Viewing the World through Metaphors
Neil Postman writes that “through metaphors, we see the world as one thing or another” (155). Take the metaphor “these natives are no better than animals”, a common saying from the past and in literature such as “Things Fall Apart”. This metaphor implies that one group of men, usually white, powerful men, feels they are better than another group of men. Whether this belief stems from ignorance about the natives’ culture, skin color, or other characteristics makes no difference. White men see the world through this metaphor, believing that natives who do not embrace technology and current worldly lifestyles are no better than animals. Taking this metaphor a step further, men justify taking over natives’ land, sometimes brutally raping and killing them, by their vision of these humans as animals. They do not have to treat the natives equally because their status as a living creature is below their own. Through this metaphor they have created by viewing the world a certain way, they feel no connection to the natives, or remorse for their negative actions toward them.
A common belief about metaphors is that only writers and poets use them, when in fact biologists, physicists, historians, linguists, and every day people use them to frame their view of the world and to make connections to other content areas. Metaphors help us to become what Postman calls “time-binders”, meaning that as humans, we can learn from the past and transfer the knowledge to the future. We do this through using symbols by learning to abstract details of reality (159). Humans provide meaning to words. Without assigning a word to an object or idea, the word has absolutely no meaning about anything that exists in the world.
Postman talks about the importance of including a technology education class in schools, although it may take a long time before this is a core subject. He cites 10 Principles of technology that support his argument of including such as a subject. One of these principles is that “All technological change is a Faustian bargain. For every advantage a new technology offers, there is always a corresponding disadvantage” (Postman 165). A simple example of this principle is the availability of social networking through the internet. While this allows many advantages such as the ability to connect to others who are physically far away, it also comes with disadvantages, such as a diminishing sense of connecting physically to others. Another principle is that “a new technology usually makes war against an old technology. It competes with it for time, attention, money, prestige, and a ‘worldview’” (Postman 165). We need to look no further than computers, phones, and TVs to see how this occurs in our society nearly every month.
