Summary 1) Politics is just like show business A) Sports- public's opinion has no effect on who wins B) Politic's main business is to please a crowd
C) Fundamental metaphor for political discourse is a commercial
2) Television Commercials
A) They "devastated" political discourse
B) Based on the idea that both the buyer and the seller are still sufficiently mature and well informed
C) Assumed that the buyer is unable to make rational decisions
D) when commercials became image based
a) made emotional appeal, not tests of truth
b) one can dislike a commercial, but one can not refute it
E) Not all about the character of products to be consumed, it is about the character of the consumer of products
3) Visual Symbols
A) "political knowledge" means having pictures in your heads more than words
B) Commercials have an advantage of vivid visual symbols
C) short and simple messages are preferred
4) Politicians began to put themselves forward as sources of amusement
A) Voters used to not even know who their candidates were
B) Used to be just Democratic vs. Republican
a) no one knew about the candidate's personal life
b) you voted for whoever represented your class
C) With television politics, candidates try to have the best image D) Image politics is a form of therapy-celebrity and personal disclosure
5) People live in the now with television A) Speed-of-light medium B) tv politics is emptied of historical content C) "we seem to know everything about the last 24 hours but very little of the last 60 years D) we are being rendered unfit to remember
6) Entertainment A) "In America, we are never denied the opportunity to amuse ourselves" B) Censorship a)"assumption that a public knows the difference between serious discourse and entertainment- and cares"
- postmaniac Mar 14, 2013- postmaniac Mar 14, 2013~~Courtni Major Concepts and Vocabulary
Standard of Excellence- The easiest way to understand what Postman is saying when he talks about an athlete's standard of excellence is to think about it in terms of merit and skill. We rank athletes and performers based on the actual skill of their actions, and so logical we can assume that we would grade and rank politicians on their ability to handle foreign affairs, domestic issues, and balance the economy. Postman argues that instead of this logical progression, we instead, because of television, revert to party politics for policy and then look for the candidate that is most likable and relatable.
Party Politics-Postman makes references, in chapter nine, to his father voting for the republican candidate no matter the name on the ballot. This is part politics. Each party, republicans, democrats, green party, libertarians, conservatives, all have Ideals that they would like to embody and put forward in the country.
candidates in each party align with most but usually not all of the ideals in that party, so party politics represents an easy way to vote that is removed from being informed and researched on politics, because we are no longer a Lincoln society. Use this image to understand more:
Capitalism-an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations. (Random House Dictionary) In capitalism, as postman argues, we must be educated in how, when, what, and why to consume certain products, because there isn't a government to call out unfair trade. Postman's main point is that television makes us uniformed about the how, when, what, and why. This extends over into politics because if we do not know what a
candidates represents, nor do we know what is good for our country in general than how can we make a decision that requires us to know both.
True or False Proposition- Have you ever seen a sign that says "World's best coffee" or "Best value in town"? These are examples of propositions that are neither true nor false. Postman argues that proposition must be base on a true or false statement, "the sky is blue" "pigs are pink sometimes" "This computer has 2GB of memory", and so these staments are based on a fact that can be argued true or false while commercials today use propositions on opinion that you can argue accurate or accurateness but not true or false.
Artfully put by: Nathan Sawkins Visual Presentation
Neil Postman starts off Chapter 9 of Amusing Ourselves To Death by bringing up the fact that politics are very similar to show business. Political campaigns have become less about the message and more about selling and winning. He piggy-backs on this thought by comparing the idea of politics to television commercials. Instead of focusing on making their product better, the companies focus on the buyer and how they can appeal to the buyer. Fast food commercials are a prime example of this. Restaurants utilize attractive people selling fattening food to other attractive people who eat the meal as if it were the most delicious thing they have ever tasted. This gives a false advertisement of the restaurant just to have the viewer think they should buy the food because attractive people buy it. In this Wendy's commercial, this female is portrayed to eat Wendy's every single day of her life, yet she is stick thin. It is in the hopes of the rest if females see this as the representation of Wendy's, they will feel better about eating the food.
