Trend Of Current Political Debates On Television example essay topic

Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business was published in 1985. Postman goes to great detail in his book about the development of public discourse (verbal and written communication) over the centuries. He explains how the development and evolution of communication over mankind's history has changed at critical points. These critical points include the development of the alphabet, the printing press invention, the progress of the telegraph and the creation of the television. Postman argues that American society in particular is in grave danger due to its unending reliance on television. The theme that flows from his work is that the oral and printed methods of communication tend to be held in higher prestige because they take more "brain power' to learn and perfect.

If a person wants to learn in an oral or printed communication based culture, he or she must learn the language, memorize customs, learn to read, write, etc. Postman even goes so far as to say that print communication controls the physical body as well – that one's body must remain at least semi-mobile in order to pay attention to the meaning of the words. In chapter four, Postman details how the development and success of the printed word in Western civilization created what he calls "The Typographic Mind', a mind set where a person from the 17th, 18th or 19th centuries could endure and pay attention to lengthy written volumes or lengthy speeches. Postman cites the 1858 U.S. Presidential debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. One debate lasted three hours while another in 1854 went seven. The point that Postman makes is that with mass electronic communication in the 20th century, American attention spans could never last even a fraction of that amount of time.

Postman's idea matches the trend of current political debates on television. The entire debate itself lasts only an hour at most, including commercial breaks. Candidates are allowed five minutes to speak on an issue and the rebuttals are usually just as long. Now, televised Presidential debates are only successful if a candidate comes up with a great sound bite. Postman argues that there is an inherent danger in this: with important topics such as politics, religion and education pared down to fifteen second sound bites on the evening news, Americans only hear a negligible amount of information that may in fact be very opinionated and completely false.

Part two of Postman's book delves into current examples of his theories. The chapters discuss how television deals with religion, politics, and education. In chapter eight, he refers to the numerous television programs dedicated to converting the lost sheep of this world and turning them toward Christianity. He correctly states that like everything else on television, religion is presented as entertainment. He identifies everything that makes religion an historic, profound and sacred human activity is stripped away; there is no ritual, no dogma, no tradition, no theology, and above all, no sense of spiritual transcendence. On these shows, the preacher is tops.

God comes out as second banana. In the following chapter, Postman cleverly compares sports with politics. He points out that an athlete's reputation rises and falls according to his or her propinquity to a standard of excellence known by all athletes. Postman also notes that the spectators of the sports know the rules of the game. If politics were like a sporting event, there would be several virtues to attach to its name: clarity, honesty and excellence, he states. Postman recognizes that there is an idea of excellence in show business, but that the main focus is to please the crowd, its principal instrument is artifice.

If politics is like show business, then the idea is not to pursue excellence, clarity or honesty, but to appear as if you are. The chapter goes on to discuss the deceptions of advertisement and commercials that makes show business so successful. The chapter on education questions whether television programs can in fact educate children. Postman ardently attacks Sesame Street stating that it undermines the principal of schooling.

Whereas a school is a place of social interaction, a spot in front of the television is a private preserve. He also writes Sesame Street encourages children to love school only if school is like Sesame Street. Postman continues, Sesame Street does not encourage children to love school or anything about school. It encourages them to love television. Therein lies the obvious problem. Another topic in Postman's book is the idea that George Orwell is incorrect in describing society in his novel 1984.

Orwell prophesies that government forces will take over civilization and conquer personal freedoms and rights. Postman argues that this viewpoint is erroneous and states that Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is a more appropriate prediction. Huxley sees a world where civilization willingly fades into the dark night where people would be entertained out of their personal freedoms and rights. Postman believes Huxley is closer to the truth according to what television has done to create such a reliance on itself in the 20th century. It is always interesting to read a book that examines such a large part of society, be it television, music or computers.

It is interesting because it allows the examination of one's own habits and traits. I for one love television, but I have realized my reliance on television and other technologies for information, leisurely activities and fun..