Yup, we don't need to read. Wait..WHAT?!?!

Ok, so American's are officially fat, lazy and stupid. And here is proof http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14823087/?GT1=8506 . This is an article that I stumbled across on MSNBC this morning while checking the news. The title is "What is the worth of words?" and the columnist talks about advanced reading skills and how necessary they are in the modern world.

Currently, according to this article, about 31% of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it. This information is from Michael Gorman, who is the president of the American Library Association. He is definately presenting this information in a negative light. The columnist who wrote the article, on the other hand, thinks that it's not necessarily negative that college grads are becoming less able to extrapolate information from books. He thinks it's an inevitability. Michael Rogers is the guy who wrote this. He argues that by 2025, less than 5% of college grads will be able to extrapolate information from complex books. And this isn't a bad thing.

Rogers' argument is that in a world of advancing technology, it's becoming less and less necessary to know how to read a book and get information from it. When most information is transmitted in easy to process text messages and soundbites (bytes??), what's the use in knowing how to read a book, argues Rogers. He's not saying that complete illiteracy is what's going to happen. People are going to need basic reading skills in order to read signs and labels, and the quick, grammatically incorrect text messages that fly from person to person every day. He's just saying that being able to sit down and actually read a book is going to be a skill that's not necessary even to most people that have advanced to higher eduation levels. He argues that only a few elite are going to need to know how to read books, including scientists, senior managers, and screenwriters. He also says that just like people shouldn't be forced to enjoy classical music, he thinks people shouldn't be forced to see reading as an enjoyable and worthwhile activity. His argument is that reading isn't a natural skill for people to have, and thus, isn't necessary.

And to all of this, I say, WHAT?!?!?! This is a journalist saying this. This is a man that has gotten a four year degree, at least, and must be relatively good at his job, since he's writing for MSNBC. This is a guy who relies on words for his livelihood. And he's advocating for us to not read??? Oh my god, I think my head is going to explode I'm so astounded and upset about this. Give me a second to breathe before I start arguing against this outrage..........

There are so many errors in judgement here...I think I'll just have to go point by point and explain why this guy is completely absolutely wrong.

Number one, he says that it won't be necessary for most college grads to know how to extrapolate information from complex books. Now, I don't know exactly what "complex books" means, but I know that I've read some books throughout my college career that have been pretty complex. As far as I'm concerned, being able to extract information from complex documents is a skill that EVERY college grad should have. It shows a higher level of thinking, which is valuable not only in reading, but in analyzing siutations at work, and in every day life. Information is not always going to be presented in easy to understand bytes. Not all information is easily interpreted and the ability to do so is important in a multitude of situations.

Number two, he says that most young adults, by the year 2025, won't have any need to be able to read or process more than about 100 words at a time. Now, unless I'm completely misreading how colleges educate their students, that's a complete falsity. I have no idea how it would be possible to educate students without having them read long texts and interpret them. I have no idea how it would be possible for students to be expected to do their jobs without being able to read reports and studies and books.

Just in general, I think this guy is a complete hack. I can't imagine a life where the general population is unable to read and write complex thoughts. That ability is so basic to self-determination and exchange of ideas. He also compares reading skills to being able to enjoy classical music. I think this degrades both disciplines here. I don't think it's important to enjoy classical music, but being able to appreciate it and understand how it has a place in history and how it influences current music, and the theory behind it, is VERY important. Just like I don't expect everyone to enjoy reading, but knowing how to read, and how to get information from books is absolutely vital. What kind of future as a culture are we going to have with a young adult population who doesn't understand or appreiate Charles Dickens, or Greek tragedy, or Thomas Payne?? What kind of future are we going to have as a progressive nation, if our youth aren't taught to read and understand past progressives and radicals?

Grrr...I think everyone should write a letter to this guy and explain to him exactly how much of a jerk he is.