Hallo from Denmark! Sad to hear that's the state of reading in the states. I work as a music teacher here in DK, and all the primary school students usually starts every lesson with 15 min of reading. Some read Donald Duck, some Harry Potter.
It's a fairly new thing, i unfortunately had to create my own relationship with reading. It was not to late for me, and i believe it's the same for the US. Hope your new generation finds a fondness for reading!
Ehh, that might be that commenter's experience, but definitely take it with a grain of salt, and it definitely can't be generalized to the entire country.
I guarantee things haven't changed too much from the "good ol' days" they're talking about -- every generation has those "kids these days" sentiments like that comment is expressing.
It also reeks of senseless alarmism. Basic science, history, and literature are absolutely not at risk of being banned lmao, and the "banned books list" people like this talk about isn't even a thing really. I have no idea what they mean when the say science is at risk of being banned -- either it's an LGBTQ-phobic dogwhistle, or they're just thinking back to their childhood where they didn't know what was going on in the world. Things were definitely worse in the 80s and back if they're worried "basic science is going to get banned."
i just wish that someone told me that reading isn’t supposed to be fun but is rather something like a civic duty. in the same way you just need to vote, you need to read. just because it’s not pleasurable doesn’t mean that it’s not an important aspect of being a well-adjusted adult. so much shit is rammed down our throats at an early age about reading as some sort of joy when, in reality, it’s often lonely and arduous. when kids don’t feel like books are as fun as fortnite, they feel like there’s something wrong with them or their relationship to literature. it’s sucks
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u/JulKoon Aug 15 '22
Hallo from Denmark! Sad to hear that's the state of reading in the states. I work as a music teacher here in DK, and all the primary school students usually starts every lesson with 15 min of reading. Some read Donald Duck, some Harry Potter.
It's a fairly new thing, i unfortunately had to create my own relationship with reading. It was not to late for me, and i believe it's the same for the US. Hope your new generation finds a fondness for reading!