Chapter 1
"You cannot use smoke to do philosophy" (Postman 7). I agree with Postman that mediums often define the content of discussion. Smoke signals would have not been used to discuss complex thoughts, but to communicate basic, essential information that the other group need to know.This same idea applies to the day when our class communicated by only using pictures on a whiteboard and gestures. It was very difficult to understand any concept that involved anything more than the basics. Just like you cannot do philosophy with smoke signals, you cannot express advanced concepts with charades and Pictionary, because the medium defines the message.
Chapter 2
"The best things on television are its junk, and no one and nothing is seriously threatened by it" (Postman 16). I disagree with Postman, because although television's junk is recognized as garbage and can be used for leisure time, it is still junk. The "junk" of television often has little to no morals, and even if we recognize this, we still watch and soon our thoughts and our spiritual life begin to suffer. A really good example of this is the show Family Guy. This show really has no morals and although it does not pose a physical threat, it certainly can lead you away from your values if you are not careful. If you fill your life with the garbage of this world, won't your actions and thoughts start to reflect that junk? I am not suggesting that anyone will mimic the actions of Family Guy, but if you allow your morals to decline, it will show in your life. I understand that Postman is saying that television is okay as long as you recognize that it is all entertainment and mostly junk, and that watching it as "junk" is okay, if you do not take it seriously. However, filling one's time with garbage can seriously threaten a person's morals and purity of thought.
Chapter 3
"The influence of the printed word in every arena of public discourse was insistent and powerful not merely because of the quantity of printed matter but because of its monopoly" (Postman 41). I agree with this statement. Because they had nothing else in the early years of our country, the culture was focused on typography and the power of the written word. A person was praised on their wit in an argument, not how they physically looked while making that argument, which is what television often focuses on. Today, technology has a monopoly on most of the discourse of the world. Even if there are more books today than in the 1600s-1800s, technology, especially Internet and television, still dominates because of the speed it can communicate with. With the Internet, one can find out right now what someone in Japan thinks about a certain subject without having to wait for a newspaper or book to tell you. With the Internet, all this information is at one's fingertips. Technology has become a sort of monopoly over today's world just like typography dominated the communication of the past.
Chapter 4
"Is there any audience of Americans today who could endure seven hours of talk? or five? or three? Especially without picture of any kind?" (Postman 45). While I find this question/statement offensive, I mostly agree with it. Oftentimes, it is difficult to sit through a 45 minute/hour lecture during class if all it is is talk. Sometimes, it is difficult to listen to even 20 minute of a sermon at Chapel. If the talk is not entertaining or engaging in the way we are used to (accompanied by props or a PowerPoint presentation to look at), most people will not listen, even if the speaker has good points.
Chapter 5
"But most of our daily news is inert, consisting of information that gives us something to talk about but cannot lead to any meaningful action" (Postman 68). While this may be true with many pieces of news, I do not completely agree with this. Because of the daily news on the turmoil in Libya, I know that gasoline prices are rising and will continue to rise for a long time. Because the gasoline prices are climbing, I might change my driving habits, such as the number of trips out or how many people to a car. Because of this information, I can take action in my daily life. I realize that Postman's point was that many stories on the daily news are not immediately applicable to our everyday lives, but the news about Libya is clearly an exception.
Chapter 6
"Each technology has an agenda of its own" (Postman 84). I agree with this statement. Although a watch could be used as a paperweight or a metronome (if you have one that clicks), this is not the primary purpose it was created for. A watch's "agenda" is to tell time. The same is with television. Its main purpose is to be entertainment, although theoretically it could be used for other purposes, like a light or a place to put books. However, this was not the intended use when the inventor created this device. Therefore, "each technology has an agenda of its own."
Chapter 7
"But as long as the music is there as a frame for the program, the view is comforted to believe that there is nothing to be greatly alarmed about; that in fact, the events that are reported have as much relation to reality as do scenes in a play" (Postman 103). As this is a similar concept to an earlier quote I used, I again disagree with this statement. I again make the connection to the events in Libya leading to the rising gasoline prices. This is daily news reported that has had a definite effect on "reality" for Americans. Also I often find myself alarmed at the horrible news shown daily. Although it is true that no subject is touched upon for more that a minute or two at a time, the events that are shown are often horrible and shocking. Some bad news, especially when it is local, causes people to increase security for their homes or to create stricter rulers for their children . The addition of music to news does not take away the seriousness of the situation, but rather helps the viewer interpret the seriousness of the news about to be used. Lighter music is used for lighter news, and heavier music is used for heavier news.
Chapter 8
"Television favors moods of conciliation and is at its best when substance of any kind is muted" (Postman 116). I agree with this in general. Because television has such a wide audience, any arguments or substance on television has to be completely politically correct, or else wise the content will taken negatively and the point will be lost. As a result, content is often wishy-washy and does not take a stand to make sure that someone is not offended. A good example of this caution is shown in the article "Civility Not Censorship" from a previous post. Because bellicose words might be offensive to some, others argued that they should not be used in public speaking. This deprives people from being able to fully use the range of the English language to prove their point, and so are limited. This limitation "mutes" the substance of the argument or point.
Chapter 9
"The television commercial is not at all about the character of the products to be consumed. It is about the character of the consumers of products" (Postman 128). There are a few rare exceptions to this, but in general this statement proves true. When beer commercials, such as Bud Light, come on, they are not really advertising the beer. They are advertising all the good times that could come along with the beer. Especially in Bud Light commercials, little is said about the taste or quality of the beer, but rather the scenarios usually associated with the beer. The commercial is often not about the product, but about the people and the situation surrounding the product.
Chapter 10
"In other words, the most important thing one learns is always something about how one learns" (Postman 144). This quote was saying this after stating that Sesame Street does not teach children to love school but to love television. To an extent, I agree with this. IF children do not learn how to sit down in a classroom to learn, how will they be able to survive college and other learning opportunities in their future? A good example is the new video game school in New York. This school uses video game instead of traditional classrooms to teach children in grades 6-12 their basic school subjects. AS cool as I think this is, I wonder how these kids will be able to learn in a college setting when they are no longer learning by this medium. Because they have been learning this way for so long, will they be able to adjust back the the traditional way of learning. The video games, just like Sesame Street, are teaching these students to love the video games, not the subject they are learning.
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