Amusing Ourselves to Death
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
-
-
4.4 • 14 Ratings
-
-
- $3.99
Publisher Description
Television 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.
Customer Reviews
Compelling and With New Relevance in the Age of YouTube and TikTok
This has been my first complete book since my resolution to read instead of consume video content, and it leaves me with a great discontent at the state of modern society and sorrow for the passing of an era when the average voter was an enlightened citizen-statesman who evaluated his candidates by hours-long debates. In light of the rise of YouTube and TikTok, the hope of its return seems more delusional than ever. I myself can only hope that others, after reaching the absolute rock-bottom of entertainment addiction (as I was well on my way toward), may realise that the maturity and purpose of a human being is to be rational, not as a potential quality but as an intentional, habitual behaviour. Huxley’s brave new world is a wretched place to live, indeed.