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*atomik_sprout* · May 18, 2008, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exoparadapsyphobia

I've been reading Fahrenheit 451 for the 3rd time now so I thought this might be an interesting question, since the books main concept is describing how a futuristic iliterate America will be when people have completely disregarded books as evil and twisted.

Readers of this book now more than ever are seeing this prophecy come true as new technology is created and new forms of unintelligable entertainment become more numerous and easier to access, prompting today's youth and even some older generations to throw away more time consuming and intelectual pass times like reading for video games, TV or partying.

It's sad, but I think eventually reading books will be completely abandoned as as an acceptable form of entertainment and looked at as only an annoying requirement in school. It's already happening and has been for awhile, and I'm subjected to proof of this transition several times a week; if you sit in a classroom and read a book, you'll probably get a wide eyed stare from someone and they'll ask, "You like to read? No one does that anymore". I get gawked at whenever I take out a book that's even been assigned to everyone else outside of my English class.

But if reading isn't completely abandoned by society, I expect that writers themselves will be so influenced by the direction our generation is taking they'll eventually start dumbing down the complexity of their storylines, relevance of messages and narrow their vocabularies so someone might pick one up. Eventually making books just as unintelligable as what might replace them entirely.

Agree or disagree?

I agree and I disagree.

While I absolutely love to read and I think that reading is HIGHLY important in order to have the grammar skills needed to properly converse with people, I don't think that humanity will become entirely illiterate. Though I DO believe that books are starting to be a thing of the past, what with the inter-web and all. Plus, when people ask me what I like to do for fun and reading pops up in my list of activities, they laugh at me and say, "Reading??? Are you f'real???" Like, it's against the law or something, LOL. Or, "Ask Sprout! That ni**a knows everything! He reads!" Then there's my personal favorite, "I don't read because it's not cool."

You need to know how to read in order to operate a LOT of modern technology. Computers... If you can't read and you own a computer, you're basically screwed!! No internet, no installing any cool games,--Typing skills?? Out the window!!--no IM'ing everyone and their grandmother, no MySpace, no email, etc. Cell phones and video games also apply to this. ESPECIALLY video games!

RPGs, for example. Unless there's a LOT of CG cinematic cut-scenes, you're gonna be doin' a good amount of reading. I know a kid who taught himself how to read better simply from playing Pokemon!! The instruction manuals that show you how to play the game you purchased and give you a little bit of story info and character data would be rendered useless. You can't enjoy a game you know absolutely nothing about. I can't, anyhow.

Yes, there is a massive amount of people who are just plain dumb, due to lack of education or bad parenting; yes, there are people who will just refuse to read, because it's too damn hard or they're just too damn lazy. But, in my opinion, those people are kinda outnumbered. While books may or may not fade from existence, reading will always be important to many people for millenia.