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I had a similar experience with into the wild in high school. Everyone boiled it down to just calling what he did stupid or a waste of time. Even if I can agree with many of the criticisms, the conversation never extended beyond that. It was depressing. Nature has been relegated to instagram photos of walking your local trail.
To take on the task of assigning pointlessness to a work is far beyond arrogance. It’s appropriate and fine to feel that for them they see nothing of value, but to extend that out to the masses is extraordinarily problematic. I feel you are correct that people walk their individual path often tied to their own interests which may greatly restrict their viewpoints. At least noticing that allows you to look to other voices for seeing more deeply into nature. It is disheartening when you are met with a closed mind. I hope you can find more enlightening people.
Hit the nail on the head. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are what brought be back into reading, as well as Cormac and Melville. I actually finished War and Peace and it’s now my favorite book of all time.
I think it really boils down to men not understanding the purpose of reading literary fiction. I've heard a lot of guys say they read non-fiction because they feel like they're at least learning something, but when it comes to fiction they just don't understand what they're supposed to get out of it. It defies their "manly" notions of utility because they don't see any use for it; it's not teaching them anything practical or factual, and so they discard the very idea of reading fiction because it's just something somebody made-up. What they don't understand is how vital reading literary fiction is to the growth of their own character. How seeing things from a whole new perspective can literally change their entire outlook on life. How after reading and understanding some of the best novels of all time, enduring that long journey of reading and adventuring in the imagination and soul alongside the writer and their characters, one can feel transformed, as if they had undergone their own journey of the self and entered a new period of their lives with their fresh insight. They might glean some bits of wisdom from elsewhere without reading, but they feel wisdom should be dispensed to them, not worked out on their own. They want other people to work out the tough spiritual, emotional and philosophical questions for them and then report back with a useful distillation that they can apply to their own lives for their own benefit. That someone hands them the pick-axe of a novel and tells them to start digging themselves is, for them, ridiculous, and I think that attitude needs to be changed first before progress can be made elsewhere. Men need to understand the purpose of reading, that it enriches their minds and character, and isn't just some nonsense garble that carries neither weight nor meaning, because the weight and meaning it can carry is truly profound.
You can learn all of that through other forms of media though. The novel has only been around for roughly 200 years. It’s worn out its novelty (no pun intended).
Men, in general don't expect wisdom to be "dispensed to them, not worked out on their own." Quite the opposite. Us men love to figure out stuff for ourselves. When we read non-fiction we're not looking for the book to answer everything for us. More like the knowledge is a tool among other tools, like an axe or a shovel. That is to say, we treat the books as complementary to the quest we're pursuing or goals we're trying to achieve. You talk about how "vital literary fiction is to the growth of their own character". Well, men are very goal-oriented, and we cultivate good character by pursuing goals and achieving them. That's why we like getting the highest scores in videogames and sports, for example--things like that are fulfilling. And, no, men don't "discard the very idea of fiction". Wrong again. Like, have you read like any mythology ever?? Those stories of old were (and still are) inspirational and aspirational for us. They had heroes and warriors and adventurers, ie. things that pertain to roles that men find fulfilling. That's why power fantasy stories like Isekai light novels, LitRPGs, and shonen and seinen manga are big hits among us, because they scratch that itch which is woefully undermined and underserved outside of those niches. Meanwhile, the more intellectual among us are drawn to hard SF and authors like Tolkien, Cormac, Tolstoy, Dotsoyevsky, David Foster Wallace, Faulkner, and others. The fact of the matter is that most books these days aren't written to appeal to men, so most of us have no impetus to read them. After all, it's been beaten into our heads for decades at this point how "male gaze is wrong" and how this and that and the rest is "misogynistic" or "toxic masculinity"--basically anything that men would find relatable, stimulating, or interesting to read about has been demonized, subverted, and/or deconstructed into oblivion, no matter how innocuous it might be. (For crying out loud, if a guy sits with his legs wide open, which is how most of naturally sit, it's seen as an affront or an act of "micro-aggression" towards women.) Maybe it's just me, but your comment seems to have this weird undertone that because men don't enjoy and experience books the same way women do and don't have the same expectations from works of fiction as women have there's something wrong with us. My first hint was your talk of "it defies their 'manly' notion of utility". (Yes, utility is intrinsically tied to masculine identity. Among the reasons for this is the fact that NO ONE, neither men nor women, likes or respects a useless man.) You boldly proclaim that "men need to understand the purpose of reading", As if to say that if we don't approach fiction in the way you are prescribing our minds won't be enriched and our characters won't develop. How about women (and some men, for sure) stop expecting men to read fiction for the same purposes as women? Like, seriously, though, imagine if it were the other way around: a person (a man) saying women ought to read or experience X kind of media this way (the same way men do) or their soul won't be enriched and their character won't develop. That guy wouldn't hear the end of it, and rightly so, because no sex should dictate how the other ought to experience a form of media.
@mumboslick89 so something is only worthwhile if it's new? I love basically all forms of storytelling, but anyone discounting the impact of literature and the exercise of the mind and imagination that comes with it cannot and should not be disregarded as trivial. The only person who would seriously believe it is trivial is someone who doesn't read or reads as little as possible.
You were spot on about the excuses people make. As someone with Asperger's, ADHD, and mental health issues, whose education ended at the age of 13-these things set me back, sure, but they surely haven't stopped me. I am, in fact, a woman, so maybe I did have one advantage in life. ❤
I can relate to the idea of spending 8 hours in a state of boredom and then after work wanting to do something exciting and stimulating. People aren't supposed to be stuck inside on the same chair all day.
I like the idea of starting your day with reading, churning those words to thoughts and images with a sharp mind, and then do your job and end the day with other stimulating things that don't involve sitting or heightened mental engagement.
One thing I can see clear as day: young male readers don't have a literary hero in the contemporary. A guy with a huge young male audience (think someone like JBP) could sell a million copies if he wrote a decent novel and it would absolutely get read. Contemporary male writers writing about modern day masculinity issues, relationship struggles, work, family, love, sex, etc. are basically non-existent right now on shelves. Just a handful of stale writers that are now practically Boomers. Sure, attention spans and other dominating forms of media and all that matters...but I think a lot of men are not going anywhere near books about gender, politics, women's issues, and race, topics that represent a huge chunk of the literary best seller list today. Also, the average reader must be put off by a literary landscape dominated by the high brow and self-indulgent tendencies of someone on their 8th or 9th novel in their 70s (think the sister's parts of The Passenger). The average man yearns for the deep and profound, but not too deep that it's inaccessible.
