We are readers

[Undertoad]

I recently suggested Achewood to a dude at work. "Oh this involves a lot of reading," he said. He was not interested in a comic that required reading. He prefers Cyanide and Happiness.

Dwellars, we are readers; we read and consume the words. We type at various speeds, but our primary characteristic is that we are readers. We connect the words to the real people behind them, because we take the time to understand the words and understand the motivations behind using them.

[Bullitt]

[Cloud]

are you saying "people" are readers? or Dwellars are readers?

Reading.is.good. Fundamental even. I was recently discussing this with my boss, speaking about kids and reading. Reading teaches vocabulary, writing, and analytical and judgment skills. I don't care if you have a degree in whatever--if you are not a reader, you don't sound or come across as educated.

Personally, I have a hard time with comics or graphic novels of any stripe. Not enough words to read! I can appreciate them, for the art, the story, and the concepts, but for enjoyment--give me a nice fat book anytime.

[DanaC]

I was standing in a queue to buy a couple of books in whsmith's yesterday (dr who books, but don't hold that against me :P) and there was a guy sitting at a table signing books. A woman and her fella who were in the queue behind me were vocally wondering what was going on up there and I ended up in conversation with them. I can't recall exactly what led to this comment, but the woman said something along the lines of: I wouldn't even buy a magazine, let alone a book. I joked that I am the other way, in that I spend way too much money on stuff like that. She then went on to tell me that she'd only ever read one book, "A Child Called It".

She was clearly exaggerating slightly, because she went on to say that the second in the trilogy was just a rehash of the first, but can you imagine that? Can you imagine identifying yourself as someone who has only ever read one book and would never dream of spending money on reading material?

[Griff]

thx

[Cloud]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Can you imagine identifying yourself as someone who has only ever read one book and would never dream of spending money on reading material?

I know people like that. It's weird. Ignorance is not sexy to me.

[Clodfobble]

I remember seeing a horrible statistic about how the majority of Americans never read another book in their lives after leaving high school. That is so incredibly hard for me to fathom.

Ah yes, here's where it came from. The statistic is certainly bogus since A.) it is immediately followed by a contradicting one

One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.

and B.) there is a third contradicting stat that actually has a credible citation:

2002. 57% of the US population read a book. See report.
http://www.nea.gov/pub/readingatrisk.pdf

[Sundae]

So many times I have heard people say, "Oh I used to love reading, but I read so much at University it put me off..."

What? That's like saying I breathed too much yesterday, I think I'll cut down today.

Scary to think that these people are two levels of education above me, with the paperwork to prove it.

[Cicero]

Yea. I thought being literate was a standard. I have had people refuse to read important things because they are "too long". wtf is going on with people not giving a crap enough about anything to read? What's with closing libraries because of the internet? Where do people think real content comes from, and what is credible source anymore to anyone? What are facts and where do they come from if you can not read and it is not fashionable to do so? I have to dumb things down everywhere for marketing purposes so people will latch on to stuff they were interested in, in the first place. Why do I have to package things because people won't read. It's stuff they like in the first place because my stuff is extremely targeted. People are so stupid right now. It's a matter of writing so people will read it, short packaged terms, make it pretty, and make it so some stupid assistant doesn't throw it out somewhere in the world. Why? Because she/he doesn't know her boss is interested and that is exactly what her/his boss does for a living but she/he doesn't know enough to fucking read. I am sorry for my rant. I am tired of dumbing things down for people and making it look pretty. If it's too wordy people trash it. I am a reader and writer and this is starting to piss me off and my age is showing. I learn a lot from the older and wiser. Why? Because they read and absorb. They have a bit of continuity that is sadly lacking. They have character. If you don't love books or reading do not breed. Sorry. Ok. Done.
I don't mean all of that, I just get tired of packaging valuable things in a dumbed down fashion. It's expected and you do it.

I want to fight it. But that will go where? Nowhere. Newspeak people. Newspeak. No ready writey. Pretty picture with words on it.
The details make the body of everything. Everything is a compilation of details, wtf is wrong with people? Everything is the sum of parts and if you can not describe those parts what do you know? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And no I am not going to source wikipedia here on illiteracy.Ok I'm really done, for real. Touchy subject I guess. Carry on.
(I guess I am not actually done here)
I think this is what Socrates was describing long ago. And now we are at our worst. Globally 'merican. Speak our lingu-age. I am tired of dumbing things down even for readers like you. I start speaking at work and one person understands me there, even though I am intentionally being direct and accurate one-hundred percent. I have to package things tightly just to talk to our owner. They think I am a freak because I can speak and write eloquently and be incredibly stupid. It's the intimidation factor. I always wage that. If I am talking over everyone's heads they think I am crazy when I know and few others know I am dead-on. Whatever. Even my husband thinks I am crazy because of things I know. There are lots of things I read and know about. I have actualized my reading material that came from all ages but people do not get a thing. I am "crazy" because I am smart, not a genius, and I know it. Part of being resourceful is reading the entire body of something including all the details. I read authors that write about one word for 200 pages font 9. I am a reader of the worst kind becuse I care about what I read and judge from there and question everything if I think I need to. I feel sorry for the scholars in a world of chaotic stupidity. They are doomed and lost for good reason.

Extra long post.

Thanks for listening.

[busterb]

I've been a reader all my life. And have been referred to as a f@##$$ing know it all, by the less informed. Guess I'm ill mannered, but i keep a book on kitchen table.

[Cloud]

hit a nerve, there, Cicero, lol! What things are you "packaging?"

[SteveDallas]

It's all relative. Since last August I've been a volunteer tutor for a local adult literacy program. They assigned me a guy who was 32 and read about about a 3 1/2 grade reading level (aka an 8 or 9 yo). They currently have about 100 people waiting for tutors (my student was on the list for over a year).

[DanaC]

*smiles* I loved being a literacy tutor. How are you finding it Steve?

[Cicero]

lol! Sorry Cloud, I kind of went off the deep end there!

[Sundae]

My Grandad is barely literate. In fact he's the last of my four grandparents and the same was true of all of them. They were supposed to attend school until they were 14 but the longest any of them made was 12 and they all had sketchy attendance from the start as they were needed at home.

I know of at least two late 50s early 60s regulars in the pub who can barely read. They shrug and say they manage to get by.

And countless others of my parents generation, and mine who can read and write reasonably but take no pleasure in either.

It's not a new thing is what I'm trying to say.
Bless the internet for bringing us together here.