PAC EXAM 3 (SIMS) QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
Who wrote Amusing ourselves to death? - Answers - Neil Postman
What is the these of Amusing ourselves to death? - Answers - 1) medium of
conversations drives content of culture
2) when medium changed from book to TV, culture changed
3) TV impacts all phases of life, our knowledge is not necessarily helpful
4) what we know is fragmented (for amusement), not rational thoughts for arguments
5) THEREFORE, we are amusing ourselves to death
What do smoke signals mean? - Answers - smoke signals cannot communicate
complex ideas, excludes the content
What is the "news of the day"? - Answers - broadens your thinking process because it
gives you more information to process, it is about how you receive the information
How do we study culture? - Answers - we look to media, our own biases in culture,
depends on what we value
How does media impact epistemology? - Answers - (study of knowledge), what we think
and believe has turned to entertainment
What is Typographic America? - Answers - colonial era in America, where they
approached the world relying on written information
What is "peek-a-boo" culture? - Answers - where things can appear and disappear
How did the telegraph and photograph remove the idea of context? - Answers - you only
know what you see in the videoclip, it removes all knowledge of what else may have
happened around it
What is television and what conversations does it allow? - Answers - TV represents
experiences and entertainment, suppresses thinking and promotes visual interest
What is "good" television and what is the impact? - Answers - provides constant
stimulation, just junk because it avoids controversy, carries important cultural
conversation
How has TV influenced religion? - Answers - it has changed religion to become
entertainment
, Ideology - Answers - a belief system or underlying psychological structure that people
use to understand political issues
Philip Converse - Answers - wrote "the nature of belief systems in mass publics"
Economic conservatives - Answers - government tries to do things that should be left to
the private sector
Social conservative - Answers - those who believe government power should uphold
traditional values
Economic liberals - Answers - those who believe government should do more to assist
people who have difficulty meeting their own economic needs
Social liberals - Answers - those who believe government should play no or little role in
defining values and policy should allow for new and unconventional values without
discrimination
Libertarians - Answers - those who believe in small government both economically and
socially
Populists - Answers - those who believe in an active government for economic
assistance and an active government in the promotion of traditional values
Example of Modern Liberalism - Answers - Franklin Roosevelt's "Economic Bill of
Rights"
Franklin Roosevelt's "Economic Bill of Rights" is: - Answers - changes the political rights
to economic rights, changes that "pursuit of happiness" is now "economic security and
independence"
What is the 2nd Bill of Rights? - Answers - we can now expect a right to (something
economically)
What era caused Americans to look to the government? - Answers - the Depression,
they needed help from the government, FDR brought us to that place
Things to note about Modern Liberalism - Answers - -moving away from the founding
-saying that things must change
-life to challenging for individuals on their own
-liberty is redefined as the freedom to do things that get you an economic outcome
Russell Kirk - Answers - wrote the 10 Conservative Principles in 1986
What is a moral conservative? - Answers - someone who does not exist, it is a state of
mind, a type of character, a way of looking at civil social order
ANSWERS
Who wrote Amusing ourselves to death? - Answers - Neil Postman
What is the these of Amusing ourselves to death? - Answers - 1) medium of
conversations drives content of culture
2) when medium changed from book to TV, culture changed
3) TV impacts all phases of life, our knowledge is not necessarily helpful
4) what we know is fragmented (for amusement), not rational thoughts for arguments
5) THEREFORE, we are amusing ourselves to death
What do smoke signals mean? - Answers - smoke signals cannot communicate
complex ideas, excludes the content
What is the "news of the day"? - Answers - broadens your thinking process because it
gives you more information to process, it is about how you receive the information
How do we study culture? - Answers - we look to media, our own biases in culture,
depends on what we value
How does media impact epistemology? - Answers - (study of knowledge), what we think
and believe has turned to entertainment
What is Typographic America? - Answers - colonial era in America, where they
approached the world relying on written information
What is "peek-a-boo" culture? - Answers - where things can appear and disappear
How did the telegraph and photograph remove the idea of context? - Answers - you only
know what you see in the videoclip, it removes all knowledge of what else may have
happened around it
What is television and what conversations does it allow? - Answers - TV represents
experiences and entertainment, suppresses thinking and promotes visual interest
What is "good" television and what is the impact? - Answers - provides constant
stimulation, just junk because it avoids controversy, carries important cultural
conversation
How has TV influenced religion? - Answers - it has changed religion to become
entertainment
, Ideology - Answers - a belief system or underlying psychological structure that people
use to understand political issues
Philip Converse - Answers - wrote "the nature of belief systems in mass publics"
Economic conservatives - Answers - government tries to do things that should be left to
the private sector
Social conservative - Answers - those who believe government power should uphold
traditional values
Economic liberals - Answers - those who believe government should do more to assist
people who have difficulty meeting their own economic needs
Social liberals - Answers - those who believe government should play no or little role in
defining values and policy should allow for new and unconventional values without
discrimination
Libertarians - Answers - those who believe in small government both economically and
socially
Populists - Answers - those who believe in an active government for economic
assistance and an active government in the promotion of traditional values
Example of Modern Liberalism - Answers - Franklin Roosevelt's "Economic Bill of
Rights"
Franklin Roosevelt's "Economic Bill of Rights" is: - Answers - changes the political rights
to economic rights, changes that "pursuit of happiness" is now "economic security and
independence"
What is the 2nd Bill of Rights? - Answers - we can now expect a right to (something
economically)
What era caused Americans to look to the government? - Answers - the Depression,
they needed help from the government, FDR brought us to that place
Things to note about Modern Liberalism - Answers - -moving away from the founding
-saying that things must change
-life to challenging for individuals on their own
-liberty is redefined as the freedom to do things that get you an economic outcome
Russell Kirk - Answers - wrote the 10 Conservative Principles in 1986
What is a moral conservative? - Answers - someone who does not exist, it is a state of
mind, a type of character, a way of looking at civil social order