Women are more intelligent than men. Especially when it comes to introspection and emotion. Thats just one example of why women read. Most men only care about immediate personal gain and lack patience. I was one of them. I see this to worse degrees with my meathead friends, who are all gambling nicotine and sport addicts with highschool education
I was with you until the last part. “High brow indulgences” are the last thing dominating the current literary landscape. Cormac McCarthy only got away with it because he’s Cormac McCarthy.
@@adampearson1541 Agreed. You're right about the current landscape. Suppose I was referring to later age writers putting out books in the current-ish era that do get away with it. Point Omega by Don Delillo, for example.
I think one of the huge reasons reading has been phased out is because its unsupported. The support come mainly from advetizement. In tv u have ads, in video games they advertize their other games, in tik tok its ads for everything. Big business has seen books as antiquated and not a reliable and monteziable hobby so they have stopped investing in it. In business it is all about ROI (return on investment) with low ROI in a captialistic society the item will lose favorablity regardless of its inate value.
No amount of advertising will make people read books when they have much easier alternatives for escapism and entertainment. The fact is, reading takes far more mental effort than watching movies, TV, internet videos, or playing games, which are all far more passive activities. Sure, people do "read" a lot more these days in the form of social media and messaging app posts, but that's not the same as reading a book which has a far more complex writing style and requires you to read content that spans dozens and hundreds of pages to fully grasp its meaning. People these days don't have that kind of attention span and reading comprehension.
My friend runs his own book editing company, so you would think from reading people's crappy stories all day he would enjoy reading good books, but he tells me his recreational reading is also gone due to his job. I think the over specialization of people's work might have something to do with it, modern jobs require immense amounts of concentration and usually have the fun sucked right out of them in the name of efficiency
That's why it's probably a good idea to not go into something simply because you love it. You risk draining yourself of that love in your free time. Pursue what you're good at, and if what you're good at and what you love coincide, then that's another question and might be worth serious consideration.
Where should I start with Margaret Atwood’s books, in your opinion? For context, I’m used to reading semi-difficult books like Blood Meridian, Blindsight, Dune series, etc.
I find your assessment of the state of Christianity to be on point. My own story: raised Christian, got into drugs and everything, had a coming to Jesus experience reading the Bible, became an ever-increasing auto-didact, eventually realized that the Catholic Church is right about Jesus and now continue to increase in my love of wisdom with the help of that wonderful educational treasury that you spoke so highly of. Blessings!
I would really like to know what David Foster Wallace would have to say about the current state of social media and fear of intellectual pursuits in the Age of Tik Tok.
He predicted all of this already in E Unibus pluram. Its absolutely fascinating and a bit scary on how accurate he was. The greats really can see into the future
For me, a short (30 - 40 mins), medium intensity work out with weights, followed by a brief walk outside actually gives me more energy later. But if I push it harder than that it'll be exactly as you've described in the video.
Another thing I've noticed with elite fighters boxers mma they are very calm all day to the fight, a idea I had is adrenaline never let's you down which reminded of the saying Keep Calim & carry on.
I'm a Christian and I remember reading Animal Farm and Fahrenheit 451 and I don't recall anything that would be objectionable, so not sure why those parents had problems with tales that are cautionary and truly educational. Definitely agree about going deep with Bible reading. I've read some Aquinas and have the goal of reading the Summa Theologica this year. Massive work. Also, I wasn't afforded an education in the trivium unfortunately, but am making up to an extent by self-studying logic.
Books have huge competition from so many other media now. Everyone is being farmed for their attention. Reading for pleasure can soothe the brain and our souls. I think everyone can be a reader but they just have to find the right book to bring them in. I think the goal should be for men to be reading whatever gets them out this matrix and it if it’s non fiction so be it. As long as they’re taking their time to reading at least one hour every day without distractions. But i am optimistic that reading will come back in a big way because people are getting sick of the over stimulation. People want to relax nowadays: they don’t want to be constantly bombarded by social media and politics and this superficial stimulation. People’s brains are cracking and reading a good book you love is what will heal your brain and soul.
Men have jumped to either Japanese Light novels (200 pages or lesser) or more shorter reads like novellas online then buy a physical copy of say “Dune”. Also men have jumped towards a form of reading like Audiobooks. Another reason is physical copies are about as expensive as a bulk of Toilet paper at a Costco.
I just had to get away from the "literary classics." I found most of them either outdated or needlessly meandering. I thought I just "wasn't a reader." Turns out I just like reading poetry and philosophy more than fiction.
I tried reading for years and would always quit midway through the books. It made me feel so shitty because I knew I was interested in reading and that I could do it. I think recently it has clicked. I finished Plato’s Republic, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Why the West Rules, and I’m reading the Penguin book of Classical Myths rn. I set the reasonable goal of two books a month. I started by setting a minimum amount pages a day based on the 2 books I have picked. If there is a day I’m somehow unable or not feeling it I add the pages to the next day. Easy!
@@true_Pixel I think you have it now. Those are difficult books. If you can read challenging material like that and maintain your interest I would say you're a serious reader.
It may seem obvious but at school in the 80s in the UK language ws taught as if we knew how important it was maybe some realisd & worked at it but some of us just got taught the bare minimum I wish it was hammered into us how important English is.
Regarding motivating male kids to read, have you checked out the Marine Corpse reading list? The Army, and I presume the Navy, have theirs as well. I'm familiar with the Army and the Marine Corpse's. They are structured to appeal to readers at various levels, from relatively simple novels such as Orson Scott Card's "Endor's Game," to "The Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides. These reading lists were designed by educators and psychologists (your tax dollars at work). I hope it helps. Good luck.
I didn't know that exists. I'll have to investigate further. I've been meaning to read more. I love it, but I'm either all in or not at all. A structured list of well vetted material might be of some use. I'm already whittling my way through the Dune and Song of Ice & Fire sagas, but I'll have to hit up what's on those lists next.
Tbh i think the main reason that first point about visual media being better suited to entertainment. "Male stories" eg. Thriller, action, plot driven, blah blah, these sorts of stories are inherently more suited to visual media, and hence we see a lot of this content. Whereas take more "female stories" more psychological, often romance, less "actiony", take Colleen Hoover (literally the most popular author right now) as an example. We dont see her sort of stories on TV or movies as often. Female story consumers can't get the same experience through visual media, whereas male story consumers can.
