The Disappearance of Childhood

Question 1

What does Neil Postman argue?

Answer 1

-childhood is disappearing due to the rise and fall of print culture and its replacement by TV culture

Question 2

What does printed word create?

Answer 2

an informational hierarchy between children who can t read well and adults who can

Question 3

What does the ability of adults to read mean?

Answer 3

Adults have the power to keep knowledge about sex, money, violence, illness, death and adult matters to themselves

Question 4

What does televisions do?

Answer 4

destroys information hierarchy

Question 5

How do televisions destroy information hierarchy?

Answer 5

-unlike printed word, TV does not require special skills to access it and this makes information to children and adults equal

Question 6

What happens as a result of information hierarchy being destroyed?

Answer 6

the boundary between adults and children is broken down

• the adults authority is gone
• the ignorance and innocence of childhood is replaced by knowledge and cynicism

Question 7

How is Postman’s view criticised?

Answer 7

• he over-emphasises a single cause, TV, at the expense of other factors that has influenced the development of childhood