Book Report "Amusing Ourselves to Death"

AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH
Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
By: Neil Postman

Professor Postman wrote his book in 1985, often referencing George Orwell’s book “1984” and the free world’s fear that, “Big Brother” would be watching us through television and controlling all information that society would be able to read and watch. He warns that this should not be society’s greatest fear but rather closer to Aldous Huxley’s, “Brave New World,” where society’s every need is taken care of. Where humans are genetically engineered and thinking is no longer necessary. If you have a problem, just take a “happy” (soma) pill. It’s ironic that I wasn’t familiar with the book “Brave New World,” but I now can Google it and do in a few minutes what other generations might have had to invest days to do. This is exactly what Neil Postman was prophesying for our future, he warns, “. . . our own tribe is undergoing a vast and trembling shift from the magic of writing to the magic of electronics.” He includes in that, the desire to read and gain knowledge, as well as the desire to carry on meaningful conversations.

In Media as Epistemology, he warns that we are moving from the age of knowledge and the desire to seek knowledge to the age of wanting to be continuously entertained. He would not be surprised to know that we now get our news through entertainers such as, Steve Colbert and Jon Stewart. Information, as he warns is not interesting unless embedded in an entertainment format. Unlike eras of the past where verbal communication was so much a part of how we gathered knowledge, we no longer have the time for that. We all want our information in sound bites. Wouldn’t he have been blown away by cell phones and text messaging? Television is the enemy of conversation according to Professor Postman. The art of conversation has guided people throughout history. Societies have used oral history and the lessons that are passed down from generation to generation, long before the alphabet was created. He tells us; that is how parents teach their children the rules of life, is through mnemonic devices, formulaic expressions and parables. We have become passive watchers of other people speaking or storytelling. We are great devourers of visual input and visual stimulation, but we don’t want to have to think or formulate ideas.

In Typographic America I was surprised to find out how literate Colonial America was. I knew from early American history classes that our founding fathers were prolific writers, but didn’t understand what an impact that has had on learning in America. Books, reading, and having writing skills are what have made America great. In some of the colonies, education was required and part of their religious beliefs, “From public schools shall general knowledge flow. For ‘tis the people’s sacred right to know.” Books were an important part of religious education and practicing religious and politic freedom. There was a higher literacy rate in the New World than in England. Education was the great equalizer in the New World, everyone who knew how to read and write could have a part in the political and social process of the day. Knowledge was no longer reserved for the elite; it was available for even the commonest of men. Authors were idolized like “rock stars” of today and books sold like “blockbuster movies.” Professor Postman tells his readers that religion in early America and specifically minister’s sermons played a large part in values and education.

The Typographic Mind, made me realize how captivated Americans used to be by the spoken word. I couldn’t believe anyone would listen to a debate for seven hours. We want our information today in seven minutes and the rest is commercial time. I never lived in an age without television but I always wondered what people did before television and how they got their information. Newspapers have never been a part of my life, but I do realize that there was a time when newspapers were the most important way for information to be circulated to the general public. It’s inconceivable that one man’s words could have such an impact on our nation without television being involved. It was humorous to me when Professor Postman talked about a fat person couldn’t get elected to public office today. Television has made politics all about how you look, not about the content of the message.

The Peek-a-Boo World is what we embarked on when electricity was harnessed. Neil Postman suggests that was the end of real discourse between people. Telegraphy, like cell phone text messaging, was the breakdown of meaningful conversation. We became a “context free” America. This is the age when speed of information began to creep into our culture. We suddenly could know what was happening all over the world, that day. The most compelling part of his argument in this chapter is when he points out that; “For the first time in human history, people were faced with the problem of information glut, which means that simultaneously they were faced with the problem of diminished social and political potency.” I think this means we decided we wanted the Cliff Notes version for everything. We have become a culture of only being in the moment. We don’t need to have a frame of reference or store information in memory or think too deeply. We are in the age of instant information.

The Age of Show Business, is where my generation has gotten all of its information and in some cases earliest education. The purpose of the book was to warn about what television was going to do to our society. What he must have known before his death in 2003 was that, television has taken over our lives. Its culture defines who we are and how we make choices in our lives. We have become the consumer of all things show business. Our idols and our icons are spoon fed to us by television executives and television personalities. American television, as the author points out, is all over the world. Everyone wants to emulate our Western ways. Even Sesame Street that seems so benign in content is on Professor Postman’s hit list. He basically, says it was the beginning of the end for teaching with substance. Even educators who encouraged the watching of Sesame Street would become the victims of a generation that expected to be entertained and visually stimulated at the same level that television had to offer. How flat and mundane the classroom became. Professor Postman scoffs at the “new classroom” and references the millions of dollars that were poured into the, “Voyage of the Mimi” program. His question being . . . “What is television good for?, not, What is education for?.

