"Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business" written by Neil Postman. This book was written in 1985, but it's shocking how relevant this book still is today.
This is the first book review that will be posted on Faux Intellectual. I decided that this would be the book I started out with as it's a perfect introduction to the other types of books I'll be reviewing in the near future. Examples would include Orwell, Zamyatin, and Huxley's works.
Overall Rating
⚝⚝⚝⚝ 4.4/5 Excellent
The Book in 3 Sentences
This book reveals the problematic nature of television, as well as the adverse effects it has on public discourse and our understanding of the world. The corrosive elements of television have morphed our entire culture, society, and even our epoch into one that sustains itself off of continuous and unending entertainment. The author brilliantly guides us through history, showing us how things such as news, politics, and public discourse weren’t always as trivial and meaningless as it is now.
Pros and Cons
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This is an excellent book which explores the shift of communication mediums throughout modern history. Almost every sentence is a treasure trove of information and perspective.
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The content of this book is insanely relevant in today's world. The issues of telegraphy on discourse were only exacerbated with the medium shift to the internet.
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This book only has 184 pages; which is a decent size. It says what it needs to and doesn't drag on in any of its chapters.
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As this book was written in 1985, it focuses primarily on the impact that television has on society. This became apparent around 3/4 into the book as there wasn't much commentary on the medium of the internet.
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The authors’ solutions to solving these issues within the conclusion were somewhat weak and pessimistic. Though this is being said retrospectively, the author didn’t consider a newer medium of discourse replacing, and thus fixing, the issues within his era.
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Like most works in this genre, it's best to keep a dictionary with you while reading. The author has a very sophisticated vocabulary and isn’t afraid to use it. This is also not a book to read idly. You'll have to take some time between chapters to really contextualize the content. Some may see these as pros (like myself), but some might not.
Who Should Read This Book?
Everyone who grew up in a highly televised world. This is one of those books which completely redesigns your worldview. One which takes the lens you view the world from, cleans the rose-tinted gunk off of it, and readjusts it for you; Leaving nothing but a crystal clear view of the world. If you’re someone who consumes a lot of television, movies, or online content, you’ll definitely take away something from this book. If you're also a fan of epistemology, history, philosophy, STS, religion, theatre, or politics, you’ll 100% find something you’ll enjoy within this book.
How I Found Out About This Book
I initially heard about this book on the Joe Rogan podcast #1558. The guest in this episode was Tristan Harris who is the president and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology. This particular podcast mainly focused on topics such as social media algorithms, and online addiction.
It was a great discussion overall, but what caught my attention the most was something mentioned at the end of the show. Tristan read out a quote from this book HERE which implied that Orwell’s “1984” isn’t the dystopian destiny of America, but that of Huxley’s prophecy in the “Brave New World”. At the time, “Brave New World” was my favorite book of all time, so I had to read this as well.
Like hundreds of other books that interest me, this book was buried in my Amazon cart for several months until I finally bought it on a whim. When I initially read it, I finished it in a day, something very uncharacteristic of me. Since then, I have reread it again for this book review.
How This Book Changed Me
Soon after the 2020 presidential election, I realized that I needed to take a step back from certain news and politics. It was clear that engaging in these mediums was extremely unhealthy. During this time, I came to the conclusion that harping on controversial issues was pointless, especially if I had very little power to make any meaningful changes to them. I had no power in what China does regarding its pollution, the government balancing its budget, or stopping resource wars in Africa. Some may think this is pessimistic, but this book solidified all of these feelings of mine.
This book points out how the shift of communication mediums, from typography to television, came with a cost. As opposed to being exposed to news and politics about our own communities, where our opinions have actual power, we are now exposed to topics which don't concern us at all; Other than it being some odd form of entertainment. We are so far removed from the issues covered in nationwide and global news that harboring strong opinions on any of it makes no sense. The only type of content that actually concerns us directly is limited to local weather and traffic, stock market updates, and maybe local crime near our residencies. Everything else is noise.
This got me thinking about maybe focusing more on local and state governmental issues as that would actually impact my day to day. However, I recognize that completely dismissing federal and nation-wide updates would be foolish. Maybe the best way forward is to ascertain actual news from entertainment and to apply strict filters on what I allow myself to indulge in.
Where to Read This Book
This book can be purchased on Penguin's website by using the provided link below. This book is also available on Amazon, and on Audible for an audio narration (Note that this is not an affiliate link. Try to purchase this wherever is cheapest).
