Reading Stoic_Slaughter's journal

44% of all American adults do not read one book in the course of a year.
--U.S. Department of Education

I'm not surprised.

What's incredibly sad is that in my World History class, my intelligent teacher told us what separated Kerry and Bush in our last election. Bush: 60,608,582 Kerry:57,288,974. My thoughts and my teacher's were, "Wow. That was really close." The rest of the class grinned as though Bush had just won by a landslide. They started talking about it. "Did you see that? Kerry wasn't even a thought." Of course I, being annoyingly outspoken, replied, "You idiots. You're so stupid, all of you. I want you all to die. You don't realize that a few million votes are NOTHING. It was a very close race." My teacher chuckled and told me to go out in the hallway until I calmed down while the rest of the befuddled class sat, looking rather offended. Mind you, this is not a post about politics... rather, a post about ignorance. I am surrounded (and I mean SURROUNDED) by people who are oblivious to life. Maybe it's because I live in the south and I shouldn't judge America as a whole based on my experiences, but the fact that 44 percent of our adults don't read a single book in an entire year is frightening to me. (Statistics aren't always reliable, I know, but I wouldn't doubt that one for a minute.) I just don't understand. I know the rest of the world isn't this way. Why do people allow themselves to be so ignorant? Even worse, those I know are ignorant to the FACT that they're ignorant. I know for a fact that I'm atrociously ignorant. I do accept that, but I try with every day to learn something that I don't know to lessen my ignorance just slightly. Knowledge is power, and the America as I know it is weak.

For my next trick, I shall make you all disappear.

You know, and this is honest and not meant as a side blow to your fellow countrypeople, it's Americans like you who remind me that not all of the USA is rotten. Hats off to your attitude and courage.

Apart from technichal books, I don't think books are a source of knowledge.
Most books being published now are just a waste of trees, in my opinion.

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough...."

I disagree with your premise. All books are a source of knowledge. If a book is a waste of trees, then the knowledge that comes with it is that the book is a waste of trees. Having not read the book, you wouldn't have known that. Besides, you haven't read all the books that have been written, so you are unqualified to make that assumption.

For my next trick, I shall make you all disappear.

Of course I can't judge all books, but how less ignorant any person will be after reading Monica Lewinsky's biography (that was the crappiest one that popped in my mind).

I know that there are really great books out there, about lots of topics... It's just my opinion that some books don't carry any 'knowledge' at all -- those are the ones that are a waste of trees.

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough...."

but how less ignorant any person will be after reading Monica Lewinsky's biography

That reminds me of the critic who described the Clinton biography as "eye-crossingly boring." Granted, paper doesn't blush (or paper is patient, as we German-speakers say), and some books should never have been written. But doesn't that apply to every medium - radio and TV shows that should never have been broadcast (grammar?), web sites that should never have been put on the internet, and so on?

Still, there are so many good books out there. Books that entertain you, books that teach you stuff, books that inspire you or make you question things. What kind of books you like depends on you, but I'm absolutely positive that (good) books are an invaluable part of every literate culture.

"God is dead." - Nietzsche, 1882 "Nietzsche is dead." - God, 1900

44% of all American adults do not read one book in the course of a year.

That's not true... they all read Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. *snorts disdainfully*

The above really isn't dry humor, but then, even blatant humor seems to be lost on some Americans. As far as the presidential election, if Kerry weren't very 'memorable', as some people claim, then there would have been more than a few million votes' difference... as you so clearly stated to those of us intelligent enough to grasp the mathematical concept. *sighs*

It is truly frightening, the literacy level in this country... I think the average newspaper or periodical is marketed and written to an 11th grade reading level. I read an article the other day about one of the higher-ups in my industry. The reviewer was very, very articulate, and yet she purposefully left in poor grammar, and vague references as 'actual' quotes from this guy. She did not try to paint him in a better light by paraphrasing his words... she let his ignorance speak for itself. And yet, I arrogantly doubt that many readers got the insinuation. I may sound elitist, but the fact remains that I don't have to sound that way... if people would just freakin' read! You can't get good at it, if you don't do it, and it does help communication skills...something that humans really seem to need help with - myself included.

As for someone else's sentiments expressed in this thread,[paraphrase] that books currently being printed today aren't worth the trees it took to make them [/paraphrase]... Ah, be still my beating heart!

Forgive them my sister, they know not what they say! ;}->

I agree wholeheartedly with you, Stoic Slaughter... we are definitely living in the Dark Ages... again...

My mind is made up...not like my bed, which is a mess.

This post was edited by rosyxxx on Jan 10, 2005.

From what I know in the UK, its not quite as bad, but its still pretty bloody terrible. We are gripped in an epidemic of chavs, who personally I view as scum. (For a brief overview: http://www.chavscum.co.uk)

What really strikes me is not that they're ignorant of books, but that they're *proud* of being ignorant. I find this abhorrent, not least since I've had drummed into me that if you can read, you can do anything. Technical books, stories, encyclopaedias, all of mans knowledge at some point will be availible for you to digest. And it is with this idea in mind that I hungrily devour great swathes of text. I have developed the knack of reading something through and having it disappear into the darkness of my mind almost perfectly remembered.

Well, stuff I'm interested in, anyway.

Suffice it to say, I've read a great deal of material, from engineering texts to a reasonable knowledge of ornamental european glass from Orafors in sweden to Murano in italy.

My pet hate is ignorance, and to a lesser extent I am frustrated admittedly when some people cant keep up with a wickedly sarcastic wit, which kinda follows on from what Rosy said. The few americans, and most of the aforementioned chavs when I refer to something that isnt the celebrity shit of the week, or crappy noise masquerading as music, the general reaction (from chavs, anyway) is: "'ere, yore a fock-an posh boi, innit?!"

There are times when I think Hitler had the right idea.

Sir Deimos, Beater of Ass.

Dude I was sooo with you... up until the last line. You are very wittily sarcastic and funny yourself, but... ummm... political correctness isn't your strong point is it? O_o.

*chuckles nervously*

Still, taking it with a 'grain of salt', and realizing that you didn't likely mean it to be very serious. :)

Yes, I frequently make jokes and comments that people don't get.

How about a little poem:

Going against the grain
salt over my shoulder
for good luck
I have no truck
with you
or the milk you
drink or snort
out your nose...
I know I am not
smelling like a rose,
but I suppose
it could be worse
I mean, check out
this verse?
This poem is crap
and that is that. :)

Who-who. I am a poet, and I didn't know it. ;P

My mind is made up...not like my bed, which is a mess.

This post was edited by rosyxxx on Jan 10, 2005.

Heh. Very artistic.

Well, I would be softer, but if you read the Chavscum website, you'd begin to get an idea exactly why i hate them so much. they're basically an entire social underclass of parasites that feed off the welfare state, because they can get more money from the government by just sitting on their arses and churning out kids than they could by going to work.

If I could kill them, or conscript them, I would.

Sir Deimos, Beater of Ass.