Chris Hedge’s article regarding the reading level of Americans was shocking. His explanation of the reading level used during campaigns made sense. You can see that the reading/speaking level of presidential candidates has decreased as technology advances, which explains why Lincoln’s reading level was a 10 compared to George Bush’s mere sixth grade reading level. This doesn’t mean that the presidential candidates are illiterate; they are just trying to read on the level of the public to get their point across and secure their vote. George Bush spoke at a lower reading level (6.7) than Al Gore (7.6), yet Bush won the election because the majority of voters could understand his goal as presidency.
Hedge’s negative tone towards the American public’s reading level made me frustrated, but his explanation made sense. According to the article, America rarely reads. I myself don’t read for fun. Instead I would rather play a video game, go outside, or watch some T.V. Reading is not as entertaining as the alternative, which is why we see such a low average reading level in the United States. . Hannah Arendt explains, “Culture,” she wrote, “is being destroyed in order to yield entertainment.” I believe this statement is false. Culture is found in readings and entertainment.
Both Chris Hedge and Nicholas Carr believe technology is making us stupid.
Great post title. It reminded me of "Idiocracy."
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