--- product_id: 92524857 title: "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business" price: "€ 37.61" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/92524857-amusing-ourselves-to-death-public-discourse-in-the-age-show store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Top ranks in TV history & criticism Penguin Books classic edition 1985 prophetic media critique Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business **Price:** € 37.61 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📺 Decode the media maze before it decodes you! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business - **How much does it cost?** € 37.61 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/92524857-amusing-ourselves-to-death-public-discourse-in-the-age-show) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Cross-Media Relevance:** From TV to the internet, it decodes the evolving impact of electronic media on politics and culture. - • **Timeless Media Insight:** A visionary analysis of how entertainment reshapes public discourse, still relevant decades later. - • **Thought-Provoking & Dense:** Challenges readers with complex arguments that reward deep reflection and intellectual growth. - • **Cultural & Political Blueprint:** Offers a strategic framework to reclaim media for meaningful societal goals beyond mere amusement. - • **Critically Acclaimed Bestseller:** Ranked #2 in Television Technology with a stellar 4.6-star rating from nearly 4,000 readers. ## Overview Neil Postman's 1985 classic, 'Amusing Ourselves to Death,' is a groundbreaking critique of how television—and now digital media—transform public discourse into entertainment, threatening the integrity of politics, education, and culture. Published by Penguin Books, this enduring bestseller combines dense, thought-provoking analysis with a prophetic vision that remains crucial for understanding media's role in society today. ## Description Originally published in 1985, Neil Postman’s groundbreaking polemic about the corrosive effects of television on our politics and public discourse has been hailed as a twenty-first-century book published in the twentieth century. Now, with television joined by more sophisticated electronic media—from the Internet to cell phones to DVDs—it has taken on even greater significance. Amusing Ourselves to Death is a prophetic look at what happens when politics, journalism, education, and even religion become subject to the demands of entertainment. It is also a blueprint for regaining controlof our media, so that they can serve our highest goals. Review: Postman hits the mark again. - The language of this book is quite dense in parts, and the arguments are complex, so it took me a while to get to grips with it, which, I suppose, makes me a living proof that Postman is right about what tlelvision has done to my generation. Having got over this hurdle, I found the book thought provoking and even, dare I say it, entertaining. Many of us have our suspicions about the adverse effects that television has on our society and culture. No-one articulates them better than Postman. For 'show business' read 'television', as Postman's main beef is with TV. No doubt had he been writing this book today he would have included the internet and various other electronic means of communication. The 'public discourse' of the subtitle covers religion, advertising, news and education as well as politics. Postman's contention is that none of these are suited to being disseminated on TV, which is essentially an entertainment medium. So whereas watching 'The A Team' does us no harm at all, watching the TV news or 'Sesame Street' does. The book has as a running theme the contrasting future dystopias presented in Orwell's '1984' and Huxley's 'Brave New World'. Postman argues that it is the Huxleyan rather than the Orwellian future that we should fear the most. TV is now our soma. In the last chapter, he writes, 'In the Huxleyan prophecy, Big Brother does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours.' What a pity that Postman is no longer around to give us his thoughts on a certain Channel 4 programme. Review: How the new medias are determining today's society and reality - This book is great in terms of the train of thoughts and reasoning that is able to trigger and it's very valuable in its long term and historical point of view on media and content diffusion in the modern age. The book is massively interesting on 2 fronts 1) Raising awareness on the impact of new media (television being the new media at the time Postman was writing) on communication, content and cognition 2) Analyzing the long term, major impact of new medias effects on political, social and cultural trends. Even if the book was written before the entire internet revolution happened it's still very current and the trends and consequences identified by Postman are still in full force and effect in 2014. ## Features - Penguin Books ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 36,298 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 2 in Television Technology 14 in Television History & Criticism 1,704 in Reference (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,984 Reviews | ## Images ![Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/7111-QqvNCL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Postman hits the mark again. *by J***S on 16 June 2007* The language of this book is quite dense in parts, and the arguments are complex, so it took me a while to get to grips with it, which, I suppose, makes me a living proof that Postman is right about what tlelvision has done to my generation. Having got over this hurdle, I found the book thought provoking and even, dare I say it, entertaining. Many of us have our suspicions about the adverse effects that television has on our society and culture. No-one articulates them better than Postman. For 'show business' read 'television', as Postman's main beef is with TV. No doubt had he been writing this book today he would have included the internet and various other electronic means of communication. The 'public discourse' of the subtitle covers religion, advertising, news and education as well as politics. Postman's contention is that none of these are suited to being disseminated on TV, which is essentially an entertainment medium. So whereas watching 'The A Team' does us no harm at all, watching the TV news or 'Sesame Street' does. The book has as a running theme the contrasting future dystopias presented in Orwell's '1984' and Huxley's 'Brave New World'. Postman argues that it is the Huxleyan rather than the Orwellian future that we should fear the most. TV is now our soma. In the last chapter, he writes, 'In the Huxleyan prophecy, Big Brother does not watch us, by his choice. We watch him, by ours.' What a pity that Postman is no longer around to give us his thoughts on a certain Channel 4 programme. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ How the new medias are determining today's society and reality *by P***O on 30 December 2014* This book is great in terms of the train of thoughts and reasoning that is able to trigger and it's very valuable in its long term and historical point of view on media and content diffusion in the modern age. The book is massively interesting on 2 fronts 1) Raising awareness on the impact of new media (television being the new media at the time Postman was writing) on communication, content and cognition 2) Analyzing the long term, major impact of new medias effects on political, social and cultural trends. Even if the book was written before the entire internet revolution happened it's still very current and the trends and consequences identified by Postman are still in full force and effect in 2014. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Still an interesting book *by A***H on 26 September 2017* This book is not as dated as one could imagine and I would recommend reading the forward last or at least re-reading it once the book is finished. I would have liked to have seen a chapter on how religion has a similar 'diversionary' function. Well worth a read. ## Frequently Bought Together - Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business - Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology - The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/92524857-amusing-ourselves-to-death-public-discourse-in-the-age-show](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/92524857-amusing-ourselves-to-death-public-discourse-in-the-age-show) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-09-12*