Entertainment is death

Author: Neil Postman
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Neil Postman Works Series. Neil Postman (1931–2003) was a world-renowned media culture researcher and critic, who taught at New York University throughout his life. He pioneered the field of media ecology at New York University and served as the chair of the Department of Culture and Communication until 2003. After Postman's death in October 2003, major American media published numerous commentaries highly praising his profound foresight and sharp criticism of the postmodern industrial society. Postman authored over 20 books. His major works include Amusing Ourselves to Death, The Disappearance of Childhood, Technopoly, Teaching as a Subversive Activity (co-authored with Charles Weingartner), Teaching as a Conserving Activity, Crazy Talk, Crazy Times, How to Watch Television, and Building a Bridge to the Eighteenth Century: How Past Thinking Can Shape Our Future. Among these, Amusing Ourselves to Death and The Disappearance of Childhood have been translated into multiple languages and published in many countries. People have been closely watching 1984. The year arrived as expected, but George Orwell's prophecy about 1984 did not come true. After the initial anxieties, Americans could not help but sing a hymn of self-praise, and the roots of freedom and democracy were preserved. Whether Orwell's nightmare came true elsewhere, at least we were spared. What this book aims to tell you is that what might become a reality is Huxley's prophecy, not Orwell's. Postman begins where McLuhan left off, using his scholar's depth and storyteller's wit to construct his insights.