This is a big reason why guys who want to get into reading should consider adding comics/graphic novels to their literary diet. If you're picking good stories from quality writers (sadly they're few and far between over the last decade), you can read quality dialog and internal narration and good-looking visual storytelling that can be as good as anything you'll read in fiction novels. There's a reason why a lot of guys started their interest in reading vecause of comics. They're more appealing to males as more visual creatures, and at their best, they can be challenging in their own right.
I read that 90% of people have read one book in the last two years. Without reading, audiobooks, ideas and challenges... We will never learn to think, we will never grow...
@@ericsierra-franco7802 Remember what Carlin said: The average person means half are even dumber than they. So if the average is one book in two years: 99.99% read none and .01% read a bunch.
Most interesting analysis on this topic that I’ve seen yet. The multiple mentions of EDM though had me wondering if there is proof that EDM has a neural-biological impact, because it doesn’t on me.
The Bible is a great way to live. Keeping in m8nd that no one is perfect helps people improve themselves without being holier than thou. However, some will act that way; eventually, they will be shown the erro of their ways as well.
Damn never thought about that, its a shame that young christian kids isnt taught about trivium&quadrivium and proper theology but instead shallow dogmatism and evangelism
All joking aside, we can create incentive structures for reading the canon. Imagine a video game that rewards you with cash prizes for demonstrating literary knowledge. Who's giving out this money? The people who use your interactions with the game to train the worlds most advanced LLM. 😂 Next problem. I'm on a roll today.
I have ADHD pretty bad, and i also like close ready especially poetry. I am trying out magnesium glucosamine to settle down to read at the end if the day
You could be onto something there with your idea that men don't do enough hard things anymore and this has made them less inclined to tackle the long hours of solitude involved in reading a decent novel. I noticed that in the past year or two since I changed from a sedentary job to a physically very active one (removals), which definitely involves the occasional day where you go through the pain barrier stamina wise (ie. taking stuff into an office where there is no lift just a set of stairs, common in two level offices), and have to learn to really push yourself, well, I've noticed that I am not so put off reading a long slow novel. It doesn't feel as daunting as it once did. I"m nearing the end of Tom Wolfe's "I am Charlotte Simmonds" for example. Guess I"ve toughened up. Incidentally, all the lifting not only has added some stamina to my brain, but has added lots more muscle and better health. Probably helped with my blood-sugars.
As Marshall McLuhan said, the medium is the message, and he saw the writing on the wall a long time ago. Electronic media is rewiring the human brain, just as books did when the printing press was invented.
Are you sure that men haven't turn their reading to online publishers like Royal Raod? Strories are getting pumped out and consumed like mad there. It could be that the traditional publishers are supressing (purposely or by unconscious bias) the subgenres that men want to read
Do you mean simpler or easier? Life isn’t as simple anymore but it’s definitely easier. Not sure where you are from or how much you have traveled but I was told living in the US that if we have never travelled then when we don’t understand what most of the world actually goes through. I experienced this first hand last year when I finally got my passport and traveled to rural Mexico and did not have normal water pressure. It was just gravity fed from a tank on the roof. That one thing alone exposes how easier most of us have it with everyday things.
Why do you think reading novels is a better form of entertainment than videogames? Both are a form of entertainment. I would rather watch reality TV and play videogames than read books. books are too boring for me. "and then holden caufield went to the city because he was a depressed weirdo...." like why would I read about that? Id rather play videogames like skyrim where I can defeat massive monsters
Maybe women are more emotional conected to reading becouse most omen learn that it is a privilage women actualy had to fight for. It was a way to opress women, unetucated people are easer to control, something everybidy should know.
If women read more and therefore influence the book market more then that is fine. But, respecting that, women need to know that many more men play video games so that needs to be respected too and the market focused on their interests as books are for women.
Mostly BS reading is the single most involving form of media there is. A good writer makes you use every sense while you are reading. Gripping fiction is better than any video game or movie. The Conan stories are better and more intricate than the movie. Boys who are taught the importance of reading by their parents become readers. Boys who are read to by their fathers become readers. A father reading to his children is the most manly father in the universe. Also men are reading plenty of books but they are mostly produced by indy authors and are not tracked by the publishing industry. D&D manuals are great reading. If you can't interst boys in reading you are a poor teacher.
I recently watched a video on the same statistics. The guy there pointed out that many companies go the progressive route. And when we look at which gender tends to be progressive and which gender tends to be opposed to the progressive ideology it makes sense that less men are appealed by what modern publishers push. After all romantasy isn't the same as previous fantasy. But there is a countermovement called iron age media. They basically take the same space as indigames vs. AAA studios. Also many men don't read novels and instead read topical books. As a teen I read a lot of fiction and by now (age 30) I switched mostly to either natural science, history or folklore. But your perspective is quite a different one. You bypassed all of those arguments with your position as a teacher and your dopamine insights. That is certainly a valid point. But I still have some questions. For example, is it possible that school is generally set up in a way that appeals more to female way of learning? If that is the case then it is possible that some of the lack of interest in reading is because you as a teacher recommended a book in a classroom setting. I've heard it several times that a man said, he found a book very boring, but after he left school and years down the line read it again, it was way better. Your point about sitting on the desk reading for the entire day is a very valid one. As a teenager I read a lot. At around the age of 15 I read through the Bible with around 11 chapters per day. Or I read 30 books of the novelist Karl May which I got from the library. Before the age of 16 I didn't have any access to the digital world. That may have helped too. Now that I'm older I have worked as an automation technician, as a software developer and I have been a university student. If I sit in front of the screen all day, it is indeed more difficult to read than if I have vacations on a beach or if I work as an automation technician. But in my software development phase I sat for 2h in a train. The way to the company was spent dosing, but the way back I usually read in a book. Now that my commute is shorter, I miss that reading time. I couldn't always focus perfectly, but it was also a great time to let loose your thoughts and I could reflect on many things. Another thing that you mentioned is the dopamine level. I got addicted to constantly having some content running in the back. It usually is at least somewhat worthwhile. For example one of my weekly watches is a woman doing a 3h+ stream on a very detailed historical background of Muhammed (Go watch _Reasoned Answers_ if you are interested). But by now I try to figure out how I can remove that desire for this constant artificial busyness. The sad thing of a great life is that you have to cut out good things too. A while ago I found the RUclips channel "Rob Pirie - The Cause". I think you would like that one. It's a guy who reads through the Harvard classics and makes videos on what he learned. Basically he participates in the great conversation but in a slightly different form than usual. After watching his videos I always go away happy and with a feeling that everything is right in the world. And since he doesn't put out too much content, it is easy to watch in