Comment on New Study: 54% of American Adults Read Below 6th Grade-Levels

• darq@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Maybe you should try reading what people are writing instead of falling back on strawmen.

  I do not believe people who cannot read at an adult level are able to access and understand the information and knowledge they need to navigate the world effectively. And that makes them vulnerable.

  That's not elitism.

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  • Primarily0617@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    You're saying that, in your personal judgement, the average US citizen isn't navigating life as effectively as you deem they should be able to.

    That really sounds like elitism to me.

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    • darq@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Looking at the current state of the US... That's not the point that you might think it is.

      Yes, I think if the average US citizen had better access to information, they might be able to make more positive change to the world around them.

      I think people are capable of more than just existing and being "productive" as defined by today's capitalist world. So consider that what you call "functioning", I think people have the potential for more than that, if given the tools. That's the opposite of elitism.

      That really sounds like elitism to me.

      If you are not even going to try and entertain a conflicting perspective, and just sit there and throw accusations, then you are wasting my time.

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  • DessertStorms@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    No, that's ableism.

    https://web.archive.org/web/20230605065733/https://ollibean.com/intelligence-is-an-ableist-concept/

    https://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/23/ableist-word-profile-intelligence/

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    • darq@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      I'm not talking about intelligence or IQ. I didn't even say "intelligence".

      I'm talking about access to information.

      Not every single individual needs to be a skilled reader. But people, in general, do need to be able to access information. If significant parts of the population are struggling to read, that's not a condemnation on them as individuals, but can mean that they are vulnerable to being cut off from information they need to live their best lives, or to impact the world in the way they might desire to.

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      • DessertStorms@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        I do not believe people who cannot read at an adult level are able to access and understand the information and knowledge they need to navigate the world effectively.

        That is ableism, plain and simple (you don't have to say a word for it to be heavily implied, but even if we ignore that word, that statement is still ableist). People are able to process information and the world around them in a variety of ways, you not seeing it as effective, or it not being for you, doesn't mean it isn't.
        And those who still struggle should be supported where they are, not expected to fit in to the abled (and capitalist) "box".

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• DessertStorms@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Not just elitism, either
  https://medium.com/no-prescription-needed/grammar-the-worlds-most-under-recognized-social-construct-a54e096ecc9c

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