Tuesday, August 18, 2009
What Does Postman Mean?
Okay so I'm not going to lie, I am pretty confused. At the beginning of Amusing Ourselves To Death, I was pretty sure I was understanding everything, now it's a whole different story. The thing I am not getting is what Postman wants us to consider news. All he talks about is how the "news of the day" now has no meaning and how we watch things that have nothing to do with us. What news does he consider to have meaning? What other news is there other than a shooting in Long Beach or a wildfire in Chino Hills? I know all of the segments on the news about celebrities and sports are not really news, but what about the other things? If somebody would please clarify what Postman wants to watch and has meaning I would greatly appreciate it.
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See thats what Postman is trying to show us we think now what other news is there. A shooting in Long Beach or a fire in Chino Hills most likely wont affect what you do today. We are so constantly being barraged with this news that really doesn't affect us that we cant sort it out from the news that is important to how we go about our day. Plus even if something was going to affect us we wont be alarmed by a 45 second clip. Thats what Postman is trying to tell us.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think hearing about a shooting in El Paso, Texas or a flood in China just raises the general anxiety level of the listener. I am not moved to act. I am powerless to do anything unless I want to sit down and write a check to the Red Cross. When did it become essential that I know everything, everywhere, all day, every day?
ReplyDeleteYes, I am a human being with compassion for the suffering of my fellow beings, but if, as A Vargas says, I cannot or do not act, and what's more, I am not really EXPECTED to act, then what is the point of me knowing?
On the other hand...where does my food come from? Where does my water come from? Are they shipping spent nuclear fuel rods from Asia to the Midwest via the Port of Long Beach and the 710 freeway, barreling right down my road? Who knows? Nobody tells me what I really need to know to make good decisions about the here and now.
Most of the news doesn't relate to us. It doesn't affect us to the point in which we would change our whole schedule. Postman is just saying that the news is just information that we take in, but it has no use to us. The point is that the information on the news is just another form of entertainment.
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