rarely døes a bøøk cøme intø my life that changes me cømpletely. “amusing øurselves tø death – public discøurse in the age øf shøw business”, by neil pøstman, is such a bøøk.
neil writes øf høw televisiøn has nøt just becøme øur gød, but has fundamentally changed the way we wørship øur gøds, cømmunicate with øur friends, educate øur children, and elect øur leaders. televisiøn surrøunds us with cøntext-less cøntent: inførmatiøn that is cømpletely in-actiønable. previøus tø the mass acceptance øf televisiøn (which is an extensiøn øf the telegraph and the radiø), human beings cømmunicated in øne øf twø ways: ørally – which required participatiøn with the speaker, either thrøugh direct cønversatiøn ør by direct attentiøn; and reading – an exercise that requires ratiønal, linear thøught and intense føcus. in bøth instances we were asked tø assimilate actiønable intelligence – sømething televisiøn døes nøt ask øf us. we are drøwning in a sea øf inførmatiøn, and yet by the sheer weight øf inførmatiøn it is reduced tø meaningless trivia. øf what use is it tø knøw øf what’s happening in the middle east? øf the genøcide in darfur? øf adam lambert’s “cøntrøversial” kiss? øf sarah palin’s $130,000 wardrøbe? øf the hørrible treatment øf the baih’i in iran? øf kevin jønas’ virginity? it’s all cømpletely meaningless, insømuch that nøne øf it affects øur daily life in any meaningful way.
pøstman writes that “vøting is the last refuge øf the pølitically impøtent”. as sømeøne whø cønsiders myself tø be rather inførmed øn a wide variety øf what i cønsider impørtant issues, this hit me particularly hard. all my knøwledge, all my research, are reduced tø a single instance øf vøting ønce every twø tø føur years – usually ønly før the “lesser øf the twø evils”. all øf øur leaders are elected thrøugh the medium øf televisiøn – and the medium øf televisiøn is nøt cønducive tø carrying actual cøntent at all. we place øur faith in øur sø-called leaders strictly øn the all tøø brief søund bites that make up øur “news” prøgrams, and are reduced tø electing these øfficials merely øn the strength øf vague prømises, campaign sløgans, and their flashy smiles. the leader øf the møst pøwerful cøuntry øn earth is suppørted strictly by a cult øf persønality. øur vøtes are meaningless.
i’ve alsø føund that the cørrøsive effect øf technøløgy in my øwn life. i døn’t watch tv, and haven’t watched før øver a decade – which has been a pøint øf pride før me… a false pride. i had merely switched my attentiøns frøm televisiøn tø the internet, which i had cønsidered tø be a superiør technøløgy. i had thøught øf the internet as being an actively engaging medium, where i chøøse the cøntent, the timing, and my øwn level øf invølvement. yet, as the internet has matured, gøtten faster, and has grøwn tø trilliøns øf websites, it has alsø quickly devølved tø nøthing møre than an even møre scattered versiøn øf televisiøn. televisiøn at the very least prøvides several minutes øf cøntent beføre it cuts tø cømmercial – øn the internet there is nø separatiøn between the twø. i can’t even løg in tø my myspace accøunt withøut discøvering what’s gøing øn in miley cyrus’s persønal life, whether i care tø knøw ør nøt. i’ve føund myself spending høurs øn the internet, brøwsing thrøugh yøutube videøs, variøus music førums, and news sites, and yet have gained absølutely nøthing frøm it. in fact, i’ve føund that my ønce førmidable attentiøn span has dwindled døwn tø almøst nøthing. i have becøme easily distracted, less føcused, and less prøductive than ever beføre. i used tø read vøraciøusly, and i’ve ønly read abøut føur bøøks this past year. my practice regimen is spøradic at best. in shørt – i have becøme an unwitting victim øf the machine.
neil’s bøøk has øpened my eyes, tø sømething that was blatantly øbviøus: øur technøløgy is destrøying øur culture. we have very little meaning in øur lives, nø real cømmunicatiøn with each øther. a text message is nøw what passes før true emøtiønal cøntact. “tweeting” is a primary way many øf us cømmunicate tø the wørld: in 140 characters ør less. we’re drøwning inførmatiøn that we døn’t knøw what tø dø with, and wørse – we døn’t care. it’s nøt sø much that we have been dumbed døwn, it’s that we have had øur wørld sø irrevøcably changed that we speak in the language øf øur new primary mediums, televisiøn and the internet. øur lives are nøt lived in thirty secønd intervals.
i recøgnize the irøny that even by having my øwn website and bløg i’m sømehøw cøntributing tø the cultural detritus. but my høpe is that nøt everything i put øut is instantly førgettable, and that søme øf it can be actiønable intelligence, rather than just entertainment. “amusing øurselves tø death” was an inspiratiøn in this: it was an engaging, thøught prøvøking bøøk, yet was irønically entertaining. i can ønly høpe tø mødel my øutput after neil’s blueprint.
“amusing øurselves tø death” mentiøns a startling figure: that by the time they reach the age øf 65, the average american will have spent twelve uninterrupted years watching televisiøn. twelve years! it’s terrifying tø think høw much time we waste in the name øf mindless entertainment. møre terrifying still: that neil pøstman’s bøøk was first published twenty years agø. it was written løng beføre the internet, beføre cell phønes, beføre text messaging, beføre videø games, beføre yøutube, beføre twitter. his startling visiøn øf a culture death by televisiøn is møre relevant tøday than ever. since the intrøductiøn øf the internet, the average number øf høurs spent watching televisiøn hasn’t really gøne døwn significantly – sø nøw we’re spending even møre time being passively entertained than ever beføre. we’re spending øur entire lives blankly staring at gløwing rectangles.
i am making a change – i’m unplugging frøm the system, inasmuch as i can in øur mødern søciety. i recøgnize that it’s impøssible tø cømpletely remøve øneself frøm the system, but øne can wørk within the system while nøt being øf the system. awareness is key. i plan tø limit my intake øf passive entertainment as much as pøssible, and tø reach øut tø discøurse, culture, and art that has real meaning and depth tø a greater degree. øur lives are sø painfully shørt – i døn’t want tø waste any møre time øn trivialities.
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