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dedl67

(100 posts)

6. Neil Postman long ago predicted the decline in reading in the US

Wed Oct 1, 2025, 05:42 PM

Oct 1

“I suspect there will be an erosion of the concept of the common reader, the type of person who gets most of his or her literary experience and information from novels and general non-fiction books. There will almost certainly be an increase in both illiteracy and aliteracy (an aliterate being a person who can read but doesn’t). It has been estimated there are now 60 million illiterates, and according to a report from our Librarian of Congress, there may be an equal number of aliterates. In any case, a general impatience with books will develop, especially with books in which language is used with subtlety to express complex ideas."

Neil Postman “Conscientious Objections” 1988

It has happened and this is where we are. A nation in which a substantial fraction of citizens are not able to comprehend complex ideas.

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Only 16 percent of Americans read for personal interest or pleasure [View all] misanthrope Oct 1 OP

Scary! I'm doing my part reading 2-3 books / day SheltieLover Oct 1 #1

I don't quite read that fast, but Bettie Oct 1 #16

I've pretty much run out of cozy mystery authors SheltieLover Oct 1 #17

I sometimes reread favorites from my younger days... Harker Oct 1 #27

I do as well! SheltieLover Oct 1 #35

Well put! Harker Oct 1 #52

Fabulous! SheltieLover Oct 1 #55

Changed my life for the better to embrace and integrate the masculine, feminine, and lupine elements of my nature! Harker Oct 1 #65

Ooooh I'll have to give it a try. Sounds Jungian. SheltieLover Oct 1 #77

He was a curious blend of old fashioned and newfangled. Harker Oct 1 #90

My library doesn't have an e copy SheltieLover Oct 1 #116

Not only yea but, you knew it, HELL yea. nt Prairie_Seagull Oct 1 #105

Who are your favorite cozy mystery authors? Ilsa Oct 1 #48

David Rosenfelt, Carl Hiaason, Lilian Jackson Braun, Shirley Rousseau Murphy SheltieLover Oct 1 #58

I don't have any yet. I'm currently reading a physical Ilsa Oct 1 #91

Sounds interesting. SheltieLover Oct 1 #92

Thank you for your list. I'm bookmarking it. nt Ilsa Oct 1 #94

All but Hiaason's involve cats or dogs (Rosenfelt)! SheltieLover Oct 1 #95

Susan Conant has some fun cozy mysteries with dogs! imaginary girl Oct 1 #96

Ty sooo much! SheltieLover Oct 1 #98

You're welcome! I hope you like them! imaginary girl Oct 1 #107

Hiaason's books are great DeeDeeNY Thursday #128

Thx! I'll check out his work. SheltieLover Thursday #129

He started writing in the 50's DeeDeeNY Thursday #132

Miranda James is another with a cat SheltieLover Oct 1 #97

Rita Mae Brown yet another SheltieLover Oct 1 #100

These sound like wonderful, lighthearted Ilsa Thursday #120

Yes, they are! SheltieLover Thursday #121

Ellery Adams & Fern Michaels, too SheltieLover Oct 1 #60

I am almost finished the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves. terip64 Oct 1 #51

Ah, the stories with Jimmy Perez? Pinback Oct 1 #110

I think she also wrote the Vera series... róisín_dubh Thursday #122

Me too! Dancingdem Oct 1 #80

I love Cozy Mysteries SheLiberal Oct 1 #85

I agree! Cozies are like taking a vaca. SheltieLover Oct 1 #86

I have enjoyed Elizabeth Peters SheLiberal Oct 1 #104

Ty so much! SheltieLover Oct 1 #117

A lot of my favorite cozy authors have died. So I'm in the same boat. raccoon Thursday #124