I found it interesting that the book doesn’t really address computers and what computer technology is doing to our society, except in the last chapter, where he talks about ‘Americans accorded it their customary mindless inattention.’ The sequel to this book, if ever written, would be how computers and microchip technology have taken over our lives. His final prophesy that I feel is so moving, ends with these thoughts. “ Until, years from now, when it will be noticed that the massive collection and speed-of-light retrieval of data have been of great value to large-scale organizations but have solved very little of importance to most people and have created at least as many problems for them as they may have solved.” I thought about my grandfather’s frequent lament that he is no longer driving the train, he is now a passenger. It seems that Neil Postman was warning us that society is heading toward being willing passengers on the “information highway,” no longer caring what we are losing along the way.

Mass Media and Society Final

The Medium is the Message
Marshall McLuhan believed that “the medium is the message.” When most people study mediums and their affect on society they tend to focus more on the content within the medium. This is where McLuhan felt there was a discrepancy. He believed that when wanting to research the affects of a medium on society that regardless of its content the medium would still have the same affects. It is what people do when engaging with a particular medium that must be researched and analyzed. There are certain expectations that are associated with a medium that regardless of its content this expectation will still occur. A medium affects our lifestyle as a society. Whether enhancing it by making things easier or taking away from it by reducing the amount of physical activity we get. So when McLuhan says “the medium is the message” he means take away the content and look specifically at the medium and how it affects our lives. It is what we do as a consequence of the medium’s presence that socially affects us.

Movies and the Web
The message of a movie can be interpreted as many things. One message could be the act of silence that is instilled in us once a movie begins. The fact is that most of us consider a movie a date but hardly any verbal interaction occurs. It is a way to avoid awkward moments between you and another person. A movie is viewed in its entirety and is understood by images and sound. In order to review it, you must watch the entire movie again. Most people watch movies as a form of entertainment because it’s a medium that allows people to tell stories. The web on the other hand has the capability to show a movie but can also do much more than just that. It allows people to have instant access to review anything they wish. The web inspires competition by its ability to post mass amounts of information about different products. It is personal in the aspect that the user controls the content. Reality is that the web is a medium with multiple mediums embedded. We get movies, news feeds, books, newspapers, journals but the message of each medium is entirely different. Which means the web’s message is entirely different than any single medium. The web causes us to expect instant and accurate results. This leads many of us to procrastination because we rely on the instantaneous results from searching online.

Kindle and IPod
The Kindle and IPod are very similar in the fact that they both are portable devices that you download entertainment to. The IPod has been around for a while and most people know that you can download music and videos to this device. Where as, the Kindle, is fairly new but you are able to download full issues of books to the device. These two devices both portray a message of portable entertainment. It is customizable to contain exactly what you would like to hear or read. With these devices you are able to have on demand entertainment that allows you to escape your busy lifestyle. These inventions were created because people have become so mobilized that they want everything to be compacted into one device. Overall these two devices are about personalization and instant purchases. Society has become an “I want what I want, when I want it, and where I want to have it” society and these two devices definitely fit these desires.

Email and Social Networking
Email has become a widespread form of communication in today’s society. The message of email is to be able to communicate with someone with out having to physically see or talk to someone. It eliminates the need for interaction. It allows us to review what we want to say to someone before we send it. I believe that it has caused people to avoid interacting face to face because they fear instant reactions. During a face to face encounter or even via phone you must react instantly to questions or accusations. Where as via email you can read the message on your own time and carefully think of how to respond to someone’s message. Although email is known for being an instant transfer of data, it is not as instant as face to face interaction and therefore allows people to reply to others at their own convenience. The medium has created a less personal but more convenient way of communicating. Social networking can be considered to have similar affects of email. Social networking also eliminates that need for face to face interaction; you can now find your soul mate without ever having to meet them. It may be a place where we reveal more information about ourselves but you are able to hide behind a screen. We can present ourselves in the most desirabe way possible when posting information about ourselves on social sites. It is a form of communication that is both instant and delayed. It again is associated with convenience and when you’re in the mood to socialize. A social networking site is a way for you to inform people about yourself and a way to keep in touch with people.

