Postman Opportunity #1

Chapter 1: Page 3 “For Las Vegas is a city entirely devoted to the idea of entertainment, and as such proclaims the spirit of a culture in which all public discourse increasingly takes the form of entertainment.” I agree with this quote because our culture is completely centered on entertainment and if something is not entertaining, we will not be able to pay attention to it. If an important message is trying to be conveyed to us, it must be able to keep our attention.  A global connection that supports this is that Americans waste so much of their money on plasma screen televisions, sporting events, cell phones and computers.  Our televisions have gone from 4 channels to 400 channels, just so that there is a channel that will suit everyone’s interests.

Chapter 2: Page 28 “We are now a culture whose information, ideas and epistemology are given form by television, not by the printed word.” I agree with this quote because our culture rarely gets news by reading, but by watching the news on television.  A global connection that supports this is that our culture has gone from reading the newspaper to get the latest news to only watching the news because it is short and to the point. Americans are so busy that they do not have time to read the newspaper. Also, it is not entertaining. As a result of this, most of us will immediately go to a news show because it is more entertaining. The producers of the news on television know that people do not have time or the attention span to listen to details about the latest story, so they make it as short as they possibly can.

Chapter 3: Page 41 “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.”  I agree with this statement because during the age of typography, books, magazines, journals and newspapers was the only way to know what was happening in the world. A global connection that relates to this is the change from the age of typography to the age of television. Now our culture is in the age of television because the way we get our information is mostly through television and the radio.

Chapter 4: Page 45 “Is there any audience of Americans today who could endure seven hours of talk?” I agree with Postman’s argument that Americans today definitely cannot sit through seven hours of speeches. Our culture today has such a short attention span that we can barely sit through a half hour sermon without falling asleep.  A connection that supports this is that students cannot sit through a 45 minute class period without some form entertainment. As a result, many students will find a way to entertain themselves by texting or drawing pictures when they should be listening to the teacher.

Chapter 5: Page 78 “And most important of all, there is no subject of public interest-politics, news, education, religion, science, sports- that does not find its way to television.” I agree with Postman’s view on this topic.  Every interest in our life is on television to the point that there is always something that can keep everyone’s attention. A connection that supports this is that some people feel that they can go to church without leaving their homes because there are church services with sermons on televisions. This can be a danger because as Christians, it is very important that we have fellowship with other believers and we cannot do that by not going to church.

Chapter 6: Page 87 “Everything about a news show tells us this-the good looks and amiability of the cast, their pleasant banter, the exciting music that opens and closes the show, the vivid film footage, the attractive  commercials-all these and more suggest that what we have just seen is no cause for weeping.” I agree with this statement because television presents news as entertaining, no matter what the subject matter is. Also, what the media calls “news” is not accurate. A connection that supports this is how much publicity Justin Bieber’s new movie received and how for a long time that seemed to be the biggest news. This clearly shows how our culture defines very trivial things with celebrities as “news.”

Chapter 7: Page 100 “This means that you would exclude women who are not beautiful or who are over the age of fifty, men who are bald, all people who are overweight or whose noses are too long or whose eyes are too close together.” I agree with this quote because there are certain requirements to be on television. The producers of television shows are looking for people who will attract a large audience with their charming good looks. A connection that supports this is that I knew a model who had a few pimples on her face and was not able to perform in the next fashion show. This shows that the media expects perfection in order to be desirable. 

Chapter 8: Page 116 “The first is that on television, religion, like everything else, is presented, quite simply and without apology, as an entertainment.” I agree with Postman’s view on religion on television. Everything on television must be presented as entertaining, including religion. Some preachers on television try to get viewers’ attention with great music, videos, etc. They might believe that people will not be interested in any religion unless it is entertaining. A connection that supports this is that I have visited some churches where singing is presented as more of a show than worship to God. 

Chapter 9: Page 128 “The television commercial is not at all about the character of products to be consumed. It is about the character of the consumers of the products.” I agree and disagree with this statement. Some commercials spend the whole time telling the viewers about all the beneficial aspects to their product. On the other hand, some commercials try to sell the viewers their product by showing good-looking actors/actresses who are perfectly happy with their life. Of course, buying the product will not get rid of one’s problems or make one happy. This is a lie that many people believe. A connection that supports this is during the Super Bowl there are many commercials that show good-looking people having a great time when they have the product. 

Chapter 10: Page 147 “This means that there must be nothing that has to be remembered, studied, applied or, worst of all, endured.” I agree and disagree with this statement because some shows are mindless and simply comical, while other shows build on the previous show and actually cause the viewer to think. A show such as Full House does not require one to think about what is happening, it is purely for entertainment.  On the contrary, a movie such as Inception requires some intelligence to watch and it also requires the viewers to think.

