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Well, this is quite upsetting to read. (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/justpost@lemmy.world
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More (not so) fun facts:

54% of American adults read below a 6th grade level.

21% read below a 5th grade level, which is considered functionally illiterate.

High immigration numbers don't fully explain it either, as first gen immigrants only make up about 1/3 of those with low literacy.

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[–] 14 points 6 months ago (11 children)

When they say "If you can read a New York Times article" do they literally mean just READ the words and understand them individually, or do they mean read and possess the ability to apply critical thinking skills to what you just read?

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  • [–] [S] 14 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    I think they must also mean comprehension.

    I read a little about how they determine "levels" of reading ability, and while vocabulary is part of it, higher level reading also considers sentence complexity, the ability to identify concepts, make inferences, pick up on the theme or tone, consider the author's biases, etc.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Ahh, thank's for looking that up! It makes me me feel... slightly better? Although it doesn't make me feel great that there are so many people out there with just enough reading skills to be dangerous (applying their own biases, etc).

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  • [–] [S] 7 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    Exactly. Or just enough to read an opinion piece, but not enough to consider conceptual flaws in the argument or the author's intent/biases.

    The other end is concerning too. I sometimes get the sense that even well-intentioned "elites" in politics/journalism/media come up with solutions for stuff that would work in their bubble, but are a complete disaster when applied to the general public because the nuance is lost.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    well-intentioned β€œelites” ... come up with solutions for stuff that would work in their bubble, but are a complete disaster when applied to the general public

    "That's right, it goes in the square hole!"

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago*

    because elites don't live outside the bubble and they don't know how the rest of us live. they are born into it and never step outside of it outside of it, except for well-manicured volunteering like when they do teach for America for a year or two.

    and when we tell them, they tell us we are stupid and wrong and misguided and that they know better than us.

    and they wonder why we resent them... they are 'just trying to help' us 'little people'.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    It's your ability to spot potential author bias, leading language, context outside the article that might point to inaccuracies or omissions, tones like sarcasm, etc.

    They can read the words at the most basic level, but are missing a lot of the actual meaning.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago*

    meaning is fungible and largely a product of the readers projection onto the authors words.

    two-highly educated people can read a passage an come up with wildly different interpretations of it's meaning and context.

    also why people think quotes are 'deep'. because they are decontextualized wells of personal projection.

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  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    I see you've written words that I can read, but I have no clue what you're trying to say... so idk, can't answer your question (I think it's a question at least, there's definitely a question mark at the end)

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago*

    I wonder why is everyone posting random letter-combinations on Lemmy, it seems fun and definitely gives me those dopamine boosts. It seems like they have these spaces in between, and together it almost looks like a picture! I dont understand it, and im sure nobody else does, but Like, it's fun right? These glyphs on this imaginary beykoard thingy just suddenly appear on your screen when you click on them, and you can just make these funny big chunks of texts! So many goodlooking combinations!

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