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Here's a hypothesis. Feel free to tear it up, re-construct it, dismiss it. I think that America is more literate than ever before, but it is also more intellectually lazy than ever before. The % of population that is sub-literate may be shrinking, but the % that acts as if it were sub-literate is increasing. It's a lot easier to watch and read tabloids than it is to take on a challenging topic.
Jim Guarino
-----Original Message-----
>From: Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
>Sent: Feb 7, 2006 1:08 PM
>To: "Dubin, David" <David -dot- Dubin -at- sage -dot- com>, Collin T <tutivillus -at- gmail -dot- com>
>Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>Subject: Re: Formality is going bye-bye?
>
>If you look at various forms of "communication" over the decades
>and centuries, "formality" has traditionally been one of the dividers
>between the educated elite and the "unwashed multitudes." Just
>scan any of the yellow press or scandal rag newspapers of the
>late past to the supermarket tabloids of today you'll see that the
>only thing that has changed over time is that the barely literate
>have gained access to increasingly sophisticated means of
>receiving pablum. Ten years ago, most net users were college
>educated or members of households headed by someone who
>was. Today the average net user is a lot less educated, but
>it's not because society as a whole is, but because the user base
>is broader. As dumb as you may think American society is
>today, reading scores over time demonstrate that as a society
>America has never been any smarter than it is now.
>
>Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Dubin, David" <David -dot- Dubin -at- sage -dot- com>
>To: "Collin T" <tutivillus -at- gmail -dot- com>
>Cc: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 9:20 AM
>Subject: RE: Formality is going bye-bye?
>
>
>Here is one man's (very jaded) opinion. (Bringing out soap box)
>
>It seems to me that there is a "dumbing down" of communications at every
>level of American society.
>
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