Love, Jenna Schatzmann
P.S. Sorry Chris my video is in your box...
Discussion Questions
Postman argues that media changes what we value in our culture. In what ways do shows such as Honey Boo Boo and Jersey Shore change what we value in our culture? Does it affect our everyday life?
If Postman were still alive and he were to write a follow up to Amusing Ourselves To Death, how do you think he would react to new technology such as social networking and texting? Would he be even more criticizing?
Do you believe that Postman is trying to decrease the significance of media in our culture or completely get rid of it? Is Postman arguing that media should not be a source of information at all?
In Chapter 9 Postman actually spends close to half of the chapter talking about the commercials related to politics rather than the politics itself. Does he avoid politics for the first half intentionally to prove a point?
In Chapter 9 Postman attacks politics but does not say that they are corrupt. Do you think that Postman believes there is too much corruption in the government or does he believe that is too dramatized?
Is Postman intentionally using the repetition of his attacks on commercials to further strengthen his point about media? Or is Postman running about of forms of media to attack?
Referring to the previous question: If Postman were alive and rewrote his book, would the book be packed full of all of the new types of media and technology that have been developed in the last 30 years since his original book was written?
For those of you that did the weekend challenge of ridding yourself from most all social technology: by the last day, did you find it extremely hard to stop yourself from texting someone or turning on the TV? Was the challenge harder than you expected? Did it enlighten you to how much we use technology everyday in modern life?
Chapter 9 has brought out many issues with politics such as the 2 minute sessions of debating that does not allow the two presidents to say much more than what will please the people. Do you believe that the quality of politics has declined as it has become much more media based?
Do you think that the occasional satirical comments by Postman benefit his argument or are they not very helpful and are only there for the comedic aspect of the book?
Courtesy of:
Chris Shovein Research
"Campaign '08: The Media's 24-Minute News Cycle" - by James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik's article is about the constant stream of information about politics that gets repeated over and over on too many sources to count, and how the media controls the tone, pace, and meaning of elections. This is very similar to Niel Postman's argument that media and television change everything into a form of entertainment, even politics with their silly ads on TV. Poniewozik's argument is a continuation of Postman's argument that television has trivialized politics into the fact that internet makes politics "entertainment" and presents it in a not useful constant stream of useless information. Poniewozik's argument is different then Postman's because he states that politics are still important but the "24 minute" presentation of it is trivial, while Postman argues that politicians themselves present themselves as amusing to become elected. The internet has further destroyed the significance of political campaigns because it has become a battle of who can have a more entertaining ad. Contrived by: Nic Handy
“Watching TV Makes you Smarter” by Steve Johnson (page 766-776 in textbook) - Outline
