Boring Ourselves to Death

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman can be compared to going to a hockey game directly after watching paint dry. The first part of the novel would be watching paint dry, while the second part of the novel would be the hockey game. A lot of Postman's ideas were interesting but I found the way he presented them to be boring and dull. I thought the idea he presented, originally by Mumford in his book Technics and Civilization, of clocks making us into time-keepers, and then time-savers, and now time-servers was very interesting. I agree with this because ever since the clock was invented, this is exactly what has become of us. Think of a business man for example. When I do, I think of someone on his cell phone, checking his blackberry, and keeping an eye on his watch simultaneously. He has to be at places at a specific time and if he isn't his boss will be displeased. Our world has become fast paced and everyone is always in a hurry looking for the most time efficient way to do things. This is causing a lot more people in our society to be edgy and in my opinion, is what is leading to more and more crime, like murders. All of this is because of the invention of the clock.
Although the first part was brutally boring and difficult to read, the second part of the novel took a right turn. I found it far more interesting. It wasn't just philosophical story, it had stories about everyday people. They were compelling and I found that I wanted to read it! The one I enjoyed the most was the one about the rock band being introduced to the church. This shows that not only is our culture being affected by entertainment but our religion is too. This is what was happening at my church in Sarnia. It is easier to keep people's attention with what they want to hear rather than just what they should hear.
I have to admit that I did learn a lot from the book even though it was pretty lack luster. This is a short post because I don't have a lot to say about it. I didn't care for it at all but am glad I read the entire novel because it was full of useful information.