a busy schedule. I think you did an excellent analysis of religion. But one thing I've noticed is that there is a countermovement to that shallow Christianity and shallow secularism. I know many young men who are not happy with how Christianity is lived out and want to go deeper. Those people can be found in both the small churches as well as the big ones. Since they are counter culture to a degree, they are not as visible for non involved people. But it is not just those people. In the right wing media there is also a desire to go deeper and to go back to the intellectual roots of Christianity. Carl Benjamin or Tom Holland are two public figure in that movement. Neither of them is Christian, but both see the value of Christianity and want to have a culture that goes back to the Christian roots. As a Christian I have tendency to ignore when Christians misbehave. Like every other human, I react more strongly when people I disagree with misbehave. But I fully agree with your statement that the parents shouldn't isolate their children from hearing other views. And I think that mindset is the reason why so many Christian children deconstruct their faith. If you only present one view on the world, then a child only learns to deal with one worldview at a time. At some point they go to a school where the professors are smarter and better educated than the parents and the pastor. Since a person raised that way only knows how to handle one worldview at a time, they think the world view of the parents is on the level of laymen and the worldview of the professor is on the level of experts. And such a person obviously switches to the view which has better people supporting it and which the current social environment approves off. I grew up knowing both Christianity and secular Atheism. Because of that I always had people who are smarter than me in both sides of the argument. Because of that I couldn't use that as a criteria to find out which is the correct one. I was forced to look at the actual arguments they make. And I came to the conclusion that both views mostly cover most facts and neither of the view is conclusive to the point that there are no questions left. Since I'm Christian it is obvious what I think wins the cumulative case. To end my comment I will go a bit controversial. I watch a lot of apologetics content both between Atheism and Christianity and between Atheism/Christianity and Islam. In both Atheism and Christianity we are allowed to question everything. Of course both have certain philosophical assumptions which their views build upon. But that is normal when you dig deep enough in philosophy. But when we come to Islam that is not the case. Islam has red lines which they never cross. If you want to hear an elaboration on that point you can watch the video "Holes in the Narrative - Yasir Qadhi interview clip + Muslim reaction" where an Islamic scholar explains it in a surprisingly open way. When I talk to Muslims, I noticed that they often practice that in their own life. For example they fear that if they ask the wrong question they may unintentionally commit shirk. Also they have a mindset of avoiding doubt as much as possible. With that I don't want to paint the individual Muslims in a bad light. And having that behavior in such an obvious way also comes with certain benefits. Because many people do the same, but deny that they are doing so. And if you deny it you can't deal with it through rational means. One thing I also don't want to say is that Christianity is always superior to Islam. If that were the case, then the Summa Theologica of Thomas von Aquin would not have been written. The reason why I point it out is that not all worldviews, ideologies and religions are of equal thoroughness. Some build on pretty shaky ground and further investigation is discouraged because it would fall apart upon investigation. Neither a strong version of Atheism nor a strong version of Christianity is in that camp. With those two views the cumulative case is the deciding factor. And of course if Christianity is true, then God wants to have a relationship with us and he will show himself through experiences and personal revelation. Those also count.
I see Infinite Jest over your shoulder. That horrific piece of crap is another reason men don't read. If that was the only book in the world, I wouldn't read it--I'd use it to clean my ass.
Men don't read anymore because you get called gay and effeminate. Pedagogy of the oppressed is another solid explanation (I disagree with its solution but still a great critical analysis)
From a certain point of view, isn't it more effeminate to be so concerned about other people finding you effeminate for reading that it completely dictates your actions? No man should ever allow the petty opinions of others to have that much power over their minds.
My biggest regret in life was reading too many books in high school and not playing enough video games. Literature IMO is the most pretentious and overrated artistic endeavor.
@@jarrodanderson2124 What? Suits my politics? You haven't a clue what my politics are. The fact is far fewer people... especially men...read books today then people did in the past. That's a fact! And stating a fact such as this is not preventing anyone from picking up a book and reading. Your accusation towards me is nonsensical and lacks logic and is juvenile. The sad truth is many young people leave high school today and are functionally illiterate. As a literacy volunteer I know this for a fact. What value you would have in passing on misinformation such as you have here is beyond me! And I have zero doubt I'm much better read than you are.
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I had a similar experience with into the wild in high school. Everyone boiled it down to just calling what he did stupid or a waste of time. Even if I can agree with many of the criticisms, the conversation never extended beyond that. It was depressing. Nature has been relegated to instagram photos of walking your local trail.
Because they're too young to look at his deeper motivations.
To take on the task of assigning pointlessness to a work is far beyond arrogance. It’s appropriate and fine to feel that for them they see nothing of value, but to extend that out to the masses is extraordinarily problematic. I feel you are correct that people walk their individual path often tied to their own interests which may greatly restrict their viewpoints. At least noticing that allows you to look to other voices for seeing more deeply into nature. It is disheartening when you are met with a closed mind. I hope you can find more enlightening people.
Hit the nail on the head. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy are what brought be back into reading, as well as Cormac and Melville. I actually finished War and Peace and it’s now my favorite book of all time.
one of the greatest works of art i have ever experienced.
I think it really boils down to men not understanding the purpose of reading literary fiction. I've heard a lot of guys say they read non-fiction because they feel like they're at least learning something, but when it comes to fiction they just don't understand what they're supposed to get out of it. It defies their "manly" notions of utility because they don't see any use for it; it's not teaching them anything practical or factual, and so they discard the very idea of reading fiction because it's just something somebody made-up. What they don't understand is how vital reading literary fiction is to the growth of their own character. How seeing things from a whole new perspective can literally change their entire outlook on life. How after reading and understanding some of the best novels of all time, enduring that long journey of reading and adventuring in the imagination and soul alongside the writer and their characters, one can feel transformed, as if they had undergone their own journey of the self and entered a new period of their lives with their fresh insight. They might glean some bits of wisdom from elsewhere without reading, but they feel wisdom should be dispensed to them, not worked out on their own. They want other people to work out the tough spiritual, emotional and philosophical questions for them and then report back with a useful distillation that they can apply to their own lives for their own benefit. That someone hands them the pick-axe of a novel and tells them to start digging themselves is, for them, ridiculous, and I think that attitude needs to be changed first before progress can be made elsewhere. Men need to understand the purpose of reading, that it enriches their minds and character, and isn't just some nonsense garble that carries neither weight nor meaning, because the weight and meaning it can carry is truly profound.
