The relationship between Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” and Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Although they take the idea of dystopia from different angles, both writers look at it. Huxley sees a society in which people are tied to their own happiness, made blind to the outside world by nonstop entertainment, and forced to find happiness. On the other hand, Postman cautions us about the dangers of living in an overly mediated culture, where entertainment takes the place of important discussions and the truth gets lost under an ocean of unimportant data.
In “Brave New World,” Huxley imagined a world where people get distracted from the real status of their lives by an obsession with material and temporary joy. Postman’s research supports this idea, arguing that media and television have shaped a culture in which the entertainment value of information exceeds its accuracy or significance. According to both authors, our preoccupation with enjoyment and fun may eventually cause us to lose the ability to discuss the complex, nuanced topics that are essential to a vibrant democracy. It serves as a terrifying warning to watch what media we consume and to value profundity above flashiness.
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Mr. MacKnight's MYP5 English class.