I recently pissed on about the belief that people aren’t reading very much these days. I was horribly disillusioned because I live in a world of words and don’t actually talk to humans outside of my insular existence.
My primary gauge for what the norms are thinking about is The Onion. It is my barometer for Western culture at large, sardonically yet tactfully cluing me in on what I need to believe.
This morning I found an article called Area Eccentric Reads Entire Book.
Sitting in a quiet downtown diner, local hospital administrator Philip Meyer looks as normal and well-adjusted as can be. Yet, there’s more to this 27-year-old than first meets the eye: Meyer has recently finished reading a book.
[...]
“The whole thing was really engrossing,” said Meyer, referring not to a movie, video game, or competitive sports match, but rather a full-length, 288-page novel filled entirely with words. “There were days when I had a hard time putting it down.”
Even more bizarre, Meyer is believed to have done most of his reading during his spare time—time when the outwardly healthy and stable resident could have literally been doing anything else, be it aimlessly surfing the Internet, taking a nap, or simply just staring at his bedroom wall.
I lose. Obviously people don’t read anymore, and that’s a damn shame.
I guess I need to start selling Tupperware or Pepsi or American Idol-themed underwear or whatever it is people are interested in these days.
Thats really a shame. But during my time in the us i can guess why it s like that. U have alot other media sources then books. U have fresh new Films (we have them 3 month after u have them), same for TV Series, u got 1000 tounds of TV Channels…and in most of those media sources people see actors playing parts without any kind of books.
Sorry 4 the bad english…kind of sick for couple days
Talking about reading… Have you read The Cult of Mac, by Leander Kahney? I picked up from the library yesterday (yes! I am now a proud member of the San Diego Public library! – It was the very first thing Harry and I did after getting our lease.) I think you would like the book. Its a really easy read (I am done already). It’s creepy as hell, IMO, but it is def. very interesting. Right down your techno-anthropology ally.
And some of us still read! All my friends do, z.B.
@Julia this comment made me grin several times. Thank you! I haven’t read the book, but I’ve long read his blog on Wired that has since been spun off to its own domain. I’ve even linked to it before. It’s a solid blog, obviously somewhat tongue in cheek, given the title.
Congratulations on your library membership. Hung out tonight with a library management major. Didn’t know Faulkner well and had only read Foer’s newer book, not EII. Had read Galatea 2.2, though, so full redemption.
Did you ever read the Batelle book about Google? I don’t subscribe to his blog anymore, but the book was a nice intro to SV venture capital culture, if you haven’t read anything else down that avenue. I’m interested in reading FSJ’s book, if I can find it in a library.
@Cihan: Interesting analysis, but would you say it’s different in Germany? In your social circle? In general? Your primary argument seems to be that Germany experiences the same media culture, just time-shifted.
Never apologize for your English. People would never know you’re English-as-a-foreign-language if you didn’t say so. Really.
Although I find it adorable that Julia used “z.B.” <3
i’m mildly irritated that you blog allows no images to be posted in the comments.
The color and layout are already MySpace enough, don’t you think? Image rocks, but not as much as these fucking peppers.