You can learn all of that through other forms of media though. The novel has only been around for roughly 200 years. It’s worn out its novelty (no pun intended).
Men, in general don't expect wisdom to be "dispensed to them, not worked out on their own." Quite the opposite. Us men love to figure out stuff for ourselves. When we read non-fiction we're not looking for the book to answer everything for us. More like the knowledge is a tool among other tools, like an axe or a shovel. That is to say, we treat the books as complementary to the quest we're pursuing or goals we're trying to achieve. You talk about how "vital literary fiction is to the growth of their own character". Well, men are very goal-oriented, and we cultivate good character by pursuing goals and achieving them. That's why we like getting the highest scores in videogames and sports, for example--things like that are fulfilling. And, no, men don't "discard the very idea of fiction". Wrong again. Like, have you read like any mythology ever?? Those stories of old were (and still are) inspirational and aspirational for us. They had heroes and warriors and adventurers, ie. things that pertain to roles that men find fulfilling. That's why power fantasy stories like Isekai light novels, LitRPGs, and shonen and seinen manga are big hits among us, because they scratch that itch which is woefully undermined and underserved outside of those niches. Meanwhile, the more intellectual among us are drawn to hard SF and authors like Tolkien, Cormac, Tolstoy, Dotsoyevsky, David Foster Wallace, Faulkner, and others. The fact of the matter is that most books these days aren't written to appeal to men, so most of us have no impetus to read them. After all, it's been beaten into our heads for decades at this point how "male gaze is wrong" and how this and that and the rest is "misogynistic" or "toxic masculinity"--basically anything that men would find relatable, stimulating, or interesting to read about has been demonized, subverted, and/or deconstructed into oblivion, no matter how innocuous it might be. (For crying out loud, if a guy sits with his legs wide open, which is how most of naturally sit, it's seen as an affront or an act of "micro-aggression" towards women.)
Maybe it's just me, but your comment seems to have this weird undertone that because men don't enjoy and experience books the same way women do and don't have the same expectations from works of fiction as women have there's something wrong with us. My first hint was your talk of "it defies their 'manly' notion of utility". (Yes, utility is intrinsically tied to masculine identity. Among the reasons for this is the fact that NO ONE, neither men nor women, likes or respects a useless man.) You boldly proclaim that "men need to understand the purpose of reading", As if to say that if we don't approach fiction in the way you are prescribing our minds won't be enriched and our characters won't develop. How about women (and some men, for sure) stop expecting men to read fiction for the same purposes as women? Like, seriously, though, imagine if it were the other way around: a person (a man) saying women ought to read or experience X kind of media this way (the same way men do) or their soul won't be enriched and their character won't develop. That guy wouldn't hear the end of it, and rightly so, because no sex should dictate how the other ought to experience a form of media.
@@miguelthedrawtistincel alert
Well said harrison
@mumboslick89 so something is only worthwhile if it's new? I love basically all forms of storytelling, but anyone discounting the impact of literature and the exercise of the mind and imagination that comes with it cannot and should not be disregarded as trivial. The only person who would seriously believe it is trivial is someone who doesn't read or reads as little as possible.
You were spot on about the excuses people make. As someone with Asperger's, ADHD, and mental health issues, whose education ended at the age of 13-these things set me back, sure, but they surely haven't stopped me. I am, in fact, a woman, so maybe I did have one advantage in life. ❤
Maybe seems fair. Both sides have big shares of advantages and obstacles. I hope you find the paths that lead you to your success!
I can relate to the idea of spending 8 hours in a state of boredom and then after work wanting to do something exciting and stimulating. People aren't supposed to be stuck inside on the same chair all day.
Of course brotha
I like the idea of starting your day with reading, churning those words to thoughts and images with a sharp mind, and then do your job and end the day with other stimulating things that don't involve sitting or heightened mental engagement.
One thing I can see clear as day: young male readers don't have a literary hero in the contemporary. A guy with a huge young male audience (think someone like JBP) could sell a million copies if he wrote a decent novel and it would absolutely get read.
Contemporary male writers writing about modern day masculinity issues, relationship struggles, work, family, love, sex, etc. are basically non-existent right now on shelves. Just a handful of stale writers that are now practically Boomers.
Sure, attention spans and other dominating forms of media and all that matters...but I think a lot of men are not going anywhere near books about gender, politics, women's issues, and race, topics that represent a huge chunk of the literary best seller list today. Also, the average reader must be put off by a literary landscape dominated by the high brow and self-indulgent tendencies of someone on their 8th or 9th novel in their 70s (think the sister's parts of The Passenger). The average man yearns for the deep and profound, but not too deep that it's inaccessible.
Women are more intelligent than men. Especially when it comes to introspection and emotion. Thats just one example of why women read. Most men only care about immediate personal gain and lack patience. I was one of them. I see this to worse degrees with my meathead friends, who are all gambling nicotine and sport addicts with highschool education
I was with you until the last part. “High brow indulgences” are the last thing dominating the current literary landscape. Cormac McCarthy only got away with it because he’s Cormac McCarthy.
@@adampearson1541 Agreed. You're right about the current landscape. Suppose I was referring to later age writers putting out books in the current-ish era that do get away with it. Point Omega by Don Delillo, for example.
I’m not sure if publishing companies want to reach out to make readers with masculine authors.
I read a lot because I love reading. I’ve just finished reading my 5th book of the year.
I think one of the huge reasons reading has been phased out is because its unsupported. The support come mainly from advetizement. In tv u have ads, in video games they advertize their other games, in tik tok its ads for everything. Big business has seen books as antiquated and not a reliable and monteziable hobby so they have stopped investing in it. In business it is all about ROI (return on investment) with low ROI in a captialistic society the item will lose favorablity regardless of its inate value.
No amount of advertising will make people read books when they have much easier alternatives for escapism and entertainment. The fact is, reading takes far more mental effort than watching movies, TV, internet videos, or playing games, which are all far more passive activities. Sure, people do "read" a lot more these days in the form of social media and messaging app posts, but that's not the same as reading a book which has a far more complex writing style and requires you to read content that spans dozens and hundreds of pages to fully grasp its meaning. People these days don't have that kind of attention span and reading comprehension.
