Camille Paglia, professor and author of many controversial media-related books and essays, and the late Neil Postman, chair of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at New York University, met to discuss their opposing perspectives on the age-old books versus television debate. Postman, an avid supporter of the book speaks nostalgically about a time when literacy and intellectuals were highly valued, while Paglia is in favor of the television and the significance images play in our daily lives.
Both professors made many excellent points, but I found myself at times a bit perplexed by the metaphors used by Paglia in her arguments. I found that I identified more with her perspective, but some of the things she said seemed less statistic-based than the information Postman brought to the table. Paglia is very up-front about the way television influences our lives. When Postman brings up the way that news reporters switch from a story about 5,000 people who died to an airline commercial, Paglia counters that there is no way we can extend our compassion to those people. It seems harsh, but not very far from what my thought process might be when watching the news. We are faced with so many pieces of information all at once that there is no longer any time to stop and get emotional over a particular news story. Paglia does not seem to show remorse for her opinionated views, she simply presents the harsh truth about the media within American culture today.
Postman's argument that television fosters a lack of emotion within us may be true, but, as Paglia says, "If you fully responded emotionally to every disaster you saw, you'd be a mess." I think that both Postman and Paglia are (obviously) totally biased in their views, and, as Paglia frequently mentions, it is due to their generational disconnect. I have a harder time relating to Postman because he grew up in the time before television. I can't imagine life without television, and although I enjoy reading and appreciate the value of the written word, I still think that television defines our culture as much as literature and intellectualism defined the Founding Fathers.
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1 comment:
Wisconsin did a very good job portraying both views in this essay. She also picked excellent quotes to support her arguments. Her comparisons were accurate, in detail, and opinionated. I think she did a very good job explaining the whole meaning of the conversation between the two professors.
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