The Disapearance of Childhood by Neil Postman

In the disapearance of childhood Neil Postman makes the argument that the differences between adults and children are disappearing due to the following factors:

1. Children wearing adult clothing, adults wearing children's clothing, like jeans, sneakers etc..


2. T.V. bringing adult themes and education to children without them having to learn to read or to think critically about the messages. This same phenomenon "dumbs" adults down to the level of children.


3. As more information is coming from t.v., games, and the radio, school is losing its importance as the "fountain head" of intellectual engagement.


4. Childhood is itself a new concept, which started around the time formal schools were created. Around the 1300s-1600s.

I found the book quite engaging and interesting, and find it difficult to believe Postman wrote it in 1982 and it remains so accurate. One point he made about learning new languages returning us to a childlike state of dependence and simplicity I really liked. And he suggests that computers will keep everyone in a child like state since they stress perpetual learning, especially of new languages as in programming languages. I think he is right on the mark!

wikiquote: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Neil_Postman

Google Scholar goes Legal

Google Scholar now indexes U.S. laws and court decisions. W00T!

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/finding-laws-that-govern-us.html

Scholarly. FTW.