NEIL POSTMAN Ce a aAmusing Ourselves to Death Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business Neil Postman New Introduction by Andrew Postman PENGUIN BOOKSPENGUIN BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Sule 700. Toronto. Ontario, Canada MAP 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL. England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ircland (a division of Penguin Books Lid) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Lid) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park. New Delhi ~ 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Lid, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin Inc. 1985 Published in Penguin Books 1986 This edition with an Introduction by Andrew Postman published 2006 wos 8765 4 Copyright © Neil Postman, 1985 Introduction copyright © Andrew Postman, 2005 All rights reserved Grateful acknowledgment is made to The New York Times Company for permission to reprint from “Combining TV, Books, Computers” by Edward Fiske, which appeared In the August 7, 1984, issue of The New York Times. Copyright © 1984 by The New York Times Company. A section of this book was supported by a commission [rom the Annenberg Scholars Program, Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California. Specifically, portions of chapters six and seven formed part of a paper delivered at the Scholars Conference, “Creating Meaning: Literacies of Our Time,” February 1984, ‘THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS FOLLOWS. Postman, Neil. Amusing ourselves to death. Bibliography: p. 173. Includes index. 1. Mass Media—Influence. 1. Title. P94.P63 1986 302.2'34 86-9513 ISBN 0 14 30.3653 X Printed in the United States of America Set in Linotron Meridien Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject {0 the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, Le lent, resold, hired out, of otherwise Circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it [s published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is Illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.