History repeats itself! But people are too dumb to know this? Bc they don’t know history from school? Can’t read books? What is the answer? Dumbing down of America! But that’s how the right wing likes it. Keep them stupid!
Trumpian way!
I made the world's fastest computers for 25 years. One thing I learned is that people have a great tendency to use what they already know how to use rather than learning a way more efficient or different. Only necessity forces them to change.
P.S.
What a person with that admirable quality that I'm talking about doesn't do, is back down because it's hard. They have a hill that they're willing to die on, even if that hill's made of sand (and it usually is)...
Economic power makes a HUGE difference. I was that engineer until I transitioned. Then I lost my career. You use my tech every day but I had to adapt since I didn't have the money to retire. Adapt or die. Your grandmother adapted by retiring. We all choose how to adapt so we don't die.
As a trans person who is constantly on the verge of homelessness because the "you can always stand by your principles" crowd includes landlords who think I should "stand by my principles" (i.e. dare to leave my house) in a place where they don't have to look at me (cont'd)
…But also the kids who cannot read because we defunded public schools, denigrated teachers, and poisoned their brains with glowing rectangles controlled by malicious psychologists employed by sociopathic oligarchs.
Yes this is an issue, but there’s also a good chunk of the American population that is genuinely functionally illiterate. Like about 18% of American adults. So maybe 21st century illiteracy is just… actual illiteracy. Anyway #fundeducation
Am all for education in the best of ideal circumstances devoid of all human corruption but something about the mantra "unlearn, relearn" gives me hypnosis vibes.
Yikes and scary. In a world of exponential change, discerning reality amid complex inputs is a must. Yet, essentials like clean air, nutritious food, water, and respect for education are declining. Those able to learn, unlearn, and relearn will unfortunately become increasingly rare.
Mohamed was illiterate and had an amanuensis who transcribed what Allah revealed to him in the desert. What is it with guys (always guys) wandering off into the desert having hallucinations and coming back and having them misinterpreted into shit that people then go and kill each other over?
These are people without curiosity and reason. It is impossible for them to see the appeal of change or independent thought. You know this because when they’re interviewed they have shallow talking points or nonsense.
I've said this before but it is worth noting again - ever notice how many people post photos of actual books here as opposed to copy/paste text grabs? Like they actually own books and don't get all their information from their phones?
Functional illiteracy:A person is functionally illiterate who cannot engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning of his group and community & also for enabling him to continue to use reading, writing and calculation for his own and the community’s develop.
I'm glad someone said it. Illiteracy is a real problem in the US, and it is disheartening when it is used as an insult. Illiterate people are not willfully refusing to learn. They just got left behind in our education system and are trying to survive a very text-based society.
Er, about 20% of the population is functionally illiterate in the old sense of the word. The average adult reading age in the UK is said to be that of a 9-11 year old who’s doing ok in school.
I think the implication of this quote is that, in a rapidly changing world, being able to read is not enough to be literate. One must be able to also continue learning new knowledge and skills. I have long said that in informatics one must reinvent their career every five years.
For those whom there is no objective truth, fiction is fact, facts are a belief, not a truth. Those unable or unwilling to know what the facts are, are the danger.
My grandmother was illiterate, but she was smart. She would say "book smart but everyday stupid".
I think what you call “smart” can be learned - but it’s rather the lessons of the greater good and the selfish good. I.e. individualism vs collectivism. The working class embraces collective values to a greater degree
The 21st Century illiterates do read but don’t comprehend the message they are receiving. Instead they either deny it altogether or worse they interpret the message with their own distorted views.
Truth! I've told a lot of people that they need to fix their broken belief systems. Just because granddad used to do something doesn't mean it was right. You can change that sh*t!
That is the fate of more than 99% of humanity. No matter how much of an EPROM you are, you will still get sick, you will still want to go on vacation, you will still want a work/life balance. Capitalism don't give a fuck about any of that LOL. Embrace an agrarian lifestyle before it is too late.
