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#1
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a bookseller's plot to make the public more intelligent?
I was thinking the other day that it would be beneficial to the
bookselling industry if the public was more intelligent. Ocassionally, conspiracy theorists worry about the "dumbing down" of the population for some nefarious reason. It seems that if many people are getting less capable of reading an adult level book, nor having any desires to better themselves with books, the business of bookselling will be affected by this. -- Robert Pearson ParaMind Brainstorming Software http://www.paramind.net Creative Virtue Press http://www.rspearson.com/ |
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#2
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John A. Stovall wrote:
"telicalbook" wrote: I was thinking the other day that it would be beneficial to the bookselling industry if the public was more intelligent. Ocassionally, conspiracy theorists worry about the "dumbing down" of the population for some nefarious reason. It seems that if many people are getting less capable of reading an adult level book, nor having any desires to better themselves with books, the business of bookselling will be affected by this. The Aliteracy of the American public is a well know phenomena. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...nguage=printer http://osusentinel.com/theopenend/in...cy_v_aliteracy http://www.havenworks.com/vocabulary/a-z/a/aliteracy/ "Last week I was in Nashville, Tennessee; after the show I was eating at a Waffle House....And I'm sitting there and I'm eating and I'm reading a book....Waitress comes over to me: 'What choo readin' for?' I said, 'Wow, I've never been asked that. Goddang it, you stumped me.' Not, What am I *reading*, but What am I reading *for*? I guess I read for a lot of reasons, but one of the main ones is so I don't end up bein' a ****ing waffle waitress." --Bill Hicks (a late, great Texan, BTW) Jon Meyers |
#3
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Actually not being able to read has its advantages!
There is a certain slanted newspaper which has telemarketers call me about three times a year, trying to get me to subscribe. When they call, I tell them I don't know how to read. Then there is a long silence at the other end and then click! So far as getting people interested in reading, I know a 23 year old lady who had never read an entire book until Harry Potter was published. That did the trick. I have given her books like spooky stories, Guinness Book of World Records, a book on rats, etc. Then her 6 year old wants her to read these books to him. A 30 year old man I know rarely reads, but likes to gamble. So I gave him a book on gambling. He read it from cover to cover. There are plenty of books out there to peak the interest of those who typically do not like to read. For example loompanics.com has titles such as these... THE LAZY PERSON'S GUIDE TO SUCCESS JOBS YOUR MOTHER NEVER WANTED YOU TO HAVE PANTIES DOWN! BEFORE MONEY DOWN! HOW TO LOSE YOUR EX-WIFE HOW TO MAKE DRIVER'S LICENSES TECHNIQUES OF SAFECRACKING HOW TO OPEN HANDCUFFS WITHOUT KEYS HOW TO INVESTIGATE YOUR FRIENDS AND ENEMIES HOW TO MAKE $50 PER HOUR SCREWING IN LIGHT BULBS HOW TO EARN $15 TO $50 AN HOUR AND MORE WITH A PICKUP TRUCK OR VAN Etc... "telicalbook" wrote in message I was thinking the other day that it would be beneficial to the bookselling industry if the public was more intelligent. Ocassionally, conspiracy theorists worry about the "dumbing down" of the population for some nefarious reason. It seems that if many people are getting less capable of reading an adult level book, nor having any desires to better themselves with books, the business of bookselling will be affected by this. |
#4
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I'm suspicious of people who don't read. I don't trust their
motives or their outlook on life, and don't want to be around them. Those who don't read are limited in two ways. One, they don't possess the innate motivation to open a book, which suggests that they are mentally challenged to begin with. Two, they have been denied the educating and broadening influence of good literature, which makes them not only dumb but ignorant. I have known smart people who never read, but they are smart in an unpleasant way. They are sly smart, crafty smart, street smart, sneaky smart, put-one-over-on-the-other-guy smart. That kind of smart is (to me) repulsive. Their outlook on life is limited and prejudiced. Oddly enough, these are the folks who most often think they know everything. No one can teach them anything, or tell them what to do, because they already know it all. |
#5
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Greetings:
