Let's Talk Postman

WEEK #1

1. Describe three specific characteristics of the "Typographic Mind."

Typography dominated the Age of Exposition in which the American mind, the typographic mind, “submitted itself to the sovereignty of the printing press.” (pg. 63) One characteristic of the typographic mind, found on page 63, is “a large capacity for detachment and objectivity.” The typographic mind can read a piece of work without going into it with a bias or opinion. The typographic mind is able to take each thing on its own and access and analyze it. In today’s world most of the information we receive comes through some sort of filter, whether it be the medium’s bias or our own. Another characteristic of the typographic mind is a “tolerance for delayed response.” The WWW has drastically sped the rate at which we can receive information. Before this invention, the typographic mind was patient. The typographic mind didn’t have expectations and a sense of entitlement to instant gratification. A third characteristic of the typographic mind is a long attention span. The typographic mind could spend hours at a time divulging completely into a piece of work or speech without distraction or boredom. These days everything is rushed and instant gratification is a must.


2. Postman suggests that the twin inventions of 19th century Telegraphy and Photography challenged Typography's monopoly on public discourse. How, specifically did each of these two new media/communications inventions do this?

“But the foresighted among the nation’s publishers were quick to see where the future lay, and committed their full resources to the wiring of the continent” (pg 67) Although telegraphy and photography started slow due to resource, they quickly flourished due to their potential. When all the attention shifted in a large fast movement it greatly threaten typography’s monopoly on public discourse. The new and previously unknown was exciting; public discourse could now be gone about in a fascinating new way in a way that the written word alone could not reel in.


3. What does Postman mean by "The Peek-A-Boo World," and can you give an example of this world from your own media experiences?

On page 77, Postman writes, “…a peek-a-boo world, where now this event, now that, pops into view for a moment, then vanishes again. It is a world without much coherence or sense; a world that does not ask us, indeed, does not permit us to do anything; a world that is, like the child’s game of peek-a-boo, entirely self-contained. But like pee-a-boo, it is endlessly entertaining.” From my own media experiences, I definitely have the peek-a-boo effect when it comes to websites. I will discover a new website and spend hours on end exploring it until eventually, after a few days or sometimes months, I get bored and move on. I never submit my own content nor take part in anyway, just explore and am entertained.


WEEK #2

1. Discuss THREE specific ways in which Postman explains how the medium of television transforms the epistemological nature of each of the following:

A. Public discourse about religion

“To say it still another way: Entertainment is the supra-ideology of all discourse on television. No matter what is depicted or from what point of view, the overarching presumption is that it is there for our amusement and pleasure.” (pg. 87) Rather than religion be about faith itself, the medium of television transformed it into entertainment. Instead of going to a place of worship for religious services, you could now stay in the comfort of your own home and watch your religious program on the television. This creates competition among these television programs because now “worshipers” can simply flip the channel to change their mind about what they wanted. This meant these programs had to be more intriguing, more fun, more exciting, more drama, more everything than the next; therefore becoming entertainment.




B. Public discourse about politics

“The men were less concerned with giving arguments than with “giving off” impressions, which is what television does best.” (pg. 97) Television made looks and charm top the list of priorities for the next president far above intelligence or platform. The candidates and the audience watching their televisions wanted to entertain and be entertained. They were more concerned with how the candidate looked and if they could “KO” their opponent with jokes. Television turned public discourse about polities all into showmanship.

C. Public discourse about education

The story about the Yale University commencement on pages 96 and 97 prove once again how television has changed public discourse is all areas of life, including education. An Ivy League school full of intellectuals being honored for their years of hard work were more impressed with the attendance of Meryl Streep than with honorary degrees awarded to Mother Teresa and other humanitarians and scholars. Not to demean Meryl Streep’s work, but the audience’s excitement came over having a television celebrity present rather than all of the accomplished individuals awarded before her.


2. What specific solutions does Postman offer to improve public communication in our "Peek A Boo" world, and our challenges to communicate in a thoughtful and rational manner in "An Age of Show Business"? In other words, how might we prevent a world in which we are "amusing ourselves to death"?

“There are only two answers that come to mind, one of which is nonsense and can be dismissed almost at once; the other is desperate but it is all we have. The nonsensical answer is to create television programs whose intent would be, not to get people to stop watching television but to demonstrate how television ought to be viewed, to show how television recreates and degrades our conception of new, political debated, religious thought, etc. …The desperate answer is to rely on the only mass medium of communication that, in theory, is capable of addressing the problem: our schools.” (pages 161 and 162) The first answer is clearly ridiculous, in a culture where money talks there is no way morality would lead production companies to follow this path. The second answer is exactly what Postman calls it, desperate. Even if schools were to incorporate media analysis and critical thinking into the education, there’s no telling it would work. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.


3. HARD Question: Does Postman's thesis about television still apply to our public discourse in today's Age of the Internet? Please explain your reasoning in 4-5 sentences.

Postman’s thesis about television still applies to our public discourse in today’s Age of the Internet, except with a twist. It is still greatly focused on entertainment, however with the interactivity component it is a step up. There is an opportunity for people to question what they read/hear/see and search for other answers. The 6 big media don’t have control over the internet so there endless opinions and view points to discover and censorship of the medium isn’t an issue. In the Age of the Internet people have a greater opportunity to question what is.