Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985)- Chapter 7- Now... This.
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Chapter Summary: Media has an overall, negative affect on the viewer A. Television is altering our perceptionI. Presentation of Television-For your entertainment *Even News becomes misconstrued #Only good looking people are presented to the viewers #quick 45 second stories rather than the entire situation -we have sympathy for certain ideas, which we do not fully understand #Weather, sports, devastating news -all talked about in the same manner, not for what it truly is -we know of the world, not everything about it that matters *Commercials (TV in general)#Telegraphy+ Photography #Keep everything brief so viewers don't get bored -variety, novelty, and action keep the audience engaged-not required to think when viewing these short clips #Not seen in books, books better explain details and the entire composition of stories -Postman argues how television is unworthy- disrespectful to the situation and what is presented -Why is it worthy for TV? *We are used to it, we become almost accustomed to the brief explanations #Very Damaging* “Anti-communication”- we are unable to as questions and have intellectual conversations. # Abandons ideas of logic and reason B. Radio 1. Another form of News that further expands idea of Media altering one's true perception - Weather and traffic are given to listeners -No images to focus on- the actual Photography *Least likely to be like TV-Has become de-contextualized *Entertainment purposes, yet still similar to television. # Music # Talk shows # Radio contests Quote Explanation:
Verisimilitude-having the appearance of being the truth
“…and how do we decide that the performance lacks verisimilitude?” (101) Postman questions how we watch a show on television and we decide whether or not something is real or if it lacks the verisimilitude and only appears to be real. Like in “Dateline” there was a story and due to the suspense and the interesting details of the case in order for the audience to formulate an opinion when some details are not true. How do we decide what is true and what is not? What credibility does it have? Postman is a skeptic towards the television because it has the appearance of the news and everything else being real, whereas it actually is made up or enhanced for entertainment purposes.
“In saying that the television news show entertains but it does not inform, I am saying something far more serious than that we are being deprived of authentic information….we are losing our sense of what it means to be well informed.” (107-108) Postman is a fan of typography and we think that by sitting and watching hours of the news that we are getting all of the important events going on in the world today. We expect that the news would inform us of the news; however, it is far too engrossed in entertainment that the meaning of information changes and we are no longer just informed of the facts but we laugh and we are completely engaged in entertainment.
“’There can be no liberty for a community which lacks the means by which to detect lies.’” (108) We no longer have “crap-detectors” and we do not discern the truth from the slightly-enhanced-overly-exaggerated truth that could arguably be a lie. We can no longer as a community hear or see something that is completely ridiculous and question its credibility or its validity. All mediums sacrifice how valid and accurate the information they are trying to portray by making it entertaining and “worth watching” to the American public. Unless there is scandal or something interesting besides legal mumbo-jumbo then we will not, as a whole community, watch it.
Contradiction “requires that statements and events be perceived as interrelated aspects of a continuous and coherent context. Disappear the context, or fragment it, and contradiction appears.” (109) Anything can be completely removed from a giving text and put into a piece and make it contradict what it intentionally meant. This idea adds to the false statements made in media because they get their sources and take out little segments, separating it from its context and interpreting it differently than it was intended and make it contradict what people think is the truth. As long as it is entertaining, though, it does not matter.
“It has been demonstrated many times that a culture can survive misinformation and false opinion. I t has not yet been demonstrated whether a culture can survive if it takes the measure of the world in twenty two minutes. Or it the value of the new is determined by the number of laughs it provides.” (113) The culture that we have created for ourselves has survived false information but because we live in a world where we measure how valid information is on how many laughs we give. We measure what we know on how entertained we are and we do not question the information provided to us if it is given to us in an entertaining way. Our culture changes and it may not survive if we base everything we know and all of the facts off of what entertainment and media says because media was not intended to become our sole source for information but it’s becoming that way.
