54% of Americans from ages 16-74 read below a 6th grade reading level.

[𝚁̶̷𝟹̶̷𝙰̶̷𝙻̶̷]

I don't think I've ever been more ashamed of my country being under 30, without a college education and seeing so many American's whose profession should have them retaining better language and critical thinking skills, but don't.

It's not just that the way we communicate has changed, people are beginning to not be able to decipher simple sentences.

Why do I have to break out so much childish terminology for adults?

[Utiviroo]

Which conspiracy theory would you like to buy.

Unknowing people are easier to exploit.

Unthinking people are easier to exploit.

Uncaring people are easier to exploit.

Unhappy people are easier to exploit.

Insecure people are easier to exploit.

Unstable people are easier to exploit.

Incapable people are easier to exploit.

Desperate people are easier to exploit.

Degenerate people are easier to exploit.

Probably a few other ones. But I want to keep the post short.

The timeless battle between the two major forces within humanity, the group that seeks to make the world a better place for all, themselves included; versus the group that only seeks to make the world better for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

The nuance of "a better world", is a separate topic, just to keep it on point.

[Original Cast Recording]

Liberal Arts making a comeback.

[Groogo]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Utiviroo:

Which conspiracy theory would you like to buy.

Unknowing people are easier to exploit.

Unthinking people are easier to exploit.

Uncaring people are easier to exploit.

Unhappy people are easier to exploit.

Insecure people are easier to exploit.

Unstable people are easier to exploit.

Incapable people are easier to exploit.

Desperate people are easier to exploit.

Degenerate people are easier to exploit.

Probably a few other ones. But I want to keep the post short.

The timeless battle between the two major forces within humanity, the group that seeks to make the world a better place for all, themselves included; versus the group that only seeks to make the world better for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

The nuance of "a better world", is a separate topic, just to keep it on point.

People dependent on government are easier to exploit.

[trousers]

Literacy has been a growing problem in the USA since the 1980s, it's just a problem now coming home to roost. It's costing the American economy a massive amount in lost growth and lost opportunity.

I personally think it's down to a culture of anti-intellectualism. I know people want to blame the left or right wing for it, but it's been 44 years since the problem really started, and both parties have presided over it. The one constant that I see as an outsider, is a media environment that ever increasingly just wants to set people at each other's throats, appeal to the lowest common denominator, and treat any kind of dissenting or even just different way of thought as a heresy to be ridiculed. And, hell, treats any kind of authority or expertise with contempt.

I appreciate that that isn't the entire media environment, but it's the one that people have been deliberately choosing for themselves as they curate what they want to watch or read or listen to. It makes them feel better about their chosen tribe even as it stupefies them.

And then those people become parents. And so on. It's frightening to think about what the effect of social media is going to be on this decline, because we're only going to find out when that generation starts having children of their own.

But that's just like, my opinion, man. Just my two cents of conjecture, as a foreigner.

[ナルゴ]

Maybe the USA should stop lowering standards?
Maybe stop using "It's their culture" to excuse people failing to learn?

[Rain :)]

Opprinnelig skrevet av AdahnGorion:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Rain :):

So if you actually bothered- get this- reading what you posted,

That was my entire point.. the first source is the same as yours, but the secound is not..
The point is that its not a 100% staistics.. its from "dipping" into small samples and there is just to much variety and other factors playing in, as I said above 20% of the US does not even speak English as their native!!!

I am not American and English is not my native, neither my secoundary, it is a 3rd language... The thing is.. you don´t seem to understand the argument, as you instead just went stright into the source without reading the actual argument presented...........

Opprinnelig skrevet av AdahnGorion:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Rain :):

https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/08/02/us-literacy-rate/

https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2024-2025-where-we-are-now

The problem with these statistics are that they account for English.
around 14% have Spanish as their native. 8% other minor languages and then the rest is English, but even then, those that have English are often biased in some way towards other languages or specific sub groups.

The US are 36th in literacy worldwide (despite being a huge melting pot society without equal access to knowledge) I would say that is high.
These statistics all have different values and amount of people involved in them..

We could also pick this one.
https://www.uscareerinstitute.edu/blog/which-countries-have-the-highest-and-lowest-literacy-rates
Then its not really low at all.

The vast majority of Americans that can read and write all do it well, then we have a large amount that can´t (for various reasons)
Again. my argument is that the non free knowledge system is what hinders most people (in poor regions even more) access to more than basic read and writing.


