To many, many Americans, young and old, I would like to say -- turn your TV off and read seomthing. I don't care how that makes them feel or if they'll have to see a psychiatrist later in life because of my harsh words or what the fuck ever, just that they do it. As much as they immediatley might resent missing an episode of Project Runway, I think eventually they would be able to find something in the written word that would make the sacrifice worthwhile for them.
Yes, but writing, more than any other means of entertainment, teaches you how to form an argument and analyze what is being said. I think with television, even in an academic, we are trained to detect bias and deconstruct it, whereas in textual analysis we are trained to dialogue with the author.
Yes, but writing, more than any other means of entertainment, teaches you how to form an argument and analyze what is being said. I think with television, even in an academic, we are trained to detect bias and deconstruct it, whereas in textual analysis we are trained to dialogue with the author.
Indeed. In our interconnected world, the romantic notion of the lonely child reading for hours in the library is not much better than the kid who doesn't read at all. A reading of most texts, in our age, has to be politicized and read in a communal discourse.
African Americans get this especially badly. A black person who studies is called an "Oreo," which means "black on the outside, white on the inside." He is told to stop "acting white." He is told to "keep it real." This is a scourge on black society and is a completely idiotic attitude--but it's the real honest to God reality.
Dude, that's pretty racist. Anti-intellectualism is a function of poverty in general. This sentiment is not held by African-Americans at large above the poverty level. The only exception to this I believe is [no, not Asians, as I'm sure you assumed] but Latinos, due to their Catholicism.
The black community has been getting worse on this topic since the 70s, to the point that there is next to no intelligent public discourse in the black community. It seems like everyone is a gangsta rapper, athlete, or a preacher. In the fifties and sixties the black community really revered its successful, respectable members. Compare Ralph Ellison, Martin Luther King, James Baldwin and Richard Wright to prominent African Americans today.
Again, this makes my skin crawl. The leaders of the Civil Rights movement wrote their speeches for whites, and thus wrote their speeches in Standard-Written English. (Also, the people you mentioned as the good leaders span about a 30 year time period.) The people you are talking about are not the intelligent leaders of the Civil Rights movement; they are the ones whom the media gives prominence due to their propensity for sensationalist or boneheaded comments. You are acting like the typical liberal racist: "I want to help them, but they're just won't take my help!" And you ensuing posts are the racist equivalent of "I can't be homophobic! I have a gay friend!"
Right -- but the problem is that kids in particular are reading at lower rates, and generally a society views kids as their responsibility. If Li'l Timmy doesn't want to read a book, guess what? Someone should fucking make him read a book.
My parents were very direct about not just encouraging me to read, but giving me clear messages that it was something they expected of me. To top it off, my father made a deal with me at a very young age that if I ever wanted a book, he would buy it for me, and would frequently make specific trips to bookstores to let me pick something out. This can obviously also be achieved at libraries (although I did like not having to worry about due dates and having a selection as immediately wide as my interests) but either way it shows a direct effort on his part to encourage this.
Based on this study, I would assume that our culture and the many parents that make it up are failing in their responsibility to inculcate an interest in reading with their kids. And yes, as that sentence implies, I think it is our responsibility to encourage reading with young people.
Actually, I believe the study said that younger children were actually reading at HIGHER rates than ever before. There is something in society at around age 10 that causes reading levels to plummet. As a society, we are becoming less curious.
To many, many Americans, young and old, I would like to say -- turn your TV off and read seomthing. I don't care how that makes them feel or if they'll have to see a psychiatrist later in life because of my harsh words or what the fuck ever, just that they do it. As much as they immediatley might resent missing an episode of Project Runway, I think eventually they would be able to find something in the written word that would make the sacrifice worthwhile for them.
Posts
What books are you reading?
I read Beowulf for pleasure reading.
also I have the most awesome book EVER!
http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307280480
So great
Yes, but writing, more than any other means of entertainment, teaches you how to form an argument and analyze what is being said. I think with television, even in an academic, we are trained to detect bias and deconstruct it, whereas in textual analysis we are trained to dialogue with the author.
Indeed. In our interconnected world, the romantic notion of the lonely child reading for hours in the library is not much better than the kid who doesn't read at all. A reading of most texts, in our age, has to be politicized and read in a communal discourse.
Dude, that's pretty racist. Anti-intellectualism is a function of poverty in general. This sentiment is not held by African-Americans at large above the poverty level. The only exception to this I believe is [no, not Asians, as I'm sure you assumed] but Latinos, due to their Catholicism.
Again, this makes my skin crawl. The leaders of the Civil Rights movement wrote their speeches for whites, and thus wrote their speeches in Standard-Written English. (Also, the people you mentioned as the good leaders span about a 30 year time period.) The people you are talking about are not the intelligent leaders of the Civil Rights movement; they are the ones whom the media gives prominence due to their propensity for sensationalist or boneheaded comments. You are acting like the typical liberal racist: "I want to help them, but they're just won't take my help!" And you ensuing posts are the racist equivalent of "I can't be homophobic! I have a gay friend!"
Actually, I believe the study said that younger children were actually reading at HIGHER rates than ever before. There is something in society at around age 10 that causes reading levels to plummet. As a society, we are becoming less curious.