I. Complexity
A. 24 on Fox network
1. Resembles Middle March more than hit TV drama
2. Each character has clearly define “story arc”
II. Mass Culture
A. Originally assumed “masses” want “dumb, simple” pleasures
1. Culture now becoming more cognitively demanding
B. Sleeper Curve
1. Video games, violent TV dramas, juvenile sitcoms
a) “Nutritional”; enhances cognitive faculties
b) Anti-heroes multiply, stories grow darker
2. Important new force altering the mental development of young people today
3. Media as cognitive workouts rather than life lessons
a) What media lost in moral simplicity, they gained in realism
III. Intelligence in Television
A. TV increased demands in mental faculties
1. Like reading: attention, patience, retention
B. Construing of narrative threads
1. Hill Street Blues
a) Made multi-thread drama most widespread fictional drama
IV. Confusion Onscreen
A. Parody
1. Flashing arrow and “helpful” text
a) Reduce amount of analytic work
B. Dramas raise question: “What is happening right now?”
1. Micro-level of dialogue
a) Switches between texture and substance
2. Immerse audience in information most viewers will not understand
a) ER
b) Subtlety and discretion
c) Medical jargon and layperson
V. Early Television vs. Reality TV
A. Reality TV as best
1. Like video games; “learn as you play”
a) Probing system’s rules for opportunities and weak spots
2. Putting people in complex, strenuous environment
B. Traditional narrative shows
1. Does not have same participating effect of reality TV
2. Is not about strategy
VI. Smart Culture Pays Off
A. Encourage kids to watch reality TV that sedates the mind
1. Survivor over Fear Factor
2. 24 over Law and Order
B. Kids and grown-ups can learn from each other
1. Kids learn to analyze complex social networks, manage resources, recognize patterns
2. Parents decode new technological waves, learn intellectual rewards of play
a) Parents to see this as an opportunity rather than a calamity
b) Like sharing green vegetables with kids
Courtesy of:
Rachael Kelly
References Links to related pages Contributors Chris Shovein Rachael Kelly Jenna Schatzmann Holly Elliott Nic Handy Nathan"Prophet of David" Sawkins :) Courtni Shafer
1) Politics is just like show business
A) Sports- public's opinion has no effect on who wins
B) Politic's main business is to please a crowd
C) Fundamental metaphor for political discourse is a commercial
2) Television Commercials
A) They "devastated" political discourse
B) Based on the idea that both the buyer and the seller are still sufficiently mature and well informed
C) Assumed that the buyer is unable to make rational decisions
D) when commercials became image based
a) made emotional appeal, not tests of truth
b) one can dislike a commercial, but one can not refute it
E) Not all about the character of products to be consumed, it is about the character of the consumer of products
3) Visual Symbols
A) "political knowledge" means having pictures in your heads more than words
B) Commercials have an advantage of vivid visual symbols
C) short and simple messages are preferred
4) Politicians began to put themselves forward as sources of amusement
A) Voters used to not even know who their candidates were
B) Used to be just Democratic vs. Republican
a) no one knew about the candidate's personal life
b) you voted for whoever represented your class
C) With television politics, candidates try to have the best image
D) Image politics is a form of therapy-celebrity and personal disclosure
5) People live in the now with television
A) Speed-of-light medium
B) tv politics is emptied of historical content
C) "we seem to know everything about the last 24 hours but very little of the last 60 years
D) we are being rendered unfit to remember
6) Entertainment
A) "In America, we are never denied the opportunity to amuse ourselves"
B) Censorship
a)"assumption that a public knows the difference between serious discourse and entertainment- and cares"
-
Major Concepts and Vocabulary
Standard of Excellence- The easiest way to understand what Postman is saying when he talks about an athlete's standard of excellence is to think about it in terms of merit and skill. We rank athletes and performers based on the actual skill of their actions, and so logical we can assume that we would grade and rank politicians on their ability to handle foreign affairs, domestic issues, and balance the economy. Postman argues that instead of this logical progression, we instead, because of television, revert to party politics for policy and then look for the candidate that is most likable and relatable.
Party Politics-Postman makes references, in chapter nine, to his father voting for the republican candidate no matter the name on the ballot. This is part politics. Each party, republicans, democrats, green party, libertarians, conservatives, all have Ideals that they would like to embody and put forward in the country.
candidates in each party align with most but usually not all of the ideals in that party, so party politics represents an easy way to vote that is removed from being informed and researched on politics, because we are no longer a Lincoln society. Use this image to understand more:
Capitalism- an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations. (Random House Dictionary) In capitalism, as postman argues, we must be educated in how, when, what, and why to consume certain products, because there isn't a government to call out unfair trade. Postman's main point is that television makes us uniformed about the how, when, what, and why. This extends over into politics because if we do not know what a
candidates represents, nor do we know what is good for our country in general than how can we make a decision that requires us to know both.
True or False Proposition- Have you ever seen a sign that says "World's best coffee" or "Best value in town"? These are examples of propositions that are neither true nor false. Postman argues that proposition must be base on a true or false statement, "the sky is blue" "pigs are pink sometimes" "This computer has 2GB of memory", and so these staments are based on a fact that can be argued true or false while commercials today use propositions on opinion that you can argue accurate or accurateness but not true or false.