My friend runs his own book editing company, so you would think from reading people's crappy stories all day he would enjoy reading good books, but he tells me his recreational reading is also gone due to his job. I think the over specialization of people's work might have something to do with it, modern jobs require immense amounts of concentration and usually have the fun sucked right out of them in the name of efficiency
That's why it's probably a good idea to not go into something simply because you love it. You risk draining yourself of that love in your free time. Pursue what you're good at, and if what you're good at and what you love coincide, then that's another question and might be worth serious consideration.
Where should I start with Margaret Atwood’s books, in your opinion? For context, I’m used to reading semi-difficult books like Blood Meridian, Blindsight, Dune series, etc.
Ursula K Leguin is worth reading as well!
Oryx and Crake is just a fun read. I recommend that one
Alice grace
I find your assessment of the state of Christianity to be on point. My own story: raised Christian, got into drugs and everything, had a coming to Jesus experience reading the Bible, became an ever-increasing auto-didact, eventually realized that the Catholic Church is right about Jesus and now continue to increase in my love of wisdom with the help of that wonderful educational treasury that you spoke so highly of. Blessings!
I would really like to know what David Foster Wallace would have to say about the current state of social media and fear of intellectual pursuits in the Age of Tik Tok.
He would be seriously addicted to tik tok. I mean he got addicted to scrolling TV, just imagine home with one in his pocket.
He predicted all of this already in E Unibus pluram. Its absolutely fascinating and a bit scary on how accurate he was. The greats really can see into the future
I think everyone feels really guarded, nowadays, and reading requires a letting go of that guardedness.
You mentioned Octavia. E. Butler. I am curious about if you know and have an opinion on Ursula K. Le guin, one of her predecessors.
Left hand of darkness is the bomb.
For me, a short (30 - 40 mins), medium intensity work out with weights, followed by a brief walk outside actually gives me more energy later. But if I push it harder than that it'll be exactly as you've described in the video.
Another thing I've noticed with elite fighters boxers mma they are very calm all day to the fight, a idea I had is adrenaline never let's you down which reminded of the saying Keep Calim & carry on.
I'm a Christian and I remember reading Animal Farm and Fahrenheit 451 and I don't recall anything that would be objectionable, so not sure why those parents had problems with tales that are cautionary and truly educational. Definitely agree about going deep with Bible reading. I've read some Aquinas and have the goal of reading the Summa Theologica this year. Massive work. Also, I wasn't afforded an education in the trivium unfortunately, but am making up to an extent by self-studying logic.
Very well said, Ian.
I love your channel! Do you have a goodreads account where I can follow your book recommendations?
What do you think about audio books?
I’m curious too. I don’t read as much but have listened to almost 40 books the last few years since I drive often for work
Books have huge competition from so many other media now. Everyone is being farmed for their attention. Reading for pleasure can soothe the brain and our souls. I think everyone can be a reader but they just have to find the right book to bring them in. I think the goal should be for men to be reading whatever gets them out this matrix and it if it’s non fiction so be it. As long as they’re taking their time to reading at least one hour every day without distractions. But i am optimistic that reading will come back in a big way because people are getting sick of the over stimulation. People want to relax nowadays: they don’t want to be constantly bombarded by social media and politics and this superficial stimulation. People’s brains are cracking and reading a good book you love is what will heal your brain and soul.
Men have jumped to either Japanese Light novels (200 pages or lesser) or more shorter reads like novellas online then buy a physical copy of say “Dune”.
Also men have jumped towards a form of reading like Audiobooks.
Another reason is physical copies are about as expensive as a bulk of Toilet paper at a Costco.
Everyone reads less now. Attention spans are weakening due to a variety of factors.
Thanks mate, very insightful
And one of those factors is reading less…
Very based. "The world seems more diverse but actually it's conforming"
I just had to get away from the "literary classics." I found most of them either outdated or needlessly meandering. I thought I just "wasn't a reader."
Turns out I just like reading poetry and philosophy more than fiction.
You’re a breath a fresh air.
I tried reading for years and would always quit midway through the books. It made me feel so shitty because I knew I was interested in reading and that I could do it. I think recently it has clicked. I finished Plato’s Republic, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Why the West Rules, and I’m reading the Penguin book of Classical Myths rn. I set the reasonable goal of two books a month. I started by setting a minimum amount pages a day based on the 2 books I have picked. If there is a day I’m somehow unable or not feeling it I add the pages to the next day. Easy!
@@true_Pixel I think you have it now. Those are difficult books. If you can read challenging material like that and maintain your interest I would say you're a serious reader.
It may seem obvious but at school in the 80s in the UK language ws taught as if we knew how important it was maybe some realisd & worked at it but some of us just got taught the bare minimum I wish it was hammered into us how important English is.
Regarding motivating male kids to read, have you checked out the Marine Corpse reading list? The Army, and I presume the Navy, have theirs as well. I'm familiar with the Army and the Marine Corpse's. They are structured to appeal to readers at various levels, from relatively simple novels such as Orson Scott Card's "Endor's Game," to "The Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides. These reading lists were designed by educators and psychologists (your tax dollars at work). I hope it helps. Good luck.
I didn't know that exists. I'll have to investigate further. I've been meaning to read more. I love it, but I'm either all in or not at all. A structured list of well vetted material might be of some use. I'm already whittling my way through the Dune and Song of Ice & Fire sagas, but I'll have to hit up what's on those lists next.
Marine Corps.
Tbh i think the main reason that first point about visual media being better suited to entertainment. "Male stories" eg. Thriller, action, plot driven, blah blah, these sorts of stories are inherently more suited to visual media, and hence we see a lot of this content. Whereas take more "female stories" more psychological, often romance, less "actiony", take Colleen Hoover (literally the most popular author right now) as an example. We dont see her sort of stories on TV or movies as often. Female story consumers can't get the same experience through visual media, whereas male story consumers can.
This is a big reason why guys who want to get into reading should consider adding comics/graphic novels to their literary diet. If you're picking good stories from quality writers (sadly they're few and far between over the last decade), you can read quality dialog and internal narration and good-looking visual storytelling that can be as good as anything you'll read in fiction novels. There's a reason why a lot of guys started their interest in reading vecause of comics. They're more appealing to males as more visual creatures, and at their best, they can be challenging in their own right.