Newspaper
If I owned a newspaper in today’s current market my priority would be to create a website. Not just make PDF’s of the newspaper and post it online but create an interactive website. I would cater my information toward 40 year old people and younger. The website would have an area for them to write comments to the journalist and editors. I would hire young journalist to report on current news and have several different perspectives for the same issue. I would encourage my staff to add a blog to the website so they can capture an audience. The website would contain live video stream from on site investigation gathered by journalist. I would focus on creating a following and capture people because they liked the style of our reporting. One thing I would like my “newspaper” to report is more stories on local citizens. Whether it was an entrepreneur or a kid doing charity work, I would like everyday for there to be a new story. Once the site became more established I could ask followers to submit suggestions for our local citizen reports. My goal for the website would be to make our customers feel engaged with our product. As for tackling the 40 and up readers, I would lower the price of the newspaper and continue to sell printed copies until the readers have dropped down to 25%. The lower price might also encourage more people to pick up the paper. I would advertise the website in the newspaper telling readers if they would like updated information or if in the future they would like to print a copy of the paper off the website they could. I would be directing all of my readers to the website instead of completely losing them. If advertisers bought ads in the paper I would post their advertisement for free on our website. My goal would be to satisfy my customers and I know the answer currently is not to eliminate the printing press. Eventually I will turn my printing press warehouse into an office space and rent out the building. Most of my staff once we go online will be working from home and therefore an office would not be necessary. Obviously I would keep some space with the proper editing, video, and computer equipment to keep our online website in business.

Media's portrayal of Latinas

According to the book Bananas to Buttocks many Latina women are portrayed in the media as sexual, sensual women, mothers or domestic workers. Although Hispanics are the largest growing minority group in the United States the representation of this culture in the media is not very positive. Most of my research revolves around Hispanics in cinema and television. In most cases the media does not report much on Hispanics and their success stories. When it is reported the image that is created for Hispanics only hinders their ability to accurately represent their culture. Just like any minority group most of what is reported in the news emphasizes mostly on negative stereotypes. Majority of the information that I found discusses roles casted for Latinas, the portrayal of a Latina characters, and the lack of attention the media gives to this culture.

Many of us can think of the more famous Latina actresses like Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Eva Mendez, Penelope Cruz, Selma Hayek and singers like Christina Aguilera, Shakira, and Gloria Estefan. There are many prominent Latinas in the media but when you compare the amount of Latinas to non-minority artists this percentage, according to Latin Looks, is less than five percent.

Latino Images in Film suggests that the media downplays the Hispanic culture not giving them much credit for their success. Many of the Latinas listed above are most known for their sexuality. Whether it’s the famous Latina curves or the seductive accents, the way a Latina presents herself effects the amount of exposure she gets.

The media has transitioned into a more entertaining medium, so in order for the Latinas to be famous they must fit this stereotype of a sensual woman. Many women feel that they have to exploit themselves to get attention but Latinas have extra pressure because they are known to be “spitfires” as said in Heroes, Lovers and Others. Which is described as sexual predators who are quick tempered and excitable.

Although there is the glamorous side of Latinas sensuality, there are also roles that require Latinas to poke fun at their roots. There is the comical stereotype for Latinas which can consist of heavy accents, improper English, gold jewelry, a mother with many children, a housewife, speaking fast and in Spanish when angry, and confrontational interactions their lovers or other women.

A good example of these characteristics displayed would be the characters in the television series Ugly Betty. Betty is the star of the show, has poor fashion sense and lives at home with her father, sister, and her nephew. She has a job in New York City but lives in Queens in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood. Although Betty is educated and has a great job her character is not very attractive. She has busy eyebrows, wears ponchos, and eats burritos. Her sister Hilda on the other hand is pretty, wears skimpy outfits and gold jewelry, with long fake nails, talks with a Hispanic/ Brooklyn accent, is a mother, and a hairdresser. She has that sexy but ghetto Latina stereotype going on for her character. As you can see within one TV show there are two drastically different Latinas but very much the focus of stereotypes for Latinas in the media. Obviously these roles were created to be comical and not offensive. Unfortunately there are many shows created around this format and they do not accurately portray a Latina and how she represents herself.

The media makes it appear as if Latinas do not respect their bodies and are weak women always chasing a man. Whether they are the damsel in distress, a mother, wife, or just trying to find a man; rarely ever is there a story line about a Latina just making it on her own.

I believe that the portrayal of Latinas in the media affects the people’s perspective of Latinas in day to day life. Many Latinas struggle with breaking into the business world because so many people want to believe that their priority is to have a family. As a Hispanic woman I know how difficult it is to get prominent business leaders to take my ambition to be an entrepreneur seriously. Not only is it difficult breaking the glass ceiling as a woman but throwing in the ethnic factor creates a whole other struggle. Considering that Latinas are represented as we discussed makes it very difficult to overcome these stereotypes. Unfortunately unless the media outlet is minority owned there are not a lot of public stories about successful Latinas that are not artists. As in any situation if you are not entertaining and beautiful most likely your success story will not be published.

