Why People Read Less And Less
- Megan394
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Re: Why People Read Less And Less
- lady_charlie
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Now I am reading several books a month and really enjoying learning from all of you.
- vovolicious
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- BookCollecting101
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I don't think it is "fashionable" to tell students about the wonders of reading. Schools seem to have other priorities. When I was in school - a million years ago - the object was to turn out a well rounded person. My impression is today's schools are fancy babysitters who let the children and parents dictate what they learn.
If a child never learns the joy of reading - the enormous amount of experiences waiting for them - they are going to turn to the cool thing of the moment - at this point video games and texting... when they could be wrapped up in a wonderful book. It is a shame - a real shame...
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- Bighuey
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- Gannon
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Totally agree Loveabull.Loveabull wrote:It's a parent's influence as well, maybe not 100% but it certainly helps. I believe if there is a wide variety of reading material in the house, going to the library is a weekly fun event, parents read to their kids every day and most important that kids see their parents reading for pleasure...patronizing school book fairs and bookstores...that's how one creates a new generation of readers...I see families in the store and everyone is gazing at their screens or on their phones...that's not family time, that's everyone gazing into their own screens or talking on the phone.
- jool
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There are some people who have serious problems with reading and when they struggle with it. And his whole "bookworm" culture, priding themselves on reading tons of books, doesn't encourage them to read. I think we should not consider those who read books to be better than those who don't. It's as simple as that.
Personally, I know people who don't read because it is hard for them to focus on it. They get too distracted. But nevertheless, they are very intelligent and they don't lack anything as human beings. Still, the fact that those reading elites underline how important it is to read and how smart it makes you, depresses them and makes them feel guilty about them not reading. And it's not fair.
Although I do believe that the complete lack of reading, which originates from the fact that people find it boring, outdated and simple unnecessary, is a disaster. And the consequences of it are really depressing. From what I observe, the adolescents and children are getting really (sorry, but I believe that's the only suitable word) stupid. They sit all day in shopping malls with their fancy iPhones and hang around the shops in search of the most fashionable clothes. Something is wrong. And I am not that old (I'm only 21 ) and yet I remember the times when playing outdoors with your friends was the best way to spend your free time. Nobody cared about those clothes or gadgets. So I'm a bit worried about the future..
- cheza
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^--I agree with this. The brutal economy (anywhere) does not help others that DO want to read books, but cannot afford to do so.vovolicious wrote:I think people read less and less because they live a fast paced lifestyle.
I think if a lot of things were free (education), there would be more books read. I don't think technology is a factor, as many can see from the production of Kindles and Nooks alike.
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I also suspect that social stigma could be a factor in why people don't read. Reading and intellectual pursuits have never been considered "cool" in my neck of the woods. Even people I know who do enjoy reading are reluctant to admit it publicly. I'm also noticing this trend among college students/graduates, which is very disturbing. It makes me wonder how they ever survived college since that requires a lot of reading. Cliff Notes maybe?
Worse still, reading is generally a solitary pursuit. That's anathema in this age of social media where talking is more highly valued than listening and non-stop interaction is more important than analysis and reflection.
- tanfun
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Yes, we live in a rushed time, some people work two jobs etc. but even in this case, you could probably find 1-2 hours a week to open a book.
The TV and Internet are also big factors, especially for the young people.
- AliceRose
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For children nowadays, teenagers especially, I think a lot of them are worried of being seen as "geeky", (I know when I was at school people were pretty harsh on those who liked to read). There are so many other things to do now, all this social media stuff is taking over! I think it's just important that we teach our children the value of reading a good book from a young age and encourage them to read. Sad the way the world is going