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It’s definitely a societal issue, not just in America, but around the world. America is certainly one of the worst cases of it though. But a lot of environmental and cultural factors have bred a lack of attention span in us, to the point that we have to be entertained by things constantly, and reading isn’t stimulating enough to keep our attention. Which, is really sad, I think.
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He may be right, but I suspect there are other causes too. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t love reading board books and Dr. Suess and whatnot when they were kids, but once you get into school you start getting “punished” for reading instead of rewarded. You now have to write book reports on them, get up in front of the class and give a speech about a book, get tested on them, do homework on them, write essays about them, try to dissect them for symbolism, motifs, irony, allusion, themes, etc. So reading becomes a chore and a misery instead of fun and entertaining. We need to figure out a better way of teaching students about books. ÂŻ\_(ď˘)_/ÂŻ
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mhm. I think his point in the video is that it is not just about attention span though. he is saying their is a side of us that needs to look at ourselves but we neglect that side because it is scary. Basically it brings about a sense of dread in people when they have to sit with their own thoughts and brain. the less stimulating something is the more that happens. and so they avoid reading to avoid the experience of having to be inside their own brain.
he is saying that we need to spend time outside of your own brain and inside of it. but the culture prioritizes the former as opposed to the latter.
at least thats how i understood it
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true I don’t think he is talking about a singular cause or claiming a sole cause just one of them.
I don’t think he is referring to how school made reading less fun more chore like in the ways you elaborated- though that is definitely a factor for many.
He is referring to the idea that the less stimulating something is the easier it is to be aware of your own brain/ thoughts/ feelings which creates a feeling of dread around that- it’s not exclusive to reading nor does all reading enduce it.
going back to your kid point i think kids may feel more comfortable with awareness of brain etc cuz it hasn’t yet been so rigidly pushed in which way to think but as they go through school it often is. so going in brain can also be reminder of where “wrong”
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Definitely true for a lot of people. As someone who self reflects and spends a lot of time in my own brain, it is frustrating that I don’t find a lot of other people willing to face their depth like that. I know it can be scary though. It’s something I think we all need to do more often as a society though.
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