Artfully put by:
Nathan Sawkins
Visual Presentation
Neil Postman starts off Chapter 9 of Amusing Ourselves To Death by bringing up the fact that politics are very similar to show business. Political campaigns have become less about the message and more about selling and winning. He piggy-backs on this thought by comparing the idea of politics to television commercials. Instead of focusing on making their product better, the companies focus on the buyer and how they can appeal to the buyer. Fast food commercials are a prime example of this. Restaurants utilize attractive people selling fattening food to other attractive people who eat the meal as if it were the most delicious thing they have ever tasted. This gives a false advertisement of the restaurant just to have the viewer think they should buy the food because attractive people buy it. In this Wendy's commercial, this female is portrayed to eat Wendy's every single day of her life, yet she is stick thin. It is in the hopes of the rest if females see this as the representation of Wendy's, they will feel better about eating the food.
Love, Jenna Schatzmann
P.S. Sorry Chris my video is in your box...
Discussion Questions
Courtesy of:
Chris Shovein
Research
"Campaign '08: The Media's 24-Minute News Cycle" - by James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik's article is about the constant stream of information about politics that gets repeated over and over on too many sources to count, and how the media controls the tone, pace, and meaning of elections. This is very similar to Niel Postman's argument that media and television change everything into a form of entertainment, even politics with their silly ads on TV. Poniewozik's argument is a continuation of Postman's argument that television has trivialized politics into the fact that internet makes politics "entertainment" and presents it in a not useful constant stream of useless information. Poniewozik's argument is different then Postman's because he states that politics are still important but the "24 minute" presentation of it is trivial, while Postman argues that politicians themselves present themselves as amusing to become elected. The internet has further destroyed the significance of political campaigns because it has become a battle of who can have a more entertaining ad.
Contrived by: Nic Handy
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1855330-1,00.html
“Watching TV Makes you Smarter” by Steve Johnson (page 766-776 in textbook) - Outline
I. Complexity
A. 24 on Fox network
1. Resembles Middle March more than hit TV drama
2. Each character has clearly define “story arc”
II. Mass Culture
A. Originally assumed “masses” want “dumb, simple” pleasures
1. Culture now becoming more cognitively demanding
B. Sleeper Curve
1. Video games, violent TV dramas, juvenile sitcoms
a) “Nutritional”; enhances cognitive faculties
b) Anti-heroes multiply, stories grow darker
2. Important new force altering the mental development of young people today
3. Media as cognitive workouts rather than life lessons
a) What media lost in moral simplicity, they gained in realism
III. Intelligence in Television
A. TV increased demands in mental faculties
1. Like reading: attention, patience, retention
B. Construing of narrative threads
1. Hill Street Blues
a) Made multi-thread drama most widespread fictional drama
IV. Confusion Onscreen
A. Parody
1. Flashing arrow and “helpful” text
a) Reduce amount of analytic work
B. Dramas raise question: “What is happening right now?”
1. Micro-level of dialogue
a) Switches between texture and substance
2. Immerse audience in information most viewers will not understand
a) ER
b) Subtlety and discretion
c) Medical jargon and layperson
V. Early Television vs. Reality TV
A. Reality TV as best
1. Like video games; “learn as you play”
a) Probing system’s rules for opportunities and weak spots
2. Putting people in complex, strenuous environment
B. Traditional narrative shows
1. Does not have same participating effect of reality TV
2. Is not about strategy
VI. Smart Culture Pays Off
A. Encourage kids to watch reality TV that sedates the mind
1. Survivor over Fear Factor
2. 24 over Law and Order
B. Kids and grown-ups can learn from each other
1. Kids learn to analyze complex social networks, manage resources, recognize patterns
2. Parents decode new technological waves, learn intellectual rewards of play
a) Parents to see this as an opportunity rather than a calamity
b) Like sharing green vegetables with kids
Courtesy of:
Rachael Kelly
References
Links to related pages
Contributors
Chris Shovein
Rachael Kelly
Jenna Schatzmann
Holly Elliott
Nic Handy
Nathan"Prophet of David" Sawkins :)
Courtni Shafer