Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

by Postman, Neil
ISBN: 9780143036531
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Overview

What happens when media and politics become forms of entertainment? As our world begins to look more and more like Orwell's 1984, Neil's Postman's essential guide to the modern media is more relevant than ever.

"It's unlikely that Trump has ever read Amusing Ourselves to Death, but his ascent would not have surprised Postman." -CNN

Originally published in 1985, Neil Postman's groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first-century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media--from the Internet to cell phones to DVDs--it has taken on even greater significance. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining control of our media, so that they can serve our highest goals.

"A brilliant, powerful, and important book. This is an indictment that Postman has laid down and, so far as I can see, an irrefutable one." -Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World

  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Postman, Neil
  • ISBN: 9780143036531
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 7.70 x 0.60
  • Number Of Pages: 208
  • Publication Year: 2005

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  • A cultural critique that has aged well

    Stephen G. - 3 years 11 months ago

    Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death was published in 1985. 31 years later it has, if anything, gained in relevance and significance. His work focused on two dystopian novels, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984. In the latter, the future would be one of oppressive dictatorships exercising mind control through the use of force and torture. In Huxley's work, however, control would be exercised by the use of providing pleasure that would render a population passive. It was on this idea that Postman expounded. Postman foresaw an age where image and entertainment would crowd out substance and reasoned discourse. This makes for a great, if chilling, read.

    HPB Staff Review