Postman is not a Luddite. He refutes this charge knowing that it would be made against him. If any charge could be made against
the man it is that he is a wise man in an age when information is valued over knowledge. Aesop has nothing to offer this age.
In order to be viewed as knowledgeable in these times, one must have the right statistics at their fingertips as opposed to the
truth. How sad a state of affairs would appear to one that has been schooled in the method of analytical and reasoned discourse.
In this day the best argument is made by the numbers. "Numbers don't lie." That is the catchphrase of the age that we are
coming into now.
Those who have posted arguments against Postman's ideas fall into one of two catagories: 1) They have not read the man's works closely
and fail to understand clearly what he is saying or 2) They can't or won't see that our western culture is rife with examples of what
he claimed was occuring. Perhaps those in the first category are not as much to blame as Postman himself for not making his ideas
plain enough. These people are hard of hearing and need to be spoken to in a louder voice. Those in the second category, well what
can be said of them? These people are blind. Perhaps they need help to make the scales fall from their eyes.
Off the top of my head, there are two separate ways that the new shift in our culture is making itself felt. There is a new shift
in political trends and religious viewpoints. A quick examination of these two portions of the culture should be instructive.
The latest presidential campaign was run overwhelmingly on numbers. The news outlets on a daily basis (and some on an hourly basis)
reported the percentage of Americans that would be willing to vote for one candidate or the other. Indeed, this was a contest of
numbers. It appears that the candidates spent more time trying to raise their standing in the opinion polls than giving substantive
reasons for why they should be elected. The Clinton presidency was not unaffected by this trend. On a daily basis the news media
reported what the opinion polls stated. The approval rating of the President was given as validation of his policies. That these
polls were only a statistical model of the transitory opinions of some sampling of citizens who are claimed to be a reasonable representation
of the entire voting public seems not to be taken into account. The idea of referendums seems to be catching on in certain sections of
the country. These polls have come to act as a proxy for referendum. I can't claim to be privy to the motivations of the elected
officials but I can only hope that they are not taken in by the polls to the extent that the news sources seem to be.
The predominate religions of the West are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. These religions all observe the tenent of a single creator
who has revealed a moral code by which we should live. This is at the heart of the spirituality in these religions- the idea that
a moral life in accord with the wishes of God is the best way to live. This viewpoint is under a constant assault. The media of
movies and television have trivialized spiritual belief. I think that Postman has best examined the decline of the sacred nature of
God. As far back as the George Burns film, "Oh God," there has been a demystifying influence at work in the culture towards the
creator. Unfortunately there has been no replacement for the moral center that was given by religion.
How so? I have seen much in the culture that distresses me. Much that is dressed up as entertainment is almost subversive in its
affect. Xena, that warrior woman wielding a long phallic blade, has confronted the devil and angels. In "South Park the Movie" that
motion picture that is as vile and adolescent as an animated film in general release should be, showed the devil engaged in an abusive
relationship with Saddam Husein. "Dogma", which was the most intelligent religious comedy of recent memory showed us God and she
(yes, I said she) was a quiet dowey eyed woman who has written some lively music in the past. That the filmmaker would show the face
of God in the past was seen as sacreligious is not the biggest problem I have with this film. The fact that such serious issues
as are touched upon in this film are trivialized by a smirking deity in gaudy clothes is a slap in the face to the spirituality
provided by the church.
These are but a few examples. Our culture is filled with such examples of the changes wrought by the intrusion of the new mindsets
brought on by the new technologies. I fear that will be those that read these words and judge me a technophobe, Luddite, or ultra-
conservative. These are titles, little boxes to put me into and I despise them. I would say I am someone with his eyes wide open.
The fact that I am aware of these things is due in no small part to Neil Postman.
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