Blog 8: Reading, Writing, and Listening

The literacy of the common American has become a rising concern. In Chris Hedge’s reading “America the Illiterate” he explains that presidential candidates have been continuously speaking in a lower reading level every election. The reason being is that America’s average reading level is decreasing. George Bush spoke at the reading level of a sixth grader, while Al Gore spoke at the level of a seventh grader. They read at this level to help the public understand their political goals. President Bush won the election even though he read at a lower reading level. It may be possible that the average American’s reading level ranges between a sixth and seventh grader. In Scribner’s “Literacy in Three Metaphors” he describes the reading level of the average American. In 1952, a census considered six years of school to be the minimal literacy threshold. Not all Americans graduate College or even High School. This a major factor to the average literacy of an American. Without continual literary practice, a person’s literacy will decrease. Today, books have been replaced by T.V, video games the internet, and texting. Social Networking websites require you to write and read. Video games require a person to read and follow direction. Blogging requires you to take a stance on a subject and defend your argument. Clive Thompson, the author of “the New Literacy” explains that people today are writing far more than any generation to come, and maybe that technology is helping raise the standards for literacy.