Answer to Week Nine Questions

When I began reading the chapters from Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman, I am not sure if I was so much as offended as I was skeptical. I have always realized our culture was preoccupied with entertainment but I thought his proposition that “we are a people on the verge of amusing ourselves to death” was a bit dramatic, although based in truth. Right after forming this opinion, I read his statement that Las Vegas is our country’s metaphor for national character. I had never really stopped to think which city exemplified our nation’s current values and societal needs. At this time I literally stopped reading and racked my brain to think of another city that might serve as a metaphor for our “national character and aspirations.” Sadly I could not. That is not to say that I have anything against Las Vegas but it does back Postman’s argument up quite beautifully. I was really hoping that our country was a bit more serious than Postman suggests.
I do not think that the image of Las Vegas as our cultural character or the idea of entertainment as a leading American value is perpetrated on purpose. I think our country is driven by money and power, two things that come from good marketing tactics and appeals to the population’s needs. Our world has become so incredibly busy that it is hard to get everything done. How many times have we heard someone say, “There are just not enough hours in the day.”? How many times have even we uttered that phrase? Realizing this, it should not come as a surprise that when people are looking for something to do in their limited and precious spare time, they want to do something relaxing that does not require much effort or brain power. Americans look for entertainment as a way to unwind and forget about their hectic and overwhelming lives. And if that is what the people want, that is what they will get, especially when they are willing to pay money for it. My point is that the image of amusement and entertainment is not perpetrated on purpose, I think it has become prominent in our society because that is what people want and will spend their money on and in return, that is what businesses and advertising companies strive to achieve. It is so publicized in order to make people continue to want it.
I definitely agree, then, with Postman’s idea that the people, the audience, are the creators and influencers of the media. In my opinion, the majority of television news is geared toward what their audience wants to hear and how they want to hear it. Not only do certain news stations spend much more time on irrelevant news stories than on more important ones in order to please their audience, but they spin their news in order to give their viewers a spin on the story that they want to hear. The majority of news today is not meant to inform, it is meant to comfort and to make people happy. I then totally agree with Postman again when he says that television should not be used as a serious medium for expressing information or opinions in important matters. I have nothing at all against television or entertainment for that matter. I watch t.v. quite frequently and love going to see movies and concerts. I think entertainment is important especially in today’s busy society. However I do think people need to remember how important the written word is and that television should be separate from serious intellectual matters. That is not to say that one cannot learn from watching television, but it should not be taken seriously. When it is time to learn and explore serious matters, other forms, such as literature, should be used.
As it is probably clear, I agree with a lot of what Postman has to say in the chapters we read of his book. However, when he gets to the part about how we are becoming too “silly” and that “our public discourse has become dangerous nonsense,” I do not fully agree. We are a nation focused on entertainment and having fun but as was pointed out earlier when examining the hectic and nonstop lives we lead, we are also a nation of hard workers. Entertainment has become our reward for all our hard work. There are, of course, those lazy bums who take advantage and give the rest of us a bad name. But there have always been lazy people and there always will be. I do not think there is anything to worry about in regard to our country’s love of entertainment. There is a problem when people try to combine entertainment with activities that broaden the intellect. However, if we keep those two entities separate, I don’t think we will have a problem maintaining their coexistence. Besides, every civilization goes through stages, just as each individual does. Western Europe went through many stages in which their politics, religious affiliation, and even aesthetic changed drastically. From the era Romanticism to the Enlightenment, to the age of Annihilation, people are constantly revising and redefinition their idea of what is important and what is true. Our country currently believes that entertainment is something to be valued and to be shared. And I do not think that is something to be very worried about.