the post-literate society

[joanna bujes]

Homer probably couldn't read either...and yet, I don't think anyone would 
argue that it was a bad thing. We have some extraordinary "writing" from 
pre-literate days. I myself have been reading since age three, in three 
languages, an average of two books a week. And yet, I do not think it is 
something to be in awe of and I do not think that the habit of reading and 
consciousness are equivalent.

John Donne, an avid reader, remarked that he read in order to run away. 
Reading can be as much a drug as a video game or TV. What sort of 
consciousness do people have who read a historical romance every day? What 
sort of consciousness do people have who are so addicted to print that they 
have no relations to other human beings?  I personally know both these 
kinds of people and I'll say categorically that reading does nothing for 
them nor for anyone else.

According to the article quoted reading has declined some 5% or so in the 
last decade. Not surprising. People have less time, they spend more time 
with computers, and  education has declined. It's amazing to me that the 
decline in reading is as small as it is.

I'm not arguing against literacy and great literature. I just don't think 
it's the panacea people make it out to be.

Joanna Bujes