I wonder if Postman has a cell phone?
I don't know about the rest of this class, but I am glad that I don't have to impale myself with a kitana after usng it dishonorably. As I read through Technopoly, I think that I am kind of starting to grasp what Postman is saying, but not completely. I just don't see the line that Postman draws between "tools" and everything else. In one instance, he speaks of cultures that use tools for two reasons and two reasons only; for immediate physical solutions, and basically spiritual puposes. He claims that these "tools" were directed by their beliefs and weren't meant to attack or damage their beliefs. He says that tools are "integrated" and not "intruders."
I was really getting into this and was thinking right on Postman, I hear ya. But then I thought that by him saying that, he might leave a hole in his argument. What about the very first tools introduced to homo sapiens, or other "homo" type beings suc as homo-erectus and homo-neanderthalensis? Wasn't the first use of fire as much of an outsider as its later form of matches? The very first introduction of tools to any culture were no doubt essential to their survival, and maybe the internet will be the same for us. Maybe it will help stop some catastrophic event that otherwise would have wiped out our race.
But anyways, I find that Postman writes interestingly enough and I honestly constantly find myself trying to argue with him in some part probably because I am reliant on many forms of technology which he shows ruins my capacity to achieve something else. I'm not sure what he is REALLY trying to say. He obviously is reliant upon technology to write and massively distribute his book. I bet he is always on his brand new cell phone.
Comments
I also find myself arguing with postman. I just seem to get the feeling that he is like an old man who doesn't like change. Like you said, humans and their ancestors have been using technology since the begining, yet Postman argues that technology today is taking away from what we had previously. That logic could be followed all the way back to man's origin and things like the mastery of fire or language.
Posted by: Devon C | February 24, 2009 11:26 PM
I also wondered what Postman thought about the technology that allowed him to print his book in mass quantities to distribute all over the nation. Maybe it is harder for me to see the point that Postman is trying to get across because I am so immersed in technology, and have become reliant on so much that it is hard to see it from his point of view. Yet, maybe my growing reliance on technological advancements, as well as others reliance, on technology is what worries Postman?
Posted by: Sam K | February 25, 2009 1:09 AM
Yes, I actually hear your argument sometimes to Tyler. This section in the book was a little bit difficult to untangle. When you mentioned, "he speaks of cultures that use tools for two reasons and two reasons only; for immediate physical solutions, and basically spiritual purposes," the difference between these two situations kind threw me off the argument a bit. I think I was just a bit confused because at first he claimed that the tools actually reflect and limited by our beliefs of life and the limitations we apply to it. But then, in this argument he mentions the fact that they are actually two different ideas. So in other words the physical use of tools no longer reflects our spiritual aspects . I don't know but I might have missed some central argument maybe with this somewhere.
Posted by: Kisha | February 25, 2009 9:54 AM
Everything about your post is exactly what I initially thought while reading the beginning of Postman's book. During chapter one, I too began to think, "Well, he is using technology to write his book. Does he even have his own computer or cell phone? If he does, it is probably ancient. However, he could be giving us a line of crap and acutally has a Mac Pro with a 24" monitor and the new BlackBerry Storm." Maybe he should try going to a bar and starting a fire after he is done. :)
Posted by: Allison L. | February 25, 2009 10:52 AM
I also thought Postman was being a little hypocritical, rant about tech but then use it yourself to mass produce a book and make money off it. Wouldn't be surprised if he was a bitter old guy who can't grasp the changes that are happening.
Posted by: Nat C. | February 25, 2009 11:31 AM