In chapter 2 of Amusing Ourselves to Death, “Media as Epistemology”, Postman says, “Our written statement would represent the ‘truth’. Our oral agreement would be only a rumor” (21). If this was proven to be true, then if someone were to tell you that Michael Jackson had died last Thursday, it would only be considered a rumor? In this day in age, oral agreements are a large part of the way that we communicate. Though oral agreements are sometimes unreliable, such Nelson Mandela’s falsely reported death in 2003; they can also prove to be very helpful.
I heard of Michael Jackson's death while I was on a message board and of course, I definitely thought that it was just rumor and not a proven truth. Both written and spoken statements can prove to be somewhat unreliable, but yes, in the end, written statements have proven to be more truthful and reliable.
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He's saying that the written word is more believable than what someone tells you. For example, when my brother told me that Michael Jackson had died I didn't believe him, at all. At the time he told me, he was texting his friends and I assumed it was another rumor that spread up but I searched it up on my computer to make him be quiet. Surprise surprise, he's actually dead but I thought it was a rumor until I saw it in words. If now someone told you he had died it wouldn't be a rumor because you've probably seen for yourself that he's dead (I mean how can you miss it? It's all over the news, magazines, blogs, etc.). I do agree though that oral agreements are a huge part of our lives, half the stuff we know is from what we are told it's just that, USUALLY, when someone goes out of their way to type up something, they do a little research before they start, unlike gossipers, so in that sense, the written word would be the truth and the spoken, a rumor.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd rather hear things from somebody I trust than see it in written form..but thats just me. I agree with Grace's statement, though, that it's better to see things in printed words because it's a more relible resource. It's good to see things for yourself, but it's also good if you have someone you trust confirm the fact for you.
ReplyDeleteThe two go hand-in-hand and both are important ways to find out information. However, we are actually getting a lot of our information from television( an oral source) which means we're not paying enough attention to written resources. We rely upon the information presented on TV too often which can corrupt our minds
Written statements are more truthful when from a reliable source, like google news, and not so much from message boards and chatrooms because that's where people just talk. But when its from google news or msn or yahoo, its reliable because people make a living reporting the latest news and they have to be certain that its accurate. Oral communication can be rumor because people communicating the news have the freedom to alter it as they spread it. However when I see news on the TV, I automatically believe its true without doubt because the people on TV also make a living reporting the latest news. Despite it being the people's job, it is NOT always accurate which is where I agree with Kaela that "We rely upon the information presented on TV too often which can corrupt our minds."
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