Surely there must be some you haven't read? SheltieLover Thursday #126

I've read chet & bernie. that other one I haven't. raccoon Thursday #130

Diane Kelly is one of my favs! SheltieLover Thursday #131

Amazon Kindle has an endless supply of cozies. marybourg Thursday #140

Thanks, Mary! I don't have any cable, streaming, or SheltieLover Thursday #145

I want to be you when I grow up! HeartsCanHope Oct 1 #26

Yes, I guess... SheltieLover Oct 1 #72

Awesome! ancianita Oct 1 #56

2-3 per day? Polybius Oct 1 #69

No. I'm not reading heavy material. SheltieLover Oct 1 #75

I definitely do not read that fast, but I do read about 12 to 14 books per year, lots of articles, art books, etc. Escurumbele Oct 1 #82

Oh wow..im reading a book a month..fiction BlueWaveNeverEnd Oct 1 #115

Whatever works for you. I don't have a lot else to do. SheltieLover Thursday #148

That's weak...I read 7-8 books per day radicalleft Thursday #147

It's not a contest, but good for you! SheltieLover Thursday #149

Soon there will be more writers than readers. Not sure who they think will buy their books. ./nt bucolic_frolic Oct 1 #2

A lot of people don't have time to read much. Elessar Zappa Oct 1 #3

But I wonder if many of them don't find time to sit in front of the T.V. erronis Oct 1 #29

Precisely! SheltieLover Oct 1 #64

What? Do you mean reading netflix subtitles doesn't count? thought crime Saturday #152

Nope. That aint it. NoRethugFriends Oct 1 #57

There is time, people just choose the TV over books now. "Back to School" with Rodney Dangerfield had a Escurumbele Oct 1 #87

Yeah. No shit. RockRaven Oct 1 #4

"Smart people don't like me." Kid Berwyn Oct 1 #5

It's why he loves the uneducated, they're easier to con SheltieLover Oct 1 #18

Neil Postman long ago predicted the decline in reading in the US dedl67 Oct 1 #6

Here's an irony misanthrope Oct 1 #7

Yes, and a typical printed news article contains much more information than can be spoken in a radio or TV broadcast dedl67 Oct 1 #13

Ask your friends, acquaintances, even relatives to read something out loud -- you may be shocked at the result. eppur_se_muova Oct 1 #14

I was horrified the 1st day of kindergarten when teacher announced SheltieLover Oct 1 #20

Me too and all 3 of my boys read before kindergarten too. Diamond_Dog Oct 1 #43

I found an at home flash card program for younger daughter SheltieLover Oct 1 #70

Flash cards work great for reading, and math, too! Diamond_Dog Thursday #136

I started learning to read when I was two misanthrope Oct 1 #76

I can relate. SheltieLover Oct 1 #79

But it's not any type of reading which helps JI7 Oct 1 #8

The novel invented free indirect discourse Prairie Gates Oct 1 #28

True. But all kinds of reading improve the intellect. Studies show that one can increase their IQ by reading alone. ancianita Oct 1 #66

I am forced ForgedCrank Oct 1 #9

Have you had cataract surgery? unc70 Oct 1 #54

Well, I ForgedCrank Thursday #139

Age related farsightedness also caused me to lose the habit of reading books. Midwestern Democrat Thursday #123

I've just ForgedCrank Thursday #141

Explains a lot of what went so wrong in America. sinkingfeeling Oct 1 #10

My wife and I spent 8 days kacekwl Oct 1 #11

I believe it! QueerDuck Oct 1 #12

I've known I am in a reading minority since I was in second grade or so. Aristus Oct 1 #15

Same here! SheltieLover Oct 1 #21

Me too Aristus. Diamond_Dog Thursday #137

My fourth grade teacher had a program during which, for the last half hour of the school day, Aristus Thursday #142

Reading well-written articles online also counts as reading synni Oct 1 #19

I read a lot but in the format of the internet instead of print. & longer pieces as directed to UTUSN Oct 1 #22

Couldn't be more obvious. N/T Tom Dyer Oct 1 #23

My goal in retirement is to read all the stuff I never got around to. I will never make it. Midnight Writer Oct 1 #24

Our local bookstore is thriving Prairie Gates Oct 1 #25

Reading is what I do when many people would be watching television. hunter Oct 1 #30

Right... Trueblue Texan Oct 1 #41

People consume lots of "chewing gum for the eyes". . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Oct 1 #31

