I'm mocking the intolerance. Sports are fine. The other two are fine in safe and controlled quantities. If you don't like what I like, but say "Live and let live" or "Whatever makes you happy" then I'm cool with that.Joe said:
When did reading become a thing to hate?
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It's a good book - I enjoyed it. Thankfully, reading is not a taboo subject around our office.j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
My long-awaited Kindle just showed up this week, so I'm happy to have reading (and, more importantly, getting/storing books) be a lot more convenient. Overly expensive for the initial buy-in, but hey, it's part of my job to be excessive with gadgets (kinda).
http://www.gold-sonata.com/images/kindle/DSC00915.JPG
for meThe_root_of_all_evil said:
a clockwork orange - anthony burgess (the british version with the correct ending not the american one that ends in the hospital like the movie, that even stanley regrets doing)
the chrysalids - john wyndham
animal farm - george orwell
sir gwain and the green knight - sorry not sure who
the hobbit - jrr tolkein
i'd like to throw some kurt vonnegut in there but i think it would go over most ppl's heads
also i think kids should be made to learn books of subtsance like the art of war by sun-tzu and the prince by machiavelli and maybe even the book of five rings by musashi
actually i find myself reading more when doing sports and being more physically active, i also happen to retain more stuff when i doGeneral Ma Chao said:
I for one, don't read many books, but I want to get started. The antourage and their social circle makes them ignore reading and considering it "gay" and the likes. I hate reading and almost love it in the same time. Too be more specific I hate reading books for school because you're pressed to read it, while I find reading interesting if I can choose what books I can read and I'm not forced to choose. The fact that in school you're obligated to read may be the reason why most of the youth hates books. And why would you (put yourself in the mind of an average kid) read a book when you can watch it on TV or on the internet?
they want you to understand the book not the words. symbolism is not trivial.cleverlymadeup said:
take for example 'to kill a mockingbird' (a book i had to read in school)
they want you to understand the racism, the decency of some members of humanity even though all around them is quite turgid, the fact that somethings are not worth boasting about.
don't discount what you were forced to do in school / college
1984 was a damn good book, but it's only real focus was on Winston. Animal Farm (like Watership Down) covers the effects over different characters, and I'd say, gives a better story.j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
I did think about this for a time, but I think Thief has some moments that are too 'nerdy' (The Yetis for one) and despite it being more of a favourite than Nightwatch, I think Nightwatch has a broader appeal (For the same reason as I left out HHGTTG)j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
I guess it's just an American superstition against learning. Show up to school high? Egh, who gives a shit. Show up to school and spend time in class reading Catch 22, or god forbid paying attention? Let's harass him by asking him why he's reading instead of being asleep.
Um not sure if you realize it or if I am missing something (which could totally happen), but I am sure you are incorectly using the term luddite.j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
It usually means a person who despises technology of any sort and since you are most likely using a computer to type I am sure you are not a luddite.
As for when did reading become a despicable sin?
So far back it is hard to place it, I mean most people today have such short attention spans that require instant gratification that a novel is almost an impossiblity.
Hence the reason western society is falling to rubbish since so few people are willing to educate themselves or just enjoy a story for what it is.
I for one greatly enjoy reading and average a novel a week between work, friends and play.
There are tons of great stories in any number of genres some more difficult than others, but nothing can give you greater pleasure than figuring out where the author is taking you and going along for the ride.
Seriously read anything novel length and you are doing yourself a favor, avoid it at your own risk and ignorance.
Sorry for the protracted post but just had to put my two cents in so thanks for anyone who got this far.
oh my god why couldn't you have been my english teacher in high school. My class was shit. Fortunately now that I'm in college I'm in a really unique and challenging program that lets us skirt the fringes of accepted teaching philosophy. We actually read "in the shadow of no towers" by art spiegelman this past semester.The_root_of_all_evil said:
I'd also recommend Ressurection Day for the U.S.(What happens if JFK had survived and invaded Cuba), V for Vendetta (The film is good, but not as good), and the whole "What if?" series (books, not MarvelCheeze_Pavilion said:
)The account of King George wanting to stay in America makes quite shocking reading for both US and UK citizens; as the two countries are almost reversed. The Redcoats protect the peace in the England Colony whilst the Americas turn towards the Empire.
There's also a fascinating alternate history where Jesus is spared by Pontius Pilate, and thus... Well, you'll have to read it.
Amazon Linkies
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Resurrection-Day-Brendan-DuBois/dp/0751525499
http://www.amazon.co.uk/V-Vendetta-Alan-Moore/dp/1852862912
http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-If-Military-Historians-Imagine/dp/0330487248/
I wasn't actually mocking his hobbies, because if you notice I don't list any of his hobbies and laugh at them, and as the title of this thread would suggest I'm merely pointing out the lack of reading that's becoming more prevalent and by natural evolution this has turned into a book discussion thread which I think is quite fitting.Joe said:
EDIT : you were talking to me right? the lack of quotes made it hard to tell
Where I live, reading is still generally considered to be a good thing. However, I have noticed that people only about ten years younger than me are beginning to show an acute distaste for all things intellectual. The movie 'Idiocracy' might not have been too far off the mark.
We were never that good or intelligent to begin with, but the ease of communication and the abundance of resources in western nations have created a hyper-parasitic society, where everything is marketing and everything is entertainment. Marketing is entertainment and entertainment is marketing. There is very few people who actually make the things we need to survive. Everything is made easy and easy is equated with good. Very little actual work is required, but we need to keep consuming, so that the Society is kept alive and growing.
This has created an environment, where anything that requires effort or thought, is considered to be bad, because we don't have to make the effort and we don't have to think for ourselves. It is enough that we sit and let TV, radio, Internet, magazines and newspapers fill our brains with infotainment, advertisements, needs and urges. We have to consume more and more to fit in. We have to want what others want us to buy.
Books are a very hard medium to exploit from a marketing viewpoint. They are often written by a single person, they don't contain images, video, sound, or celebrities. Therefore they are not assimilated so efficiently into global marketing and media. Books remain relatively uncorrupted, independent and original. They can invoke ideas and visions as well as emotions. They can impart knowledge, but they can also entertain.
Recently I have read with immense pleasure Vonnegut, Hemingway, Steven Pressfield, Alastair Reynolds, Dan Simmons, Nietzsche and Sartre to name only a few.
We were never that good or intelligent to begin with, but the ease of communication and the abundance of resources in western nations have created a hyper-parasitic society, where everything is marketing and everything is entertainment. Marketing is entertainment and entertainment is marketing. There is very few people who actually make the things we need to survive. Everything is made easy and easy is equated with good. Very little actual work is required, but we need to keep consuming, so that the Society is kept alive and growing.
This has created an environment, where anything that requires effort or thought, is considered to be bad, because we don't have to make the effort and we don't have to think for ourselves. It is enough that we sit and let TV, radio, Internet, magazines and newspapers fill our brains with infotainment, advertisements, needs and urges. We have to consume more and more to fit in. We have to want what others want us to buy.
Books are a very hard medium to exploit from a marketing viewpoint. They are often written by a single person, they don't contain images, video, sound, or celebrities. Therefore they are not assimilated so efficiently into global marketing and media. Books remain relatively uncorrupted, independent and original. They can invoke ideas and visions as well as emotions. They can impart knowledge, but they can also entertain.
Recently I have read with immense pleasure Vonnegut, Hemingway, Steven Pressfield, Alastair Reynolds, Dan Simmons, Nietzsche and Sartre to name only a few.
