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One TU Anthropologist Discusses Entertainment as Our Society's Be-All, End-All

By Rich Fisher

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwgs/local-kwgs-857653.mp3

Tulsa, Oklahoma – On this edition of StudioTulsa, we hear from Prof. Peter Stromberg, who teaches anthropology here at the University of Tulsa. Stromberg has a new book out entitled "Caught in Play: How Entertainment Works on You" (Stanford University Press). In this work --- and you can learn more about it, by the way, and about Stromberg's other books, at www.caughtinplay.com --- we find a detailed yet accessible exploration of how living in an entertainment-obsessed society affects us. As Stromberg tells Rich Fisher on our show today, he aims not to criticize our celebrity-driven, television-addled, and entertainment-fixated culture --- although there might well be a case for criticism there --- but rather, to understand the social role of entertainment in today's world, and to encourage others to think about the role and purpose of entertainment in their lives.