Visual Connection:
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“Now… This,” a chapter from Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman claims that “viewers are not required to carry over any thoughts or feelings from one presentation to another which presents a “Now…This” mode of discourse that is evident through the “news of the day” which presents not only fragmented news but news a pure entertainment.” (Postman Pg. 100) A USA TODAY review finds that deadly CRE bacteria are showing up in hospitals and other health care facilities across the country and claims that there is virtually nothing that can be done to stop these bacteria. This topic sounds quite alarming as it is presented that a new “Superbug” kills nearly half of the patients that it infects. However, this seemingly important topic is depicted in a two minute video that presents the bacteria very ambiguously which keeps the viewers entertained through frightening them. As the newscasters present their take on this “superbug” “they never pause to grimace or shiver when they speak their prefaces or epilogues to the film clips.”(Postman Pg. 103) Furthermore the film footage is expected to “justify itself”(Postman Pg. 105) as it depicts authority figures whom are employees of the CDC who state that the bug is spreading through hospitals and kills one half of infected patients. However, after researching and finding the official report put out by the CDC it is found that in the last year 168 hospitals in the United States reported ONE patient with CRE bacteria (it is important to know there are over 1000 hospitals in the US). Furthermore, it is stated that 40% of patients whose infection spreads to their bloodstream will become deceased. Finally patients that are found to have CRE infections are patients who have been heavily exposed to antibiotics in the past. After reading the official report published by the CDC it becomes quite apparent that the news has become a “an informational environment that presents the use of facts as a source of amusement” (Postman Pg. 113) In this case the facts being that an anti-biotic resistant bacteria is spreading across the nation and killing half of the people it infects which becomes amusing because of the way it is presented: flashy, ambiguous, and misinformed.
Discussion Questions:
1.How much have times changed when it comes to news and television programs? Is the phrase “Now…this!” still popular among today’s newscasters?
2.Has television matured in a way that can be seen and regulate with today’s world?
3.Postman mentions how shallow the media is when it comes to whom they want to be in front of the camera, would it be agreed that today’s media demands the need for better looking and beautiful young people today?
4.Postman states how news entertains the viewer, but does not seriously provide “authentic information”. Why is news from around the world used for entertaining purposes and not factual information still aired?
5.What is so appealing to the way television is shown? If something was to change, would less people watch?
6.As a culture, how far have we come when dealing with miscommunication with media and will it sooner than later destroy us with its disinformation?
7.Are people stupid or lazy for relying on the television news to deliver information and believing everything they hear?
8.Postman mentions how television is now our only use for information, there are other such as the newspaper and the radio, but why is television the most common source? 9.Are there other examples of receiving news other than from the television, newspaper and the radio?
10.Postman briefly talks about People and Us magazine and “Entertainment Tonight” taking less serious news topics into serious news breaking issues. Would this be classified as senseless gossip and why do people find this appealing?
Postman's Argument Extended:
The medium of television doesn't work because people illustrate it as an expression and a new way of thinking. Postman's argument to Contemporary Society was that people believe everything they hear on the television and news. In the article, "Tick, Tick, Tick of the Times" from Time explains how once the media's volume level goes up, its hard to take it back down. From today our news screens are still very much cluttered with information. The Ticker isn't just another steady stream of highlights, but is now a symbol for a changing society. Similar to Postman's idea, society today has focused- rather on true belief and values- primarily on media and the newest gadgets in modern times. The people of the 21st century have found pleasure in losing connection with other people and communicating through technology. While communication has become quite simpler than it was when the book was written, Postman's idea still reigns true to today's ideas towards media and television in which we have evolved into a society based upon a forced perception through technology and news that has not quite changed since television first made its appearance in the American society.
Citation: Eisler, Peter. "A USA TODAY review finds that deadly CRE bacteria are showing up in hospitals and other health care facilities across the country and there is virtually nothing to stop these "superbugs" at this point.." USA Today. (2013): n. page. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation /2012/11 /29/bacteria-deadly-hospital-infection/1727667/>.
Amusing Ourselves to Death___
From Period 2, the Free encyclopedia(Redirected from Amusing ourselves to death)
Not to be confused with Amused to Death.
