Postman Assignments 1 and 2

Postman Part 1
1. Describe three specific characteristics of the "Typographic Mind."
One characteristic of a Typographic mind is content. When reading or orating word, typographically every sentence must have a meaning. “If a sentence refuses to issue forth a fact, a request, a question, an assertion, an explanation, it is nonsense, a mere grammatical shell.”(50).
A second characteristic of a Typographic mind is rationality. Typography’s content, in each sentence, had to be rational and concise. The meaning coming across in every conversation was intelligent and analytical and related only the clear rationale of the speaker. The message conveyed in the conversation directly related to the listener, and could be agreed upon or debated intelligently and rationally.
A third characteristic is the serious nature of the content. Because typography is detached and based solely on written views, argument and intelligent presentation, the content will never have emotion flowing from it. Generally the presence of emotion (clapping in agreement for example) was frowned upon at public speeches. The speaker did not want to be thought of first in the minds of the listener, but wanted his words and the meaning behind them to be foremost. The typographic mind will always think seriously and analytically.

2. Postman suggests that the twin inventions of 19th century Telegraphy and Photography challenged Typography's monopoly on public discourse. How, specifically did each of these two new media/communications inventions do this?
In the form of advertising, photography took the rational thought right out of the message conveyed. Instead of clear, concise, intelligent wording to move the reader to buy, aesthetics and picture related psychology was used to sell and image. Intelligence was no longer necessary to understand that “this” product would be useful to you. “By the turn of the century, advertisers no longer assumed rationality on the part of their potential customers.” (60).
In direct opposition to the typographical mind, the photograph took away the right to analyze and personally interpret the meaning of the conversation. Debates, arguments and even agreed upon sentiments disappeared in the absolute definition of the unaltered photograph. For example two intelligent, typographical speakers could not disagree that a flower was a flower when shown a photograph of a flower. There was no chance to intelligently enhance a photograph. It is what it is. “The photograph also lacks syntax, which deprives it of a capacity to argue with the world.”(72).
The invention of Telegraphy challenged Typography’s intelligence and relevance. By being able to connect and pass information much quicker, the information ceased to be all important and dissolved into mere gossip conversations. These actions dissolve the serious, rational content of the typographical mind into irrational, irrelevant, unconnected information that was directly unrelated to personal action.

3. What does Postman mean by "The Peek-A-Boo World," and can you give an example of this world from your own media experiences?
The Peek-A-Boo World explains the vast amounts of useless information thrown at us as fast as the telegraphy and photographs in the past and newer technology now can throw; Information that at the time of delivery seems important but has absolutely no direct connection to how we live our lives. One personal example that I can think of for my life and the lives of many of my friends is something called “Wikiing”. I have spent hours in front of my computer at a time, surfing from one Wikipedia page to another. Without realizing how much time I have lost, I originally ventured to find information on one specific source that pertained directly to what I was doing at the time. While receiving an answer to my question I found something else, almost completely unrelated, but vastly interesting. So I looked that word up. In that definition was something else and thus a pattern started that ended in my learning vast knowledge about completely unrelated and useless information; that while interesting, had no bearing on my current task.


Postman Part 2

1. Discuss THREE specific ways in which Postman explains how the medium of television transforms the epistemological nature of each of the following:

A. Public discourse about religion
Postman claims that television has taken the message out of religion, effectively transforming it into a form of entertainment to gain more viewers. One example he uses explains how Father John J. O’ Connor used gags and Reverend Greg Sakowicz used rock music to gain popularity within their crowds of people. This is not the religious message that comes across through the people but an entertaining one. Another example would be the televised religion shows using beautiful people, both the trend and actual photogenic people in their crowds to promote the shows. Postman relates that this would give a home viewer the proper aesthetic view that television provides. A third example would be what Postman calls the “docu-drama” of a person (plain folk trend). Postman believes this makes the message more trivial than the traditional, typographic religious experience is. I agree that there are production techniques taking place here, however the message hasn’t changed. This video shows one woman’s story and yes she is promoting a company, Cornerstone, but I genuinely believe her story is no less true because it was put on television than it was had it been an interview or a story in a book.


B. Public discourse about politics
In politics Postman believes the entertainment world of television has changed the idea of who is the better politician to who looks the best. One example of this would be where Postman claims an aesthetically challenged person (such as Lincoln) would not have a chance of being elected President in today’s televised world. Politics have become more about what you look like than the message you stand behind. Another example would be Postman’s idea that politicians are elected solely for what they can offer us as a public instead of their ideas and how they can change the world. “Big Tim Sullivan and my father voted for the party that represented their interests, but “interests” mean to them something tangible…” (135). Another example of how television changed political discourse would be the NY Senate campaign of Jacob Javits and how he used the television commercial to gain the attention of the majority of voters, versus his opponent, Ramsey Clark who with a more typographical approach campaigned with papers. Javits won, and Postman believes he won solely on the fact that he used the current epistemological setting; appealing to television to promote him.

C. Public discourse about education

In education, Postman believes Sesame Street to be the downfall of the traditional classroom setting. Because Sesame Street appeals to children on a fun level they begin to believe that learning should be fun. Postman equates fun with entertainment and so comes up with education should be entertaining. Another example he uses is the Voyage of the Mimi, a documentary about whale research and Postman says this followed in Sesame Street’s footsteps in replacing books for television in education.
The television show was offered to students though the classroom and provided books and computer information to make it a multi media event. Postman says this is a perfect example of how the books became the audio visual aide to the teaching medium (the television). Postman also thinks that television in education becomes its own curriculum. He explains that curriculum is defined as “…a specially constructed information system whose purpose is to influence, teach train or cultivate the mind and character of youth.” (146). He says that the television does this and therefore is its own curriculum and wipes out the traditional school’s version of curriculum when competing with it.

2. What specific solutions does Postman offer to improve public communication in our "Peek A Boo" world, and our challenges to communicate in a thoughtful and rational manner in "An Age of Show Business"? In other words, how might we prevent a world in which we are "amusing ourselves to death"?
Postman would like certain questions to be asked. A few of them would be “What are information, what are its various forms? What conceptions of intelligence, wisdom and learning does each form neglect or mock?”(160). These questions and others, (directed at the television) he believes, will help our culture start their journey back to rational thinking. He believes that the schools and education systems should (and in his time are starting to) understand that television and other media are a huge part of culture. Educators should find a way to “…use education to control television.”(162). He believes we should distance ourselves from one sort of medium. To expand on this I believe a way to prevent the “Amusing ourselves to Death” is to not just distance ourselves from one medium but to include all mediums into our lives and our culture to create a balance between them. Postman might not agree but I think that books and television can coexist as educational tools in today’s world.

3. HARD Question: Does Postman's thesis about television still apply to our public discourse in today's Age of the Internet? Please explain your reasoning in 4-5 sentences.
I believe that Postman’s thesis about television still stands as television is still aesthetically beautiful and full of peek-a-boo information. It still holds its place over the typographic world which is just a memory at this point. However Postman’s theory would apply more to the instantaneous information we have at our fingertips with the internet. The web obliterates the competition of the television for the peek-a-boo world. However had Postman written his book in this day and age, with our current society, no one would have read it. It’s simply too long.