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[–] 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is sad, well beyond the educational aspects.

Imagine not being in a mental position to enjoy books. The Hobbit. Asimov’s Foundation or Robot books. The Expanse. D H Lawrence. Jane Austen. Vonnegut. Stephen King. Lewis Carroll.

Even worse, not having the capacity for the full nuance of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    I'm so glad that when I was in school social media didn't exist. I read The Hobbit during the summer between 4th and 5th grade and moved right into Lord of the Rings. In 6th grade I tried The Silmarillion but that was still a little too dense for me. I went back 2 years later and conquered that beast.

    Reading Tolkien was a formative experience for me in ways I couldn't have imagined at the time. It literally shaped the way I look at things, expanded my vocabulary, and inspired future hobbies in addition to all of the benefits that you get from reading anything. I can't even imagine having that part of my life replaced with TikTok brainrot and selfies.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Man, novels are really what killed what love of reading I could have had.

    I absolutely fucking hated reading the shit that was forced upon me in school. It's like forcing someone to listen to a song or watch a movie. It genuinely makes me sick even to this day.

    Thankfully, I found out that I actually enjoyed reading the textbooks, so I'm still reading textbooks to this day.

    We do a great disservice to people by spreading the idea that novels are the only thing they are expected to read on their own.

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