I read Atwood's Blind Assassin recently and that book fucking rules
Ya it's a shame but it is understandable. I love reading and I still struggle skipping the Nintendo/TV and grabbing that book
I read that 90% of people have read one book in the last two years. Without reading, audiobooks, ideas and challenges... We will never learn to think, we will never grow...
@@alohm In the US I think that percentage is far, far too high. The majority of the population does not read books.
@@ericsierra-franco7802 good point ;)
@@ericsierra-franco7802 Remember what Carlin said: The average person means half are even dumber than they. So if the average is one book in two years: 99.99% read none and .01% read a bunch.
You are the teacher I wish I had in high school.
Most interesting analysis on this topic that I’ve seen yet. The multiple mentions of EDM though had me wondering if there is proof that EDM has a neural-biological impact, because it doesn’t on me.
The Bible is a great way to live. Keeping in m8nd that no one is perfect helps people improve themselves without being holier than thou. However, some will act that way; eventually, they will be shown the erro of their ways as well.
I have to say that the bible is probably one of the best works if fiction ever written.
I write at least 3hrs a day and read a minimum of 2
Damn never thought about that, its a shame that young christian kids isnt taught about trivium&quadrivium and proper theology but instead shallow dogmatism and evangelism
All joking aside, we can create incentive structures for reading the canon.
Imagine a video game that rewards you with cash prizes for demonstrating literary knowledge.
Who's giving out this money? The people who use your interactions with the game to train the worlds most advanced LLM. 😂
Next problem. I'm on a roll today.
I have ADHD pretty bad, and i also like close ready especially poetry. I am trying out magnesium glucosamine to settle down to read at the end if the day
You could be onto something there with your idea that men don't do enough hard things anymore and this has made them less inclined to tackle the long hours of solitude involved in reading a decent novel. I noticed that in the past year or two since I changed from a sedentary job to a physically very active one (removals), which definitely involves the occasional day where you go through the pain barrier stamina wise (ie. taking stuff into an office where there is no lift just a set of stairs, common in two level offices), and have to learn to really push yourself, well, I've noticed that I am not so put off reading a long slow novel. It doesn't feel as daunting as it once did. I"m nearing the end of Tom Wolfe's "I am Charlotte Simmonds" for example.
Guess I"ve toughened up. Incidentally, all the lifting not only has added some stamina to my brain, but has added lots more muscle and better health. Probably helped with my blood-sugars.
Because we work all damn day and are tired AF.
I wonder how those boys might react to a book like the Talisman or Still Life with Crows?
As Marshall McLuhan said, the medium is the message, and he saw the writing on the wall a long time ago. Electronic media is rewiring the human brain, just as books did when the printing press was invented.
Excellent!
Are you sure that men haven't turn their reading to online publishers like Royal Raod? Strories are getting pumped out and consumed like mad there. It could be that the traditional publishers are supressing (purposely or by unconscious bias) the subgenres that men want to read
I don’t think life is easier now.
Come on. If life was really hard, as in everyday survival, do you think we would have this transgender epidemic within our midst?
Do you mean simpler or easier? Life isn’t as simple anymore but it’s definitely easier. Not sure where you are from or how much you have traveled but I was told living in the US that if we have never travelled then when we don’t understand what most of the world actually goes through.
I experienced this first hand last year when I finally got my passport and traveled to rural Mexico and did not have normal water pressure. It was just gravity fed from a tank on the roof. That one thing alone exposes how easier most of us have it with everyday things.
You nailed this. It’s a dopamine issue and institutional brainwashing.
i agree but Bloodborne and Space Marine II are way Better and trasformative then infinite jest
Women live in homes. Men live in camps.
Why do you think reading novels is a better form of entertainment than videogames? Both are a form of entertainment. I would rather watch reality TV and play videogames than read books. books are too boring for me. "and then holden caufield went to the city because he was a depressed weirdo...." like why would I read about that? Id rather play videogames like skyrim where I can defeat massive monsters
This has to be bait lmao
Maybe women are more emotional conected to reading becouse most omen learn that it is a privilage women actualy had to fight for.
It was a way to opress women, unetucated people are easer to control, something everybidy should know.
Pretty soon we'll be asking why men don't read comics or play video games anymore. 😂
If women read more and therefore influence the book market more then that is fine. But, respecting that, women need to know that many more men play video games so that needs to be respected too and the market focused on their interests as books are for women.
Men read Atwood?
No, Men read Nietzsche.
Women read both.
@@yhvhsaves5197 Men read Atwood too. She's a very good writer.
I read oryx like 15 years ago or so and it was good. I need to read it again!
You are doing an educational RUclips video and not understanding why men are reading less
I am curious if you have had much exposure to James White (theologian living in Phoenix, AZ). He is a good example of rigorous study of the Bible.
YOU SHOULD DO ANOTHER CHANNEL CALLED WHITE CONSCIOUS. I READ A LOT, BUT I READ MOSTLY NONFICTION.
My comment already got reported after 60 seconds because apparently you can't call out certain biases. Unsubscribed.
What were the biases? It may not have been Write Conscious who reported you. Pretty sure anyone can report.
It probably wasn't the channel. RUclips is very sensitive with its censorship.
Mostly BS reading is the single most involving form of media there is. A good writer makes you use every sense while you are reading. Gripping fiction is better than any video game or movie. The Conan stories are better and more intricate than the movie. Boys who are taught the importance of reading by their parents become readers. Boys who are read to by their fathers become readers. A father reading to his children is the most manly father in the universe. Also men are reading plenty of books but they are mostly produced by indy authors and are not tracked by the publishing industry. D&D manuals are great reading. If you can't interst boys in reading you are a poor teacher.
I recently watched a video on the same statistics. The guy there pointed out that many companies go the progressive route. And when we look at which gender tends to be progressive and which gender tends to be opposed to the progressive ideology it makes sense that less men are appealed by what modern publishers push. After all romantasy isn't the same as previous fantasy. But there is a countermovement called iron age media. They basically take the same space as indigames vs. AAA studios. Also many men don't read novels and instead read topical books. As a teen I read a lot of fiction and by now (age 30) I switched mostly to either natural science, history or folklore.
