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| No | 17% | 60 votes | Total: 345 votes | |
| Yes | 83% | 285 votes |
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Add to FavoritesBecause I must not rule out any and all possibilities, from neglect to mentally challenged souls, it is not possible to have a literate nation. Besides, there are degrees of being "literate". A sportswriter is not an English professor and with good reason. Just as a math professor is not likely to end up on the Must Read Author list. Most professional football players don't spend their off-time reading Shakespeare. And you'd play boogah-boogah to find an entire highschool full of accomplished readers and writers.
Literate in the sense of not being illiterate. Yes. That is, able to read cereal boxes, basic recipes, street signs and basic directions. Yes, that is probably possible. But not 100%, 100% of the time. Reality is a strange place where our brains dwell and we are constantly having to try and fit our idealistic, cerebral selves in here. It's a constant haze of little shocks until alas, we don't believe in much at all. Maybe someday, none of us will read.
But would it not be terribly fascinating to call martial law and all people be forced to read? And write. Hilarious.
Couldn't you just see it? And all those who could not, be sent to R & R Camps where they are forced to read and learn to analyze Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, George Eliot? Then they must write newspapers and take over the task of tv news.
I guess we could make gardeners and personal chefs out of the journalists. All in the name of progress, folks. Right in America's back yard.
I'll have some of those delicious ribs, Miss Pawkah, and don't you look lovely today in that apron. Why, it almost makes me want to buy one mawself. Mr. Will, you get back over there and prune those Rose of Sharon. I'll deswan, that boy just will not finish a thing without my continued attention. I think he's got a bad case of that Attention Deficit Disordah. He's been huffin that paint that Mr. Pitts is usin' to spruce up the barn.
Mr. Lauer, you really should stay out of my whiskey. You'll do bettah with that old lawn mowah. Don't throw me that fingah one more time, boy.
Good help is so hard to tame.
Seriously. Literacy is a choice and some merely choose a level up to technical literacy. Maybe reading novels and fantastic biographies is not so important to them. As for myself, I will read anything that does not repulse my sense of humanity. I read encyclopedias for gawd's sake.
But you know, it's what I read between the lines that really gets my attention. My advice to all is to get as literate as you have time for. Newspapers are a good place to begin. If you've never read a novel, start with the classics. Try The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullars. Or, if you are more into the hip side of things take a look at Vanity Fair or Harpers.
Even reading People magazine is better than no reading at all. And there really is more there to learn than you could imagine.
Learn more about this author, G E Barr.
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Yes
According to the World Factbook, literacy is defined as any person over the age of 15 who can read and write. In the 2008 figures quoted by the World Factbook, the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Iceland, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and others all have 99% literacy rates. It is worth noting though, that Andorra, Finland, Greenland, Georgia, Lichenstein, Luxembourg, Norway have a 100% literacy rate. Now it may seem that this is pretty close, but given the population of the US is 301,000,000 that 1% translates to three million people who do not have this basic literacy level.
At its very basic level, being literate means you can read road signs, sign your name and fill in forms, all essential things. However literacy goes beyond that; it means that you have an understanding of the written word and you can write yourself.
Not having more than the basic literacy is very limiting. You cannot hold a job that requires reading and writing and understanding instructions and reports; your income suffers because of that. You miss out on the enjoyment of fiction, the intellectual stimulation of articles published in newspapers and magazines, even the pleasure of writing creative pieces yourself.
Is it possible to have a fully literate nation though? Well, the facts prove that it is. There are countries who are completely literate. In order to do this governments need to be committed to equal and mandatory education for all. Literacy benchmarks, levels at which a child is expected to perform by a certain grade and the testing to measure it are important. Equally as important though is ensuring that where problems exist they are not simply noted but acted on.
Undoubtedly some of the 1% are those who for medical reasons have trouble acquiring this skill. Dyslexia and dysgraphia and other processing problems made it difficult for these children to learn to read and write. It doesn't mean they can't, it does mean that they need help though. This is where equality in education is important.
If you want a fully literate nation, all children must have the opportunity to obtain the additional medical help they may need to be able to acquire these skills. It simply isn't enough to diagnose and leave it at that. Funding for public education has to be set at a level where such resources are given to all.
In a democratic society it doesn't mean that everyone can have help if they have enough money in their pocket. It means that where it essential that a child receives treatment or additional help, they receive it. The very children who don't have the resources to obtain this help are children of parents who aren't wealthy. Not everyone can have a college diploma; poverty and the underlying causes such as a lack of education become a vicious circle wherein their own children cannot get the help and training they need to meet the minimum benchmarks for each age.
Society as a whole needs to determine what exactly is vitally important for all people. If that means a certain level of education, a certain level of medical help, then the only way to fix this is to ensure that those people making the decision to fund are in power and reflect the views of all citizens, not just the wealthy few who are able to fund the political parties. Every citizen over the age of 18 has the right to vote. If you wish to see improvement in areas like education and medical care, then exercise that right and make your voice heard.
The only way to improve this situation is to make sure that it is given a priority and the funding matches that priority. Then yes, as other countries have proven, it is possible to have a 100% literacy rate.
Learn more about this author, Catherine M. Harris.
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