Overview of Ch. 3 & 4 of Amusing Ourselves to Death

1. Amusing Ourselves to Death
Chapter 3 - Typographic America
Chapter 4 - The Typographic Mind
Main claim: “The form in which ideas are
express affect what those ideas will be”
(31).

2. Chapter 3 - a little history of America
Claim: American Settlers - “embedded in the medium of typography”
(31).
● On the Mayflower - Bible and John Smith’s Description of England
● Ministers given 10 pounds to start religious library
● America was a “thriving, classless reading culture” (34).
● Common Sense sold as many books as % of people who watch
Superbowl
● Dickens a star
● Newspapers and pamphlets purchased by all
● Print was a monopoly

3. Chapter 4 - The Typographic Mind
Directions: As you view the slides, fill out the
chart for the arguments Postman makes. This
is similar to the argument you will make for your
new media presentation.

4. Three important terms
Exposition - A statement or rhetorical discourse intended to give information about or an explanation
of difficult material.
Rational - having or exercising the ability to reason; using logic or reason in thinking out a problem.
Discourse -
1. Verbal expression in speech or writing.
2. Verbal exchange; conversation.
3. A formal, lengthy discussion of a subject, either written or spoken.
4. Archaic The process or power of reasoning.
Dictionary.com

5. The medium - print
The claim: Print as the main form of discourse
created “a serious and rational public
conversation” (43).

6. The audience
● All or almost all Americans
● Long attention span
● Comprehend long spoken sentence
● Well learned

7. How does communication happen
Forms
● Newspaper
● Pamphlets
● Speeches
● Books

8. What is unique to this medium
● Semantic
● Paraphrasable
● Propositional
● Based on an idea, a fact, or a claim
● Coherent, orderly arrangement of ideas

9. Reason 1 - Speeches (serious and rational)
Evidence
Lincoln/Douglas debates when running for
Senate
● Douglas spoke for 1 hour
● Lincoln gave a 1.5 hour reply
● Douglas .5 hour rebuttal
● Carnival atmosphere to appeal to all types
of people

10. Reason 2 - Religion (rational)
Evidence
● Jefferson rewrote Gospels leaving out what
he considered the “fantastic” acts of Jesus
● Paine felt stories of Jesus were absurd
● Deist attacked churches beliefs
● Jonathan Edwards read his written sermons

11. Evidence continued
Churches the foundation of higher education
● Harvard founded to train ministers
● Yale found by Congregationalist church to
correct lax influences of Harvard
● Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Methodist, etc.
founded colleges.

12. Reason 3 - Lawyers (rational and serious)
Evidence
● “create a rationality of law”(56)
● very liberal education
● they were the folk heroes - Lincoln, John
Marshall, Daniel Webster

13. Reason 4 - advertisements (rational)
Evidence
● “appeal to understanding not passion”
(60)
● long text
● text based without images

14. Concession
Advertisements
● until the 1890’s “still understood to consist of words”
(59)
● during 1890’s illustrations and photographs
● 1890’s use of slogans
● Began appealing “not to understanding but to
passions” (60)
● Advertising became “one part depth psychology and
one part aesthetic theory” (60)

15. The truth
According to Postman the print based culture
● “had a sophisticated ability to think
conceptually, deductively and sequentially
● a high valuation of reason and order
● an abhorrence of contradiction
● large capacity for detachment and objectivity
● a tolerance for delayed response” (63)

16. The metaphor
Exposition
● a mode of thought
● a method of learning
● a means of expression

17. Metaphor examples
Radio is
Print is
Television is