AmusingOurselvestoDeath1Theauthorandbackground2Summary3Quotation4RemarkNeilPostmanProfession:Americanauthor,educator,mediatheoristandculturalcriticWorks:AmusingOurselvestoDeathTheDisappearanceofChildhoodHowtoWatchTVNewsConscientiousObjectionsFormorethanfortyyears,hewasassociatedwithNewYorkUniversity.Postmanwasahumanist,whobelievedthat"newtechnologycanneversubstituteforhumanvalues".Hediedin2003oflungcancer.backgroundAfterthe1980s,theAmericansocietybegantotransform,thesocialculturebegantotrendtowardoverallentertainment.Duringthisperiod,U.S.societyraisedthehedonisticculturecenteringonthesatisfactionofbodysensesandmaterialenjoyment.Thetrendofentertainmentinthewesternmassmediahasbecomeincreasinglyapparent.MainIdeaOurpolitics,religion,news,athletics,educationandcommercehavebeentransformedintocongenialadjuncts(附庸)ofshowbusiness,largelywithoutprotestorevenmuchpopularnotice.Theresultisthatwearethepeopleonthevergeofamusingourselvestodeath.TwoPropheciesOrwellwarnsthatwewillbeovercomebyanexternallyimposedoppression.

NoBigBrotherisrequiredtodeprivepeopleoftheirautonomy,maturityandhistory.Orwellfearedthatwhatwehatewillruinus.Huxleyfearedthatwhatwelovewillruinus.summarystructureChapter1-2introductionofmediummetaphorandepistemology認(rèn)識(shí)論Chapter3-4theAgeofExpositionChapter5-10TheAgeofshowbusinessChapter11TheHuxleywarningtheAgeofExpositionPeriodoftimeduringwhichtheAmericanmindsubmitteditselftothesovereigntyoftheprintingpress.Expositionisamodeofthought,amethodoflearning,andameansofexpression.Almostallofthecharacteristicsweassociatewithmaturediscoursewereamplifiedbytypography,whichhasthestrongestpossiblebiastowardexposition:asophisticatedabilitytothinkconceptually,deductivelyandsequentially;ahighvaluationofreasonandorder;anabhorrenceofcontradiction;alargecapacityfordetachmentQuotationItiswellunderstoodattheNationalCouncilthatthedangerisnotthatreligionhasbecomethecontentoftelevisionshowsbutthattelevisionshowsmaybecomethecontentofreligion.真正的危險(xiǎn)不在于宗教已成為電視節(jié)目?jī)?nèi)容，而在于電視節(jié)目可能成為宗教內(nèi)容。Thereisnomurdersobrutal,noearthquakesodevastating,nopoliticalblundersocostly—forthatmatter,noballscoresotantalizingorweatherreportsothreatening—thatitcannotbeerasedfromourmindsbyanewscastersaying,“Now...this.”Therearetwowaysbywhichthespiritofaculturemaybeshriveled.Inthefirst—theOrwellian—culturebecomesaprison.Inthesecond—theHuxley—culturebecomesaburlesque.有兩種方法可以讓文化精神枯萎，一種是奧威爾式的——文化成為一個(gè)監(jiān)獄，另一種是赫胥黎式的——文化成為一場(chǎng)滑稽戲。Remarks1.AcclaimforNeilPostman’sAmusingOurselvestoDeath“AsaferventevangelistoftheageofHollywood,IpubliclyopposedNeilPostman’sdarkpictureofourmedia-saturatedfuture.ButtimehasprovedPostmanright.Heaccuratelyforesawthattheyoungwouldinheritafranticallyall-consumingmediacultureofglitz,gossip,andgreed.”—CamillePaglia2.“Abrilliant,powerfulandimportantbook.ThisisanindictmentthatPostmanhaslaiddownand,sofarasIcansee,anirrefutableone.”—JonathanYardley,TheWashingtonPostBookWorld3.“HestartswhereMarshallMcLuhanleftoff,constructinghisargumentswiththeresourcesofascholarandthewitofaraconteur.”—TheChristianScienceMonitorRemarks娛樂時(shí)代的當(dāng)頭一棒，尼爾·波茲曼的深刻預(yù)見。我們今天已經(jīng)處在尼爾描述的世界里，處在一個(gè)訊息和行動(dòng)比嚴(yán)重失調(diào)的時(shí)代，在空前便利的電子傳媒時(shí)代，我們比任何時(shí)候都聰明，也比任何時(shí)候都輕飄?！秺蕵分了馈返念A(yù)言指向了我們今天的現(xiàn)實(shí)?！惖で嘣诂F(xiàn)在這個(gè)“泛娛樂化”的時(shí)代，娛樂本身并不可怕，最可怕的是不應(yīng)該娛樂的也都娛樂了，在這點(diǎn)上，《娛樂