Why don't people READ anymore?

[The Curmudgeon]

Whenever I get on a bus or a train, I notice something which is becoming more and more apparant with every passing year.

People just don't read anymore.

Now, by READING I don't mean thumbing through some trashy, God-awful "Britney's New Man - exclusive pics inside!" moron vomit - 'cos that is NOT reading. I mean an actual BOOK, or hell, even a comic book - something that inspires the mind, causes us to think, to imagine, to laugh and cry. To CARE about what happens next.

And, you know, it just doesn't happen anymore. If people aren't reading gossip mags they're sitting mindlessly tapping away on their fucking mobile phones. And as the technology improves and more and more people can watch movies on a screen the size of a postage stamp (WHAT IS THE POINT, people?!), the noble art of actually reading something will be even more forgotten.

You know, I'm trying to write this without sounding like some elitist snob (for once), but Christ, I know people that have NEVER even read a book outside of school. It just seems.. pointless to them. I had a chat with a guy a few months ago about Catcher In The Rye, and I offered to lend it to him (even stressing that it wasn't a long book) and he declined, saying he'd never read a book and he'd "wait for the movie." I wish to God I was making that up.

People seem to think that books are boring and "difficult", but they don't have to be. I'm not suggesting settling into the Complete Works of Shakespeare or Stephen Hawkin's latest - but READ, dammit.

I know I'm preaching to the converted here, and that all of the Loyal Dwellers will be no stranger to the written word, but has anyone else encountered this further proof of the end of civilization?

[trashcanman]

I feel as though I'm currently part of the problem at this point, though I do sling books at my aquaintances whenever possible ("I Am Legend" is currently making the rounds at my job). But damn it if I can find the time alone to read an honest to goodness NOVEL right now. Comics are no substitute; they feel more like watching a movie to me, but they have to do for now since I can get through 'em in such a short time. Someday I'll get back on the reading train, but for now family calls.....and movies.....and the internet.........video games....work....................my DVR... ugh.

[The Curmudgeon]

Huh. I had forgotten all about this thread.

Hey, I hear ya, Trashy. It can be a bit of a hassle getting the time to sit and read a book nowadays. I mean, 10 minutes before you go to bed isn't good enough cos you'd be reading the damn thing for a year.

But its obvious you DO read, Trashy. This thread was aimed at the people who simply do not pick up a book - ever.

I read a book on holiday and, I dunno, I always get this.. sort of twinge of sadness when the book is over. Like, you read and read and read wanting to get to the end because its awesome and you want to see what happens, and then afterwards its like looking at something you know full well you're probably never going to look at again.

Man, I'm getting sentimental in my old age.

[Benjamin Haines]

For me, the amount of time in entails is my biggest deterrent from reading books regularly. The average person can get further in a book in an hour than I can. I don't know why, but I'm just a slow reader. Earlier this year I tried to read The Catcher in the Rye, but I had to put that on the backburner as the semester went on and more and more stuff came up (working set crew on the spring play at my college, the nights I spent hanging with my friends, working on Kirk The Jerk, and eventually trying to prepare for final exams). Whenever I have free time that I'm forced to spend by myself, I'd be lying if I said that reading didn't take priority after talking to friends online and working on whatever video projects I have going on. I'm very rarely one to play video games, but I do think it would be for the best if the next time I'm by myself and I feel like watching a DVD, I get back into Catcher in the Rye instead. Hell, maybe tonight.

[The Curmudgeon]

Do it. Rye will change your life, man.

[Benjamin Haines]

I had gotten about a third of the way through when I went on hiatus from it, but what I read was very good indeed. Really accessible too.

Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World are still my favorite books that I've read, but I must admit that I'm biased as a fan of the JP franchise since seeing the first movie at the age of 5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell are favorites of mine too. I think I need to check out Matheson's I Am Legend next.

[trashcanman]

The pages are falling the fuck out of my copy of JP. An all-time favorite. "I Am Legend" is perfect for you because it's really short and packed with awesomeness. Buy it. Now. Only "Dracula" is superior as far as vampire stories go. Also, try reading some short story collections. There are some great ones out there and they are easier to read in installments than a novel. Haven't read "Catcher" but I know I oughtta.

[patsypending]

I stopped reading when I stopped commuting. The only downside to working locally, really.

[The Curmudgeon]

Oh, so YOU'RE one of the rare breed that actually sits on trains and reads a BOOK?

Wow, I would have taken a picture of you if I'd seen that happen.

[patsypending]

Yep. Book in the morning, Standard crossword (if I didn't nod off) in the evening. That was my commuting routine. Haven't commuted since 1996 and I think I've probably read two books all the way through since.