About Neil Postman

As professor in Communication Studies (New York University) Postman has
written many interesting books and articles. Especially his 'Amusing
ourselves to death: public discourse in the age of show business' (1986) was
a reason to invite him as keynote speaker at the International Council of
Museums' General Conference of 1989 (the Hague, the Netherlands). This book
was very popular in the Netherlands, perhaps more than in US.

Postman's relevancy for the present discussion

The subtitel of 'Amusing ourselves to death' ('public discourse in the age
of show business') was re-phrased in the Dutch edition as: 'the stultifying
effects of television'. Since I have the Dutch version it is difficult to
quote, but Postman describes the transition from a book-oriented culture to
a television-oriented culture. We (the organizing committee of ICOM 89 and
its advisory groups) considered his provocative remarks as very relevant to
museums, and, looking back to the conference, his speech was the most
relevant and most appreciated contribution to the plenary sessions. I agree
with Mary Worthington that his speech is very relevant to the present
Museum-L discussion on theme parks and museums (if necessary I can give the
full title of the publication).

About theme parks vs museums

To answer Mary Worthington's question, Postman's views are very close to
what has been referred to as 'critical curatorship' or 'critical museology'
(= 'new museology' in the British sense, which, by the way, is not the same
as 'museology nouvelle' in the French/Canadian sense !). In 'critical
museology' exhibition design should emphasize authorship and changing
perceptions of the artefactual past ("the method as message"). In this
approach ambiguity and uncertainty should play a role. Here we find an
essential criterion in the present discussion. However, I hesitate to label
(and condem) categories of institutions without proper definitions. It is
easy to 'prove' that theme parks are different from museums, as it is
equally easy to 'prove' that the are in the same business, when no clear
definitions are given!

By the way, apart from Postman's publications I recommend Umberto Eco's
'Travels in hyperreality'! (Unfortunately I have again only the Dutch
edition; perhaps somebody else can give the English/American title & publisher).

Peter van Mensch
lecturer of theoretical museology and museum ethics
Reinwardt Academie
Amsterdam (the Netherlands)

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