'Amusing Ourselves To Death' by Neil Postman
Well, our youth group's May Banquet was last night, and I was sick, so I couldn't go.
But I am feeling better and better, so that's good.Since I wasn't at the banquet, around 7:45 I flipped on the TV to see what was on. It was one of those entertainment "news" programs. Those shows never impressed me very much; but I decided to keep it on and see what they had to say.
There was a segment about Richard Pryor - a black comedian who now suffers from severe multiple sclerosis. Here's an interesting quote about Pryor:
Quote:
| He created a biting, scatological comedy defined by the linguistic and stylistic patterns of poor and working-class black folks. He was often raunchy, sometimes bitter, frequently political and always honest, sometimes painfully so, a racial secret-teller and social commentator who tapped into the cultural Zeitgeist and in the process affirmed and legitimized both black and American experience. |
That comes from the magazine Salon.
Anyway, that got me thinking about fame, and those who seek after it. There was a time when the name "Richard Pryor" was a household name. (Not in our household...his humor was a tad too raunchy for our tastes) But as time goes on, his name is less and less familiar. In a few more years he'll be remembered (if at all) as "that guy with MS...wasn't he an actor or something?"
Probably actors like Christopher Reeve and Michael J. Fox will be remembered much longer than their contemporaries; remembered not for their acting skills but for their personal and public fights against paralysis and Parkinsons Disease.
Fame is a fleeting thing, isn't it?
Then on the show there was a segment about Lisa Marie Presley. They started the segment playing some music by Elvis. Then they played some of hers. Sad to say, I couldn't help thinking, I don't think the daughter received a full share of the father's musical talent...
At one point they asked her "What inspires your music more, being in love? Or personal angst?"
"Oh, definitely," she said, "it's angst." And she said it with such pride...like it was a badge of courage. Like having your own personal demons is better than being in love.
Well, I dunno. Maybe it is. Or maybe it's the same thing.
So the next thing was a poll, where you could call in and answer their question: do you think so-and-so and such-and-such should get married?
And I couldn't help but thinking: What is wrong with our society that we get so wrapped up in the lives of celebrities? Why should we even CARE about this? And do we expect that THEY will care what we think? Do they WANT to know the public approval ratings on their marriage?
So, if you noticed the title of this entry, you're probably wondering, what in the world does the title ('Amusing Ourselves To Death' by Neil Postman) have to do with this random rant about the entertainment industry?
Well, 'Amusing Ourselves To Death' is a remarkable little book about the entertainment industry, and how it has affected our society, the way we think, the way we shop, the way we elect our government, and much more.
And I kept thinking about it all through that TV show I watched.
So...if you're looking for a little bit of serious summer reading, I highly recommend that you pick up Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves To Death"
I guarantee you'll never watch TV the same way after that.
Posted On May 21, 2005 at 4:33 AM
On May 21, 2005 Doug wrote: Just to tantalize you a little, here's a paragraph from the foreword of "Amusing Ourselves To Death", referring to the books "1984" by George Orwell and "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley:
Quote:
| Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. |
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