When reading chapter nine of Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, I noticed that he brings up a quote that is also brought up in Brave New World. The quote, by Henry Ford, was "History, is bunk" (137). Postman used it to explain how television traps us in the incoherent present. In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, it is said by one of the world controllers, Mustapha Mond, to explain the past in way that disgusted and amused the students he was speaking to.
History was taken away completely in Huxley's world because they had no use for it. Do we still need it today? The television, as Postman claims, presents it's information as simple and as non-historical as possible in order to amuse the audience. Television keeps us stuck in the present, and if it does not keep us stuck in the present, it makes us look toward the future. Postman also quotes that "History, doesn't exist" (137), what does this mean? Are we losing our connection to the past?
Now, it seems as if history has no use in a world where everyone watches television that presents historical content only as entertainment. Do you think television is making it seem like history is no longer needed? Are we too stuck in the present to care for history?
I don't think that history is becoming irrelevant because it is a big requirement of the educational system. In the world presented in Brave New World, history is a taboo subject and is not taught to children. However, we grow up learning about history as a requirement. I think novels like this and the educational system keep history alive and we can only hope that our society continues to keep this importance on the subject of history so we learn from our mistakes in the past.
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