Amazing Ourselves to Death, Chapters 1-4

The first few chapters of amazing ourselves to Death touch upon a variety of topics. The first chapter "Fatal Amusements" , which I will discuss later on, seems to act as an introduction to the overall subject of part one. Chapter two "Building a Bridge to Neil Postman" focuses on truly giving the reader a sense of understanding as to who Neil Postman was. As Strate explains in the first few paragraphs of this chapter, "It is not unusual for readers to gain an inaccurate impression of what an author is like from reading his book." By touching on certain aspects of Postman’s life, we are able to get a better understanding of the point of view he had and a realization of where his experience and knowledge might have come from. Although I have study much of Postman’s work in previous classes, almost everything I read of Postman’s life in this chapter was new knowledge to me. The chapter did exactly what I understand it was meant to do, allowing for a better analysis of Postman’s. What stood out the most to me in this chapter was the discussion of religion, specifically Judaism. The emphasis on Postman’s upbringing in regards to language and culture plays a large role in his development as a person from early childhood up to his years as a scholar. Despite the fact that Postman was not extremely religious, the Jewish traditions and his heritage played a huge role in who Postman was as an Individual. This information may not be as relevant when reading the works of a Biologist or a Mathematician perhaps, but it seems to be extremely relevant in a case such as this. The chapter continues with the development into Postman’s later years as a scholar and introduces the term of "Media Ecology" which is spoken about throughout the book. Just as Media Ecology is an open system, being that the environment acts as a huge factor, the window into Postman’s life expressed in chapter two acts as an environmental factor that has influenced and impacts Postman’s work. Chapter three "Media Ecology As a Scholarly Activity" discusses exactly what the title states, Media Ecology. This chapter goes more into detail about Media Ecology itself, as to better understand its references towards the subject throughout the book. The things that stood out to me the most in this chapter where the fact that Media Ecology has no distinct point along with the reference Strate makes to the Ten Commandments of Moses. I also found the information on understanding the multitude of environments within Media Ecology interesting.

Going back to chapter one "Fatal Amusements" Strate discusses the idea that there is a time for amusement and a time to be serious. He expresses how that distinction is being lost and that the blurry line is leaning more towards amusement, losing the critical aspect of seriousness. Chapter four " The Evolving American Media Environment" discusses the evolution of media and its effects on society. I feel that much of the information found in chapter one can be related to that found in chapter four. As we learn in chapter one, language influences the way we think. Language is just one of the main aspects that has been manipulated and evolved through the development discussed in chapter four.