Amusing Ourselves to Death

I must confess: I have a rather bad addiction. And that addiction is the need for constant stimulation. Something must engage my attention at all times. Without a constant stream of video or audio, I start to feel lost. They say that the first step is admitting you have a problem, so that's done. Moving on to learning more.

That's where Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman comes in. I read the title and thought, "Well, that seems applicable." And strapped in for a revelatory experience. Please note, I missed the step where you glance at the summary or reviews or, frankly, anything other than the title. Even the subtitle, which emphasized the focus on entertainment didn't clue me in. As a result, it wasn't what expected, but still ended up being an interesting critique of modern forms of communication. Actually, rant might be a better word.

I was in total awe when reading this - a total rejection of television and active disparagement of computers. It is a Luddite's dream. In fairness to Postman, he does some valid points regarding the trivialization of culture and the obsession with entertainment. Maybe I wouldn't go so far as to consider us voluntary participants in the society envisioned by Aldous Huxley in Brave New World, but he does raise a few thought-provoking points.

The overarching theme, in the author's words, is that "The form in which ideas are expressed affects what those ideas will be." There is truth in those words. Inherently, reading and watching a movie or television program are inherently different processes. But on a deeper level, they also touch us differently, set different expectations. Postman is unfair in his nearly utter rejection of the medium. Seriously, who hates Sesame Street? No, it isn't just an excuse to plop kids in front of the television. And technology doesn't need to come at the cost of reading. I love both. Actually, if anything, my computer makes me want to read even more. It opens a whole new world for me. 

Now, the interesting thing comes with television. It is largely an escapist entertainment machine. But society does need the outlet. Postman criticizes sports viewing, news channels, and game shows all under the same umbrella. However, while they all can are entertainment, there is more to it. Take, for example, sports. I love to watch hockey and MMA. Then, I go on to discuss them with family, friends, and even strangers. They help form communities and strengthen bonds. So while it isn't an intellectual pursuit, there is benefit to it. After all, life can't just be about stuffy academics criticizing fun.

I'm not going to recommend Amusing Ourselves to Death. It's all about an unhinged perspective of entertainment and it does not contribute enough valuable points to offset the madness. The most worthwhile use of it is to remind oneself not to be a stuck up kill joy. Unless, of course, this was a satirical take that I took seriously. In that case, it isn't worth reading because good satire must be understandable as such, and I had no sense that.

PS: Please go read Brave New World if you haven't yet. It is, unequivocally, one of the greatest literary masterpieces illustrating dystopian society, along with 1984, and Fahrenheit 451. These three works essentially laid the foundation of my views on how societies operate and the role of government and society. I cannot stress enough how amazing I consider those three to be.