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (1985)- Chapter 7- Now... This.
Click on image to view information
Chapter Summary:Media has an overall, negative affect on the viewer
A. Television is altering our perceptionI.
Presentation of Television-For your entertainment
*Even News becomes misconstrued
#Only good looking people are presented to the viewers
#quick 45 second stories rather than the entire situation
-we have sympathy for certain ideas, which we do not fully understand
#Weather, sports, devastating news
-all talked about in the same manner, not for what it truly is
-we know of the world, not everything about it that matters
*Commercials (TV in general)#Telegraphy+ Photography
#Keep everything brief so viewers don't get bored
-variety, novelty, and action keep the audience engaged -not required to think when viewing these short clips #Not seen in books, books better explain details and the entire composition of stories
-Postman argues how television is unworthy- disrespectful to the situation and what is presented
-Why is it worthy for TV?
*We are used to it, we become almost accustomed to the brief explanations
#Very Damaging* “Anti-communication”- we are unable to as questions and have intellectual conversations.
# Abandons ideas of logic and reason
B. Radio
1. Another form of News that further expands idea of Media altering one's true perception
- Weather and traffic are given to listeners
-No images to focus on- the actual Photography
*Least likely to be like TV-Has become de-contextualized
*Entertainment purposes, yet still similar to television.
# Music
# Talk shows
# Radio contests
Quote Explanation:
Verisimilitude-having the appearance of being the truth
“…and how do we decide that the performance lacks verisimilitude?” (101) Postman questions how we watch a show on television and we decide whether or not something is real or if it lacks the verisimilitude and only appears to be real. Like in “Dateline” there was a story and due to the suspense and the interesting details of the case in order for the audience to formulate an opinion when some details are not true. How do we decide what is true and what is not? What credibility does it have? Postman is a skeptic towards the television because it has the appearance of the news and everything else being real, whereas it actually is made up or enhanced for entertainment purposes.
“In saying that the television news show entertains but it does not inform, I am saying something far more serious than that we are being deprived of authentic information….we are losing our sense of what it means to be well informed.” (107-108) Postman is a fan of typography and we think that by sitting and watching hours of the news that we are getting all of the important events going on in the world today. We expect that the news would inform us of the news; however, it is far too engrossed in entertainment that the meaning of information changes and we are no longer just informed of the facts but we laugh and we are completely engaged in entertainment.
“’There can be no liberty for a community which lacks the means by which to detect lies.’” (108) We no longer have “crap-detectors” and we do not discern the truth from the slightly-enhanced-overly-exaggerated truth that could arguably be a lie. We can no longer as a community hear or see something that is completely ridiculous and question its credibility or its validity. All mediums sacrifice how valid and accurate the information they are trying to portray by making it entertaining and “worth watching” to the American public. Unless there is scandal or something interesting besides legal mumbo-jumbo then we will not, as a whole community, watch it.
Contradiction “requires that statements and events be perceived as interrelated aspects of a continuous and coherent context. Disappear the context, or fragment it, and contradiction appears.” (109) Anything can be completely removed from a giving text and put into a piece and make it contradict what it intentionally meant. This idea adds to the false statements made in media because they get their sources and take out little segments, separating it from its context and interpreting it differently than it was intended and make it contradict what people think is the truth. As long as it is entertaining, though, it does not matter.
“It has been demonstrated many times that a culture can survive misinformation and false opinion. I t has not yet been demonstrated whether a culture can survive if it takes the measure of the world in twenty two minutes. Or it the value of the new is determined by the number of laughs it provides.” (113) The culture that we have created for ourselves has survived false information but because we live in a world where we measure how valid information is on how many laughs we give. We measure what we know on how entertained we are and we do not question the information provided to us if it is given to us in an entertaining way. Our culture changes and it may not survive if we base everything we know and all of the facts off of what entertainment and media says because media was not intended to become our sole source for information but it’s becoming that way.
