Amusing Ourselves To Death Neil Postman Summary

The evolution of educational technologies has greatly influenced modern civilization. The technological mechanisms are implemented in various forms to promote a sense of educational development and primarily the ultimate goal of entertainment. These modern day mechanisms such as television and video game, caused various scholars and critics to voice their opinions wether these practices are beneficial or not. “Neil Postman most notably in his 1985 book about American television, titled Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Disclosure in an Age of Show Business, argues that television in particular, mixes information and entertainment so thoroughly that viewers have come to expect even newscasters to be entertaining.” (Greene 421). In response, …show more content…
The main idea for Neil Postman “Television as Teachers” is this aspect of “edu-taiment”. Referring to education revolving around entertainment. The idea of education and entertainment coexisting into one unison was peculiar to Postman. Ideally, Postman paints this picture where personally he believes that virtually learning through a screen with various pictures is less effective than actually physical being present in the classroom by using a key example, Sesame Street. Postman believes "Sesame Street was entirely consonant with the prevailing spirit of America. Its use of cute puppets, celebrities, catchy tunes, and rapid-fire editing was certain to give pleasure to the children and would therefore serve as adequate preparation for their entry into a fun-loving culture.” (422). Essentially, Postman states the entire purpose of Sesame Street. Its this joyful, loving and caring environment with witty puppets and a catchy tune in the background to capture the mood as oppose to this dark, gloomy unattractive environment where smiling is