The way the news portrays Hispanics creates an even more negative stereotype for the culture. The news reports over one fifth of Hispanic related stories on immigration and violence according to Latinos in U.S. Media. Because these are real issues society’s stereotypical view of Hispanics becomes more personal. The way the government emphasizes on stricter boarder control and cracking down on illegal immigrants creates this negative connotation about Hispanics. Many people want to believe that they are losing jobs to Hispanics, even if they are legal Americans. I believe that a lot of times the media does not want to show successful Hispanics living the American dream because many people associate their success with an opportunity lost to a minority.
As described in Latinos in U.S. Media the misrepresentation of the population affects the entire culture. “For Latinos these affectations include foreign and domestic policy, civil rights, the job market, the justice system, and many more institutions designed to be fair to all.” As you can see these stereotypes go deeper than just hurting people’s feelings. Since the media is such a powerful communication tool it can shape the beliefs of society and has done so in a negative way for Hispanics.

There are magazines, TV stations, radio stations, and social networks that are designated to attracting Hispanics but it does not integrate the Hispanic culture into society, it more isolates them. Even these outlets use beautiful Latinas to lure in viewers. Although it is obvious it is tough for Latinas to be accurately portrayed in the media there are some outlets that give Latinas an opportunity to enjoy their success.

Many successful Latinas are recognized but in a Hispanic setting, whether it is through Latina Magazine or the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It is not being publicized for all of society to see. It sets the bar low and the barriers high for Latinas to overcome. Latinas are proud to be recognized by the Hispanic community but at the same time why should that be their maximum exposure?

While it’s hard enough to overcome a racial stereotype, imagine having to deal with race and gender prejudice. As difficult as it is for me to believe that there is so much negative association with Hispanics in the media, it confirms my beliefs that I have a disadvantage being a Latina in America. Obviously society is changing and racial/ gender issues are being resolved, but we still have a long way to go. It seems though, until the media starts portraying minorities in a different light this topic will always be real. The media is a key element in America's way of living and a main source for current news, so unfortunately Latinas fate is in the media’s hands.

References:

Medible, Myra. From Bananas to Buttocks: The Latina Body in Popular Film and Culture. Austin: University of Texas P, 2007.

Pehl, Jamie. "Latinos in the U.S. Media." Teaching literature. 12 May 2004. 24 June 2009 .

1. Christel, M. & Krueger, E. 2001: Seeing & Believing: How to Teach Media Literacy in the English Classroom. Boynton/Cook.

2. Méndez-Méndez, S. & Alverio, D. 2000: The Portrayal of Latinos in Network Television News, 2000. Pamphlet.

3. National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. 2002: Latinos on Prime Time. Pamphlet. O’Sullivan, T., Dutton, B. & Rayner, P. 2003: Studying the Media.

4. Arnold.Subervi-Vélez, F.A. 1999: The Mass Media and Latinos: Policy and research agendas for the next century. Pamphlet.

Ramirez Berg, Charles. Latino images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion and Resistance. Austin: University of Texas P, 2002.

Rodriguez, Clara. Heroes, Lovers and Others: The Story of Latinos in Hollywood. New York: Smithsonian Books, 2004.

Rodriguez, Clara. Latin Looks: Images of Latinas and Latinos in the U.S. Media. Boulder: Westview P, 1997

Controversial topics about media

1. Is there a way to profit from online newspapers? Withholding information for only those who subscribe online is not a great idea considering the amount of free information that is available online. In order to compete in an all access world you have to consider additional alternatives, mainly focusing on the user friendliness of your website and prospective advertisers. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003974968

2. Does twitter have a positive impact on society? Twitter has currently allowed young people in Iran to voice their opinion in a way other than violence. Not only are they able to voice opinions but they are able to inform followers about their situation. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003985619

3. Do news organizations need to give up some credibility to help its survival? News organizations must find a way to attract/keep customers without sacrificing the quality of the news. Organizations can not be deceitful in its presentation as well as in its content; otherwise they will lose their audience. http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4775

4. What is the reasoning for stereotyping in the media? Stereotyping in the US is strictly related to entertainment. In many countries around the world stereotyping does not occur due to the already strict laws about publishing news stories. Many countries regulate the media coverage and do not allow negative images to be reported. The US on the other hand sees profit in this area and Americans enjoy reading about comical stereotypes. http://www.globaljournalist.org/columns/book-review/2005/09/01/anecdotes-for-stereotyping/

5. Would the media not report a story if it jeopardized someone’s safety? As rare as this may seem it does happen. Reporter David Rohde was kidnapped along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border and over 40 news sources knew of this and preformed what was called a “Blackout” (not reporting a situation) in order to prevent any further harm to Rohde like seen in many other kidnapping cases that had been reported on. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003986498