Throughout Chapter Six, Postman continues to examine how technopoly has redefined culture, especially in regards towards medical practice. For example, Postman referred American medicine as being dominated by technology, thus making it “…to be the weapon with which disease and illness would be vanquished.” (97). Therefore, the entire relationship once held between a doctor and his/her patient has been transformed towards focusing upon the disease, not the patient-using whatever means possible to cure the illness since “…doctors do not merely use technologies but are used by them.” (105).
Therefore, are we suppose to just accept the fact that our doctors are in personable due to the increase in technology? For example, on page 105, Postman states, “ Like some well-known diseases, the problems that have arisen as a result of the reign of technology came slowly and were barely perceptible at the start…through it all, the question of what was being undone had a low priority if it was asked at all.” Are we suppose to just accept all of this as progress versus taking a serious examination as to what has all happened since the overtaking of technology upon our medical world?
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Beth, on your question about medical technology as progress...I think one classic example of where it is not progress is in the area of cosmetic surgeries, breast augmentation/reduction, etc. No longer is medicine trying to vanquish only illness, but the ageing process and any perceived "undesirable" features. This progressive medicine ends up being a disease for which it purported to be the cure. Instead of being used for the benefit of accident victims, this technology now denies newborns healthy breast milk, and leads to Michael Jackson looking faces. What's the point?
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