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Way back in the '90s, Postman was speaking at college. I was late getting there, and ran into a close friend coming out as I was going in. I asked my friend how

by beat 8y ago

Way back in the '90s, Postman was speaking at college. I was late getting there, and ran into a close friend coming out as I was going in. I asked my friend how it was so far, and he scowled and said "He's a cretin". Now that I'm olde, I find myself occasionally agreeing with Postman. but reading past the first paragraph here, I'm right back to "He's a cretin". Sigh. On the plus side, he makes an excellent bonfire out of the strawman he built.

Jtsummers 8y ago
It may be that I'm tired and haven't really spent enough time processing this article, but what about it gets you to "He's a cretin"? Any particular points of Postman's that you'd call out?
- beat 8y ago
  His generalization that modern culture has become completely machine-driven and dehumanizing. Quoting the article quoting him... “the primary, if not the only, goal of human labor and thought is efficiency” “technical calculation is in all respects superior to human judgment” “human judgment cannot be trusted because it is plagued by laxity, ambiguity, and unnecessary complexity” “subjectivity is an obstacle to clear thinking” “what cannot be measured either does not exist or is of no value” “the affairs of citizens are best guided and conducted by experts.” Now, I'll join Postman in criticizing Fredrick Taylor and scientific management all day, but Postman is utterly reductionist in his argument, turning a valuable and important point into a mere strawman. For a much more subtle and cogent critique, read Matthew Crawford's "Shop Class as Soulcraft".
- beat 8y ago
  Adding to this, the original quote of “the submission of all forms of cultural life to the sovereignty of technique and technology” is what makes me say "cretin". Because it's BS. The degree to which technology is interfering with culture is a real concern, yes. But "all forms of cultural life"? Nonsense. If he could resist absurdist generalizations like that, he'd be a much more valuable thinker. Instead, he's just telling people what they want to hear. I just suffered through a brutal, dehumanizing call where I spent ten minutes trying to convince a voice recognition bot to connect me to a human being. That's part of Postman's negative world, for sure. But tonight? I'm going to play music with a friend. We're recording some of his bass parts for an album. That's cultural life, too. And tomorrow? I'm going to an amazing concert, African singer Angelique Kidjo's reworking of the Talking Heads' "Remain in Light" album. That album exists because of technology. I found out about the concert because of technology. I get to hear her because of technology. Technology (and by "technology", I mean "stuff that wasn't invented yet when Postman was a kid"), in this case enriches the cultural experience. I remember seeing Postman bragging about how he uses a pencil rather than a computer to write, because Technology Is Bad. That's not sophisticated. That's a cretin. Pencils are technology, too. Paper is technology. The books he got printed are technology. But he doesn't get it, because he's a cretin. For Postman and his ilk, "technology" is "stuff that wasn't around when I was a kid". And it's bad why? Because it's unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Postman is just saying "Get off my lawn" in fancy academic language.

by beat 8y ago

Jtsummers 8y ago

It may be that I'm tired and haven't really spent enough time processing this article, but what about it gets you to "He's a cretin"? Any particular points of Postman's that you'd call out?

beat 8y ago
His generalization that modern culture has become completely machine-driven and dehumanizing. Quoting the article quoting him... “the primary, if not the only, goal of human labor and thought is efficiency” “technical calculation is in all respects superior to human judgment” “human judgment cannot be trusted because it is plagued by laxity, ambiguity, and unnecessary complexity” “subjectivity is an obstacle to clear thinking” “what cannot be measured either does not exist or is of no value” “the affairs of citizens are best guided and conducted by experts.” Now, I'll join Postman in criticizing Fredrick Taylor and scientific management all day, but Postman is utterly reductionist in his argument, turning a valuable and important point into a mere strawman. For a much more subtle and cogent critique, read Matthew Crawford's "Shop Class as Soulcraft".
beat 8y ago
Adding to this, the original quote of “the submission of all forms of cultural life to the sovereignty of technique and technology” is what makes me say "cretin". Because it's BS. The degree to which technology is interfering with culture is a real concern, yes. But "all forms of cultural life"? Nonsense. If he could resist absurdist generalizations like that, he'd be a much more valuable thinker. Instead, he's just telling people what they want to hear. I just suffered through a brutal, dehumanizing call where I spent ten minutes trying to convince a voice recognition bot to connect me to a human being. That's part of Postman's negative world, for sure. But tonight? I'm going to play music with a friend. We're recording some of his bass parts for an album. That's cultural life, too. And tomorrow? I'm going to an amazing concert, African singer Angelique Kidjo's reworking of the Talking Heads' "Remain in Light" album. That album exists because of technology. I found out about the concert because of technology. I get to hear her because of technology. Technology (and by "technology", I mean "stuff that wasn't invented yet when Postman was a kid"), in this case enriches the cultural experience. I remember seeing Postman bragging about how he uses a pencil rather than a computer to write, because Technology Is Bad. That's not sophisticated. That's a cretin. Pencils are technology, too. Paper is technology. The books he got printed are technology. But he doesn't get it, because he's a cretin. For Postman and his ilk, "technology" is "stuff that wasn't around when I was a kid". And it's bad why? Because it's unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Postman is just saying "Get off my lawn" in fancy academic language.