Visual Connection:
“Now… This,” a chapter from Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman claims that “viewers are not required to carry over any thoughts or feelings from one presentation to another which presents a “Now…This” mode of discourse that is evident through the “news of the day” which presents not only fragmented news but news a pure entertainment.” (Postman Pg. 100) A USA TODAY review finds that deadly CRE bacteria are showing up in hospitals and other health care facilities across the country and claims that there is virtually nothing that can be done to stop these bacteria. This topic sounds quite alarming as it is presented that a new “Superbug” kills nearly half of the patients that it infects. However, this seemingly important topic is depicted in a two minute video that presents the bacteria very ambiguously which keeps the viewers entertained through frightening them. As the newscasters present their take on this “superbug” “they never pause to grimace or shiver when they speak their prefaces or epilogues to the film clips.”(Postman Pg. 103) Furthermore the film footage is expected to “justify itself”(Postman Pg. 105) as it depicts authority figures whom are employees of the CDC who state that the bug is spreading through hospitals and kills one half of infected patients. However, after researching and finding the official report put out by the CDC it is found that in the last year 168 hospitals in the United States reported ONE patient with CRE bacteria (it is important to know there are over 1000 hospitals in the US). Furthermore, it is stated that 40% of patients whose infection spreads to their bloodstream will become deceased. Finally patients that are found to have CRE infections are patients who have been heavily exposed to antibiotics in the past. After reading the official report published by the CDC it becomes quite apparent that the news has become a “an informational environment that presents the use of facts as a source of amusement” (Postman Pg. 113) In this case the facts being that an anti-biotic resistant bacteria is spreading across the nation and killing half of the people it infects which becomes amusing because of the way it is presented: flashy, ambiguous, and misinformed.
Discussion Questions:
1.How much have times changed when it comes to news and television programs? Is the phrase “Now…this!” still popular among today’s newscasters?
2.Has television matured in a way that can be seen and regulate with today’s world?
3.Postman mentions how shallow the media is when it comes to whom they want to be in front of the camera, would it be agreed that today’s media demands the need for better looking and beautiful young people today?
4.Postman states how news entertains the viewer, but does not seriously provide “authentic information”. Why is news from around the world used for entertaining purposes and not factual information still aired?
5.What is so appealing to the way television is shown? If something was to change, would less people watch?
6.As a culture, how far have we come when dealing with miscommunication with media and will it sooner than later destroy us with its disinformation?
7.Are people stupid or lazy for relying on the television news to deliver information and believing everything they hear?
8.Postman mentions how television is now our only use for information, there are other such as the newspaper and the radio, but why is television the most common source?
9.Are there other examples of receiving news other than from the television, newspaper and the radio?
10.Postman briefly talks about People and Us magazine and “Entertainment Tonight” taking less serious news topics into serious news breaking issues. Would this be classified as senseless gossip and why do people find this appealing?
Postman's Argument Extended:
The medium of television doesn't work because people illustrate it as an expression and a new way of thinking. Postman's argument to Contemporary Society was that people believe everything they hear on the television and news. In the article, "Tick, Tick, Tick of the Times" from Time explains how once the media's volume level goes up, its hard to take it back down. From today our news screens are still very much cluttered with information. The Ticker isn't just another steady stream of highlights, but is now a symbol for a changing society. Similar to Postman's idea, society today has focused- rather on true belief and values- primarily on media and the newest gadgets in modern times. The people of the 21st century have found pleasure in losing connection with other people and communicating through technology. While communication has become quite simpler than it was when the book was written, Postman's idea still reigns true to today's ideas towards media and television in which we have evolved into a society based upon a forced perception through technology and news that has not quite changed since television first made its appearance in the American society.
Citation:
Eisler, Peter. "A USA TODAY review finds that deadly CRE bacteria are showing up in hospitals and other health care facilities across the country and there is virtually nothing to stop these "superbugs" at this point.." USA Today. (2013): n. page. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation
/2012/11 /29/bacteria-deadly-hospital-infection/1727667/>.