But your perspective is quite a different one. You bypassed all of those arguments with your position as a teacher and your dopamine insights. That is certainly a valid point. But I still have some questions. For example, is it possible that school is generally set up in a way that appeals more to female way of learning? If that is the case then it is possible that some of the lack of interest in reading is because you as a teacher recommended a book in a classroom setting. I've heard it several times that a man said, he found a book very boring, but after he left school and years down the line read it again, it was way better.
Your point about sitting on the desk reading for the entire day is a very valid one. As a teenager I read a lot. At around the age of 15 I read through the Bible with around 11 chapters per day. Or I read 30 books of the novelist Karl May which I got from the library. Before the age of 16 I didn't have any access to the digital world. That may have helped too. Now that I'm older I have worked as an automation technician, as a software developer and I have been a university student. If I sit in front of the screen all day, it is indeed more difficult to read than if I have vacations on a beach or if I work as an automation technician. But in my software development phase I sat for 2h in a train. The way to the company was spent dosing, but the way back I usually read in a book. Now that my commute is shorter, I miss that reading time. I couldn't always focus perfectly, but it was also a great time to let loose your thoughts and I could reflect on many things.
Another thing that you mentioned is the dopamine level. I got addicted to constantly having some content running in the back. It usually is at least somewhat worthwhile. For example one of my weekly watches is a woman doing a 3h+ stream on a very detailed historical background of Muhammed (Go watch _Reasoned Answers_ if you are interested). But by now I try to figure out how I can remove that desire for this constant artificial busyness. The sad thing of a great life is that you have to cut out good things too.
A while ago I found the RUclips channel "Rob Pirie - The Cause". I think you would like that one. It's a guy who reads through the Harvard classics and makes videos on what he learned. Basically he participates in the great conversation but in a slightly different form than usual. After watching his videos I always go away happy and with a feeling that everything is right in the world. And since he doesn't put out too much content, it is easy to watch in a busy schedule.
I think you did an excellent analysis of religion. But one thing I've noticed is that there is a countermovement to that shallow Christianity and shallow secularism. I know many young men who are not happy with how Christianity is lived out and want to go deeper. Those people can be found in both the small churches as well as the big ones. Since they are counter culture to a degree, they are not as visible for non involved people. But it is not just those people. In the right wing media there is also a desire to go deeper and to go back to the intellectual roots of Christianity. Carl Benjamin or Tom Holland are two public figure in that movement. Neither of them is Christian, but both see the value of Christianity and want to have a culture that goes back to the Christian roots.
As a Christian I have tendency to ignore when Christians misbehave. Like every other human, I react more strongly when people I disagree with misbehave. But I fully agree with your statement that the parents shouldn't isolate their children from hearing other views. And I think that mindset is the reason why so many Christian children deconstruct their faith. If you only present one view on the world, then a child only learns to deal with one worldview at a time. At some point they go to a school where the professors are smarter and better educated than the parents and the pastor. Since a person raised that way only knows how to handle one worldview at a time, they think the world view of the parents is on the level of laymen and the worldview of the professor is on the level of experts. And such a person obviously switches to the view which has better people supporting it and which the current social environment approves off. I grew up knowing both Christianity and secular Atheism. Because of that I always had people who are smarter than me in both sides of the argument. Because of that I couldn't use that as a criteria to find out which is the correct one. I was forced to look at the actual arguments they make. And I came to the conclusion that both views mostly cover most facts and neither of the view is conclusive to the point that there are no questions left. Since I'm Christian it is obvious what I think wins the cumulative case.
To end my comment I will go a bit controversial. I watch a lot of apologetics content both between Atheism and Christianity and between Atheism/Christianity and Islam. In both Atheism and Christianity we are allowed to question everything. Of course both have certain philosophical assumptions which their views build upon. But that is normal when you dig deep enough in philosophy. But when we come to Islam that is not the case. Islam has red lines which they never cross. If you want to hear an elaboration on that point you can watch the video "Holes in the Narrative - Yasir Qadhi interview clip + Muslim reaction" where an Islamic scholar explains it in a surprisingly open way. When I talk to Muslims, I noticed that they often practice that in their own life. For example they fear that if they ask the wrong question they may unintentionally commit shirk. Also they have a mindset of avoiding doubt as much as possible. With that I don't want to paint the individual Muslims in a bad light. And having that behavior in such an obvious way also comes with certain benefits. Because many people do the same, but deny that they are doing so. And if you deny it you can't deal with it through rational means.
One thing I also don't want to say is that Christianity is always superior to Islam. If that were the case, then the Summa Theologica of Thomas von Aquin would not have been written.
The reason why I point it out is that not all worldviews, ideologies and religions are of equal thoroughness. Some build on pretty shaky ground and further investigation is discouraged because it would fall apart upon investigation. Neither a strong version of Atheism nor a strong version of Christianity is in that camp. With those two views the cumulative case is the deciding factor. And of course if Christianity is true, then God wants to have a relationship with us and he will show himself through experiences and personal revelation. Those also count.
💯
I see Infinite Jest over your shoulder. That horrific piece of crap is another reason men don't read. If that was the only book in the world, I wouldn't read it--I'd use it to clean my ass.
Making money and trying to get laid requires very little reading.
That's all that life is about?
Men don't read anymore because you get called gay and effeminate.
Pedagogy of the oppressed is another solid explanation (I disagree with its solution but still a great critical analysis)
From a certain point of view, isn't it more effeminate to be so concerned about other people finding you effeminate for reading that it completely dictates your actions? No man should ever allow the petty opinions of others to have that much power over their minds.
@@Tyler_W I never said the argument was logical or consistent. Most humanities are becoming more and more led by women
I'm 56 years old and a voracious reader and my sexuality has never once been called into question because of it.
Also tic tok brain...
My biggest regret in life was reading too many books in high school and not playing enough video games. Literature IMO is the most pretentious and overrated artistic endeavor.
People are reading more now than ever before actually (men too).
Not books. Not buying that assertion at all.
@@ericsierra-franco7802 It suits your politics to keep people ignorant and yourself
@@jarrodanderson2124 What? Suits my politics? You haven't a clue what my politics are. The fact is far fewer people... especially men...read books today then people did in the past. That's a fact! And stating a fact such as this is not preventing anyone from picking up a book and reading. Your accusation towards me is nonsensical and lacks logic and is juvenile.
The sad truth is many young people leave high school today and are functionally illiterate. As a literacy volunteer I know this for a fact.
What value you would have in passing on misinformation such as you have here is beyond me! And I have zero doubt I'm much better read than you are.