Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

by Neil Postman

We’ll disregard the views of these teachers and students, businesspeople and artists, conservatives and liberals, atheists and churchgoers,

We’ll also disregard Roger Waters, cofounder of the legendary band Pink Floyd, whose solo album, Amused to Death, was inspired by the book.

Multitasking is standard. Communities have been replaced by demographics. Silence has been replaced by background noise. It’s a different world.

Twenty years isn’t what it used to be. Where once it stood for a single generation, now it seems to stand for three. Everything moves faster. “Change changed,” my father wrote in another book.

Ted, we’re having an important discussion about the culture but in thirty seconds we’ll have to break for a commercial to sell cars or toothpaste.”

“Actually, Dr. Postman,” he said, “it’s more like ten seconds.”

There’s still time.