of what we considered true knowledge.

How do mass media, according to Postman, determine what we consider true knowledge.

Chapter 4: The Typographic Mind

This is a key term in Postman’s theories. It will also play a relevant role in our next learning unit. After reading this chapter you should able to answer following questions:

What is this, the typographic mind?

What has the function of the typographic media been in education since the invention of the printing press?

And which could be the consequences of the disappearance or the weakening of the typographic mind?

Chapter 5: The Peek-a-Boo World

The intrusion of electricity in the communication process started a revolutionary process, comparable, according to Postman, to the invention of the printing press.

In this chapter, the author focuses on the invention of the telegraph, the first electrical communication medium, and its immediate impact.

Postman highlights the three elements that, in his view, the telegraph introduced in mass communication:

Irrelevance, incoherence and impotence.

Can you explain what that means?

Chapter 6: The age of Show Business

In this chapter, Postman entirely focuses on TV, the great idol of the time.

He dissects the nature of the TV discourse and came to the astonishing conclusion that TV is not entertaining.

How does the author explain this surprising – and somewhat provocative thesis?

If you are able to answer this question, you should also explain what he means when he states that “entertainment is the supraideology of all discourse on TV”.

Chapter 10: Teaching as an Amusing Activity

Toward the end of the book, the authors moves to his main area of interest: the impact of mass media, in particular TV, on education. And he is rather pessimistic. He believes that TV was having a fatal impact on the education of the young generations of Americans who grew up in the age of TV. His thesis can be summarize with one concept: the “Sesame Street Syndrome”.

Can you explain what that means?

Chapter 11: The Huxleyan Warning

In last chapter of the book, Postman goes back to the two dystopian novels he discussed in the foreword: 1984 and Brave New World.

At this point of the book, you should already know which future scenario comes closer to the real world in the age of Television.

If it is not clear enough yet, you will find the solution in this chapter.

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