This is the danger of the book banning and revamping public school curriculums to reflect a single world view -- our children end up parroting those views, rather than exploring and considering other perspectives and experiences, and risk becoming passive, incurious followers.
Just watched Brian Cox emphasise his top three non negotiable behaviours:
*Welcome doubt, don't fear it.
*Shoe humility in life and in considering nature.
*Be absolutely delighted to find out you're wrong.
We also have a real illiteracy problem, especially in red states, because they keep their base purposefully uneducated. 33% of US HS graduates never read another book after HS.
In Finland, they teach critical thinking skills in all grades in school. Probably because their Neighbor has always been the Bigliest Propaganda Machine in the World. Fast forward 2 decades and the advent of Social Media Megaphones, now the World is infected by the Bigliest Propaganda Machine!
I wonder if even Alvin Toffler anticipated the sheer magnitude of 'future shock' we'd be trying to cope with nowadays... I think we may actually have reached a stage he might term 'future REJECTION.'
This is a significant quote. The inability to update based on new information is a major cause of our global rift.
When Heidi and Alvin wrote this, the concept of changing your mind was viewed as weakness.
My 6th grade teacher read this to the class ('79) and I was inspired for life.
Ms. Schuyler ❤️
I think a more true sentiment, would actually be that illiteracy will rear its head not as the the inability to learn, unlearn, or relearn, but in the inability to discern what is truth in the first place. That is the real issue.
Sadly, the first thing we need to teach our kids is that people lie. There's no point in letting them go online, or teaching them research skills, if they don't understand this tragic truth.
Millions of fake ads, fake 'news', and AI-generated people each second. Teach them to sort wheat from chaff.
1/2 “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We are no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that
It’ll also be those who can’t read … according to the study released that shows 54% of Americans have a 6th grade (or lower) reading comprehension level 😬
There are words for people with no critical thinking skill, but none have the panache of illiterate, so how about we start using it to mean that, and maybe we can bend the accepted meaning.
Comments
Trumpian way!
We are screwed
Alvin Toffler.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpdt7omPoa0
I don't know. I kind of admire brute stubbornness.
There's something about digging your heals in, giving everyone the finger, and saying "make me" that I just can't help but respect.
If you have the "economic power" to do it, then it's an empty gesture. The kind of stubborn person that I'm talking about doesn't care about that.
What a person with that admirable quality that I'm talking about doesn't do, is back down because it's hard. They have a hill that they're willing to die on, even if that hill's made of sand (and it usually is)...
As a trans person who is constantly on the verge of homelessness because the "you can always stand by your principles" crowd includes landlords who think I should "stand by my principles" (i.e. dare to leave my house) in a place where they don't have to look at me (cont'd)
Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life
https://www.apmresearchlab.org/10x-adult-literacy#:~:text=by%20EMILY%20SCHMIDT%20%7C%20March%2016%2C%202022&text=This%20means%20more%20than%20half,of%20a%20sixth%2Dgrade%20level.
I guess we know why stupid won the election. ☹️
Free thinking is important to preserve one’s own sense of identity and utilizes one’s intellect, instead of merely accepting whatever one is told.
But the wording of this quote sounds like an Orwellian threat.
Who gets to decide what you need to unlearn, and what to relearn? Is it "just" knowledge, or also ethics?
My grandmother was illiterate, but she was smart. She would say "book smart but everyday stupid".
https://bsky.app/profile/killercop1984.bsky.social/post/3lch3zhr7rk2z
*Welcome doubt, don't fear it.
*Shoe humility in life and in considering nature.
*Be absolutely delighted to find out you're wrong.
They don't teach those at school so they?
When Heidi and Alvin wrote this, the concept of changing your mind was viewed as weakness.
My 6th grade teacher read this to the class ('79) and I was inspired for life.
Ms. Schuyler ❤️
Millions of fake ads, fake 'news', and AI-generated people each second. Teach them to sort wheat from chaff.
“See 2024 U.S. election”