I began Amusing Ourselves to Death today and I noticed myself agreeing to lots of what Postman was saying. For example, the quote, "In America, the least amusing people are its professional entertainers" (5) really stuck out to me because I believe it is still relevant today. I believe "professional entertainers" is equivalent to today's celebrities and "least amusing people" can be interpreted many ways, but I decided to interpret it as those people you question to why they are famous.
The Kardashians, for example, are just people after all. Their dramatic meltdowns and the cliffhangers at the end of each episode are to pull the viewers in during a commercial break and making them want to watch more. The Kardashians grew their fame because of this show that gave insight into the life of this family with comical drama and excess amount of money. Other than their television show though, they're not talented at all. If their T.V. show really broadcasted the Kardashians' real lives, it wouldn't be much of a show, they would probably be like any other family. So, why do we allow them to takeover T.V. and news? You cannot go anywhere without seeing at least one picture of the famous family. They are taking over social media too. So many people my age are so concerned nowadays about them. Do you agree that it's time for America to change it's focus on something else more important than Kylie's Lip Kit? I hope so.
My main concern in all of this is that our generation is being exposed to the Kardashians 24/7 yet we don't know much about what's going on in the world. We can easily name all the Kardashian's yet we are not informed about worldwide issues such as the war in Syria. I believe there needs to be some sort of change in this system. What do you think about this issue we face? Is it a big deal for you or you couldn't care less about it?
I see your point in how people don't know about other topics around the world which is very important. But, as someone who binged watched Keeping up with the Kardashians yesterday due to boredom, it's just important to find that balance.
ReplyDeleteI myself like to watch the news every morning to know what is happening in the world. I find it important to know the events that are going on places.
So in a way I can agree with you that the media needs to focus on more important topics other than if Tyga and Kylie are back together or whatnot. It would be nice to not see such things plastered everywhere for once.
I agree that people should be more informed and concerned about what goes on around the world, rather than "the daily lives" of reality stars. But I also believe that people are aware of some of the tragedies that go on, yet they choose to ignore them.
ReplyDeleteWatching shows such as, Keeping up what the Kardashians and Love and Hip Hop,
are simply ways to distract oneself, so that you do not have to think about the negativity that occurs in the world.
Everyone has a choice, so if someone wants watch who is going on the next Kardashian family trip, rather than hear about the war against terrorism, it is completely their choice.
I agree with your statement about people knowing more regarding popular celebrities than worldwide issues, yet unfortunately, I too can recall popular celebrity names better than recalling information about important worldwide events, such as the war in Syria. I believe that people do know OF worldwide events, but not ABOUT them. For instance, people know that there is a war going on in Syria. However, they do not know the exact information pertaining to this subject such as the fact multiple groups are involved, not just ISIL(S). These groups consist of ISIL(S), the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Syrian Opposition Rebels, and the currently standing Syrian regime. There are multiple and additional groups involved, but majority of the population do not even know of these said groups. This is to prove my previous point that people know worldwide issues exist, but not ABOUT them.
ReplyDeleteThat is vary true our generation is more focused on entertainment and nonsense rather than real life situations that are going on around the world. They aren't realizing that there are more important things going on other than a random family's life being broadcast on television, there are terrorist attacks, robberies, etc. and this generation doesn't even know about it because most of us don't watch the news everyday.
ReplyDeleteI try to watch the news as often as I can, and just skipping one day of the news makes me feel left behind in what is happening in the world, I here about so much that happens everytime i miss the news, and yet there are people who don't watch the news at all and are left in the dark when it comes to actual world problems but are perfectly up to date with a celebrities everyday life.
I agree with each and every one of you. I do think that some people are careless about what's happening in the world. They don't realize how learning new things each day that the news give us is a major step to a better place to live in, meaning if something were to happen to us one day, we can be prepared. Sure, watching Kim have a meltdown once in a while is very entertaining, but how does that benefit us rather than laughing our butts off? Our daily news isn't there for no reason. If people were to pay attention to what's happening out there, they would be surprised how entertaining the news is, while getting their daily dose of info.
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