Well that's an interesting philosophy. Given that very few Americans actually do read (I assume you are excluding Tom Clancy/John Grisham fans) you are writing off a very large number of people. In fact it is this very attitude of superiority that makes the rest of them look at us (those of us who read) with some suspicion. I make my living in what is more or less a blue collar business, yet my father was a failed English professor. So I have seen both sides of the street. Generally speaking, I find that people who read can be at least as nasty and know-it-all as those who do not read. After all, I read, therefore I am an intellectual, therefore I am superior and have the answers to the questions that you haven't even thought to ask. I was raised to be one of those street-smart folk you talk about, but I also read. I photograph. I collect modern literary firsts as well as photo monographs. I have many friends that don't read and I have many friends that don't go to museums either. Some of them I try to encourage to do one or the other, with varying degrees of success. But to simply say all who do not read belong to a class lower than those that do simply puts you into the same class you describe below; limited and prejudiced. Regards, Denton On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 16:51:50 GMT, Al Smith wrote: I'm suspicious of people who don't read. I don't trust their motives or their outlook on life, and don't want to be around them. Those who don't read are limited in two ways. One, they don't possess the innate motivation to open a book, which suggests that they are mentally challenged to begin with. Two, they have been denied the educating and broadening influence of good literature, which makes them not only dumb but ignorant. I have known smart people who never read, but they are smart in an unpleasant way. They are sly smart, crafty smart, street smart, sneaky smart, put-one-over-on-the-other-guy smart. That kind of smart is (to me) repulsive. Their outlook on life is limited and prejudiced. Oddly enough, these are the folks who most often think they know everything. No one can teach them anything, or tell them what to do, because they already know it all. |
#6
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But to simply say all who do not read belong to a class lower than
those that do simply puts you into the same class you describe below; limited and prejudiced. Regards, Denton What class are you in when you accuse an individual you don't even know of prejudice? |
#7
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Hi Al:
I'm a member of a number of classes. By income, the upper class. By education, the lower class. I don't know you, but if you review the below, one would have to conclude, especially as you are a member of the writing class, that you have consigned any and every person who does not share our love of literature go be unworthy of your notice and friendship. I quote: I have known smart people who never read, but they are smart in an unpleasant way. They are sly smart, crafty smart, street smart, sneaky smart, put-one-over-on-the-other-guy smart. That kind of smart is (to me) repulsive. Their outlook on life is limited and prejudiced. You are a writer, and so would be expected to chose words carefully. Are you seriously going to claim that the above statement is not elitist, prejudicial, and classist? And that such an attitude is counter-productive to actually getting people to read? This reminds me of a Kazuo Ishiguro reading I attended in NYC a few months age. A young male, whom I would have pegged to be a Nigerian educated in England, asked a rambling question where he basically tried to kiss up to Ishiguro, by saying, in essence, how do you go to these readings and deal with all the stupid questions that the stupid audience asks? And Ishiguro answered, rather magnificently, that it's the good questions that get asked over and over again, and so are predictable, but it's the stupid questions that are interesting. And that furthermore the literary community is a kind and generous place. And that's what I didn't find in your post. Denton On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 21:26:27 GMT, Al Smith wrote: But to simply say all who do not read belong to a class lower than those that do simply puts you into the same class you describe below; limited and prejudiced. Regards, Denton What class are you in when you accuse an individual you don't even know of prejudice? |
#8
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Al Smith wrote: But to simply say all who do not read belong to a class lower than those that do simply puts you into the same class you describe below; limited and prejudiced. What class are you in when you accuse an individual you don't even know of prejudice? the class consisting of those people who read a post which appears to relect a distinct attitude or set of values on the part of the poster, and who comment on that post and that attitude. for waht it's worth, i'm in the same class and certainly came to the same conclusion about mr. smith's previous post. chiwito |
#9
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I'm a member of a number of classes. By income, the upper class. By
education, the lower class. If you're posting here, you probably read. Unless you are a collector who doesn't ever open the books he collects. I stand by what I wrote and make no apology for it. At all. I have no intention of attending to the needs and vanities of the PC thought police. What I expressed was a personal opinion, based on my experience. To reiterate, I've found people who never read a book to be limited intellectually. This includes my own relatives, most of whom do not read books. If you happen to find those who do not read paragons of wisdom and virtue, fine. You're welcome to them. |
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