I am part of that percentage Tree Lady Oct 1 #32

I read several books a week. I am a very fast reader. Raftergirl Oct 1 #33

Pitiful. Literacy is the foundation of civilization. They have no excuse. ancianita Oct 1 #34

Reading is very difficult for some people...I don't judge them. Trueblue Texan Oct 1 #44

I completely understood that as a former teacher of reading. But the numbers should be reversed to reflect that reality ancianita Oct 1 #50

I agree... Trueblue Texan Thursday #133

Cool. Well then, you'd also likely agree that those unable to read for good reasons should not ancianita Thursday #146

Preaching to the choir here Trueblue Texan Thursday #151

I have a very short attention span BigmanPigman Oct 1 #36

Tragic berniesandersmittens Oct 1 #37

Child of an acquaintance said "Reading is boring!" biophile Oct 1 #38

I would be curious to see the raw data Tetrachloride Oct 1 #39

I love to read...I also like audiobooks. I like mysteries, fiction mostly. Demsrule86 Oct 1 #40

Hey, how have you been? Polybius Oct 1 #71

I've been reading for DiverDave Oct 1 #42

My son and i were talking about rowling the other day bedazzled Oct 1 #93

Reading well written books on history was my passion Keepthesoulalive Oct 1 #45

I'm not surprised. Bristlecone Oct 1 #46

We read a LOT AverageOldGuy Oct 1 #47

I volunteer at a food shelf mgardener Oct 1 #49

I admit I don't read as much as I used to ! kimbutgar Oct 1 #53

I honestly cannot imagine my life without books Skittles Oct 1 #59

I agree wholeheartedly! llmart Oct 1 #111

certain books I will read during daytime hours Skittles Oct 1 #113

Great! llmart Thursday #127

Most of my reading goes into researching for my job. Gore1FL Oct 1 #61

I wish there was a better breakdown of reading for the poll sakabatou Oct 1 #62

The Bobbsey Twins were my first -- BarbD Oct 1 #63

I used to be a voracious reader. Xavier Breath Oct 1 #67

All of my "leisure" time is reading, as is much of my work day. NNadir Oct 1 #68

Does DU count as reading? Polybius Oct 1 #73

Lack of Language skills nurtured by new media 2na fisherman Oct 1 #74

My book club reads a book a month on average. I usually read extra books because a month is too long. live love laugh Oct 1 #78

Would like to see age breakdown of the16 percent. Sneederbunk Oct 1 #81

I finally slogged through "Les Miserables", all 1,222 pages of it HuskiesHowls Oct 1 #83

I learned how to read when I was 4. I'm still a heavy reader and I feel sorry fot non readers. Ping Tung Oct 1 #84

that's scandalous barbtries Oct 1 #88

Listen to audiobooks 3 plus hours a day exboyfil Oct 1 #89

That explains a lot. nt mcar Oct 1 #99

yes Skittles Oct 1 #114

I feel sorry for the 84% who don't read for pleasure, they don't know what they're missing. Dave Bowman Oct 1 #101

I dont read as much as i used to but i still do. The Third Doctor Oct 1 #102

Since I moved to Durham mnhtnbb Oct 1 #103

If you like autobiography. Read Willie Nelson's Captain Zero Oct 1 #106

I love to read. MIButterfly Oct 1 #108

Our house looks like a library in places. Walls of books. Liberal In Texas Oct 1 #109

Wow, that's depressing! Fairly avid reader.... electric_blue68 Oct 1 #112

So many replies focusing on books misanthrope Oct 1 #118

The rise in popularity of podcasts mnhtnbb Thursday #125

TL;DR LudwigPastorius Oct 1 #119

That's our problem right there. yardwork Thursday #134

I must know them all! Seriously, though, I wonder how different that is then in past decades Iris Thursday #135

That explains a lot. We're in trouble, people. Joinfortmill Thursday #138

I guess I don't understand folks these days - reading is such a pleasure. lark Thursday #143

Well, when it literally hurts to try took read a book. OldBaldy1701E Thursday #144

this is frightening mike_c Thursday #150