Amusing Ourselves to Death
The above is the title of a book in our Parent Lending Library, one each parent should read. Neil Postman the author poses the question that others have asked; could what we love turn out to ruin us?
What do we love to spend our time doing?
Postman argues that the medium of television has fundamentally impacted culture. Some of this is because television uses entertainment to generate revenue and this shapes the how and what of the programs. As this book is thirty years old modern technologies which now exist have only increased the impact that entertainment, profits based mediums will have on us. I would argue that our media has changed how we understand God and that which is good, true and beautiful. The impact on children has resulted in them being more feeling and emotionally driven. They operate more based on the “if it feels good do it” motto.
Understanding the impact of today’s media, its content and form and discussing how this pulls us away from loving that which God loves is an important ongoing discussion to have in our families.
