13 replies to this topic

[Myshkin]

I for one cannot read, and it has never posed a problem for me.  I just pretend to read, then say something ambiguous and pretentious like "that novel profoundly affected my understanding of life", and people just assume I must know what I'm talking about.

[Sci-2]

Yet somehow you can write?

[Grack21]

Ha.

[jagilki]

Somebody could get by in life unable to read, but it'd be so tough.

[Frog One]

Dang this guy still trying too hard to be funny and failing.

[Simon Steele]

I think he's funny.

But this is a serious topic and question.

Yes, you can get by the way you're doing it just fine. In fact, I recommend it. Books put bad thoughts in your head, they make you question the Establishment, and we can't have that, being that the Establishment was founded by the Goblin King after Jennifer Connelly didn't fall in love with him and his power ballad "Within You."

[Datepalm]

Whats the stat? Some vast number I can't be bothered to look up right now of people - adults, in the west, who have graduated highschool - 20%, or 50% or more - are functionally illiterate. That is, they can read a shop sign or a bus schedule or whatever, but they can't effectively read and understand (much less enjoy) a complex text. Not necessarily simply don't want to, but actually, technically incapable. I don't really think it's a funny topic.

[Lummel]

I had assumed that figures on functional illiteracy were estimates but a UK studysuggests 22 percent of 19 year olds based on reading comprehension tests are functionally illiterate which is an improvement on the figures for 1948 but allegedly worse than other industrialised (or post industrial now I suppose) countries.  Such a pity the news of the world has closed down - less for those folks to read now but at least there's the sun on sunday .

Still Charlemagne was illiterate and that didn't stop him conquering places, just think if he could read he'd have ended up sitting around in Aachen just reading stuff instead of doing something useful like killing people.  Or the businessman in the Somerset Maugham story who would have still been a parish verger if he had been able to read instead of being a rich bastard.  Therefore it is clear that reading is bad and should be banned.  Or something like that.

[Seli]

sciborg2, on 02 June 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

Yet somehow you can write?

Dictating software has come far.

[Grack21]

500 Internal jagilki Error, on 03 June 2012 - 12:34 AM, said:

Somebody could get by in life unable to read, but it'd be so tough.

The sad part is, its not.

[Sci-2]

Grack21, on 03 June 2012 - 10:39 PM, said:

The sad part is, its not.

I think he means getting by while being illiterate. Unless you think that is easy?

[Lummel]

It's not too terrible, many products have pictures illustrating the contents of cans and boxes and generally people are prepared to help if you pat your pockets and say that you've forgotten your glasses.

[Myshkin]

Listen folks, this is supposed to be a send-up to all the recent "essential" threads, so don't turn it into a serious topic.  Just enjoy it.

[Larry.]

Myshkin, on 04 June 2012 - 01:58 PM, said:

Listen folks, this is supposed to be a send-up to all the recent "essential" threads, so don't turn it into a serious topic.  Just enjoy it.

I think the irony in all this is that they didn't "read enough" into your post to realize that