Think before you Laugh

During the concluding paragraph of the book, Postman discusses the distinction between thinking and laughing. He references the characters in Brave New World and how they did not know what they were laughing about and why they had stopped thinking. Yet, Postman made it very clear that the problem was not they were laughing instead of thinking. This is very true of our culture today, we tend to laugh about things that might not even be very funny, but everyone around us is laughing, so we will go along with it and laugh. Another serious problem in our culture is that we sometimes don't think at all which causes us to say things that we will later regret. This last paragraph in the book helps to prove Postman's view on technology and the effect it has on our brains which can sometimes be negative. Some television shows are mindless and do not allow any thought process. Therefore, Postman thinks that our culture expects most forms of entertainment to be mindless and should not cause us to think.

A Day with no Words....

Having a day with no talking but only drawing pictures or acting out what you want to say is very challenging. One interesting experience I had today was at lunch when all my friends and I were trying to communicate by drawing pictures. One of my friends tried to ask me a simple question which was if I am going to the dance on Saturday. She started by drawing a picture of girls with their arms up and music notes in the background and a giant question mark over the picture and I could not figure out what she was trying to tell me. She tried to give me a further explanation but I still could not understand. This caused her to dance in her seat, which was quite comical.Then it finally clicked and I shook my head to let her know that I am not going. It is very hard to convey an accurate message with only drawing pictures and acting out what you want to say. It was also very frustrating that I interpreted others' messages the wrong way and others' interpreted my messages the wrong way, and others have absolutely no idea what I was attempting to tell them using no words.

Neil Postman's Speech

In his speech at Calvin College, Neil Postman uses some of the same examples that he used in his book. He quotes the author of the book Being Digital who predicts that in the very near future we will be more comfortable talking to inanimate objects than other people. In fact, he thinks we will communicate more with technology than with humans. This parallels with how Postman views technology and communication. He said: "...when we consider the great number and variety of tools for conversation that go beyond speech." This proves that he feels that our society is moving toward or has already reached a point where we do not actually talk with people face to face, but converse with them using technology. Another example from Postman's speech that relates to his book is when the author of Being Digital says that "we need to adapt to our technological future". He states that we adapt very easily to things, so we can adapt to the way that communication will change. Indeed, our future could include communicating less and less with real people. In Chapter 1, Postman says that "our languages are our media, our media are our metaphors, and our metaphors create the content of our culture." This statement is very true because our culture revolves around media. This statements parallel with each other because our technological future includes media being the center of our culture. Society today relies on being able to find out information right away, without any delay. The future of our society is that technology will keep improving which will lead to more impatience. We adapt to new technology because it is faster and better, so he feels that it will be very easy for us to "adapt to our technological future."

Civility Not Censorship

In her first 6 words, Chavez argues that she feels that civility is important in public settings. Chavez explains how certain words- “bellicose metaphors” that might offend some had nothing to do with the shooting in Tucson. Indeed, “bellicose metaphors” are a part of our national conversation. Chaves is attempting to persuade the reader to believe that it is not the words themselves that hurt others, but the context of the words and the hate behind them. The best example that proves Chavez’s point is: “It would be a good thing if all of us, not just politicians and pundits, learned to think before we speak -- but being thoughtful doesn't mean we have to be bland.” I agree with Chavez because words do hurt others but it is also how we say them that cause emotional destruction and anger.

Conserve, Reuse, Recycle

“Quite simply, use what you have until it can no longer function.” This sentence clearly depicts Semrau’s point. The intent of this essay is that “reuse” is the most beneficial of the 3 words, “conserve,” “reuse,” and “recycle.”  Semrau uses a unique writing style which includes leaving out important information. This way of writing is effective in his essay. Semrau discusses how he is going to go to medical school at the age of 75 which would cause the reader to question how that is possible. Near the end of his essay, Semrau says that once he dies, he is going to be a cadaver for Harvard Medical School. This is very effective in proving his point because it is the perfect example of recycling. He is not saying that we all have to go to that extent, but that is how he chooses to be green. Semrau says that we all have things that we no longer use, but someone else can find some way to use it. So by donating our old things to a charity, it is benefiting someone else.  Towards the end of the essay, he says “please consider joining me.” By including this sentence, he hopes that we will consider being a cadaver also.

Luther's theme of "Savior of the Nations Come"

Luther's theme of the hymn "Savior of the Nation's Come" is that Jesus came to earth,  humbled Himself and became a man to save us from our sins. His birth was not a royal birth that He deserved, but in a humble stable surrounded by dirty and smelly animals. His mother was the virgin Mary who was just an ordinary woman. Despite that, God still chose her to give birth to the Savior of the world. Jesus was rejected by the people He came to save. Jesus dealt with pain and suffering, so He could understand our struggles. Luther used diction by using the word "wondrous" to descibe the birth of Jesus. By choosing to use that specific word, Luther showed that even though the birth of Christ was humble and simple, it was still wondrous because Jesus was coming to save the world from sin. Luther could have used words such as "amazing" or "beautiful" but those words would not create such a powerful effect. Luther also uses the language tool of compare/contrast. He contrasts that Jesus was disowned by the world, but He will still be enthroned in Heaven. Also used by Luther is description. He describes the manger as " shining" with the love of Jesus.