But again depending on the spectrum you use and how many you include it can be all from many that can´t to 99% that can.

There is NO argument here, I don't know what you're talking about. If there's supposed to be, it's entirely irrelevant to the post, as you start citing different nations and the US's ranking for overall literacy- both of which nobody here was talking about.

Even if a rough 20% of people don't have English as their native language, you're still not accounting for the 34% that DO have English as their native language.

Other countries don't have this problem. UAE, China, Singapore, Japan, UK- if anything, it's exactly like what this guy was saying:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Utiviroo:

Which conspiracy theory would you like to buy.

Unknowing people are easier to exploit.

Unthinking people are easier to exploit.

Uncaring people are easier to exploit.

Unhappy people are easier to exploit.

Insecure people are easier to exploit.

Unstable people are easier to exploit.

Incapable people are easier to exploit.

Desperate people are easier to exploit.

Degenerate people are easier to exploit.

Probably a few other ones. But I want to keep the post short.

The timeless battle between the two major forces within humanity, the group that seeks to make the world a better place for all, themselves included; versus the group that only seeks to make the world better for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

The nuance of "a better world", is a separate topic, just to keep it on point.

[GunsForBucks]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Groogo:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Utiviroo:

Which conspiracy theory would you like to buy.

Unknowing people are easier to exploit.

Unthinking people are easier to exploit.

Uncaring people are easier to exploit.

Unhappy people are easier to exploit.

Insecure people are easier to exploit.

Unstable people are easier to exploit.

Incapable people are easier to exploit.

Desperate people are easier to exploit.

Degenerate people are easier to exploit.

Probably a few other ones. But I want to keep the post short.

The timeless battle between the two major forces within humanity, the group that seeks to make the world a better place for all, themselves included; versus the group that only seeks to make the world better for themselves at the expense of everyone else.

The nuance of "a better world", is a separate topic, just to keep it on point.

People dependent on government are easier to exploit.

I see it as

People who are depressed are easier to exploit
People who are in fear are easier to exploit

Those two cover most of these things in basic function

[Pocahawtness]

You don't need to read well to craft a table, or weld a pipe, or drive a bus, or ... even fly a plane. Reading isn't an measure of ability or even intelligence, and especially not happiness.

[ナルゴ]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Pirate☠️Pocah:

Reading isn't an measure of ability or even intelligence.

[Original Cast Recording]

Opprinnelig skrevet av 𝖠̶̶̅𝖨̶̶̅𝖬̶̶̅:

54% of Americans from ages 16-74 read below a 6th grade reading level.

Honestly, I find this absurd. Assuming it's accurate, though: That basically means people learn to read in middle school, (whence the 6th grade level is derived in the first place,) then obviously at least some people learn some more in high school/college, then on whole their language devolves or atrophies over time.

I guess a lot of jobs do not require long-form paragraph comprehension. Even a guy writing code doesn't need to read treatises as part of his daily duties.

So, I don't really know how the standard is measured to produce this statistic, but I guess it's conceivable.

[Rain :)]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Maximum Disambiguation:

Opprinnelig skrevet av 𝖠̶̶̅𝖨̶̶̅𝖬̶̶̅:

54% of Americans from ages 16-74 read below a 6th grade reading level.

Honestly, I find this absurd. Assuming it's accurate, though: That basically means people learn to read in middle school, (from whence the 6th grade level is derived in the first place,) then obviously at least some people learn some more in high school/college, then on whole their language devolves or atrophies over time.

I guess a lot of jobs do not require long-form paragraph comprehension. Even a guy writing code doesn't need to read treatises as part of his daily duties.

So, I don't really know how the standard is measured to produce this statistic, but I guess it's conceivable.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/08/02/us-literacy-rate/

https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2024-2025-where-we-are-now

Opprinnelig skrevet av https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2024-2025-where-we-are-now:

On average, 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate in 2024.
21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2024.
54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level).
Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.
34% of adults lacking literacy proficiency were born outside the US.
Massachusetts was the state with the highest rate of child literacy.
New Mexico was the state with the lowest child literacy rate.
New Hampshire was the state with the highest percentage of adults considered literate.
The state with the lowest adult literacy rate was California.

[Birds]

well google's source is the guardian.

According to the National Literacy Trust, 16.4% of adults in England and 17.4% in Northern Ireland have literacy levels at or below Level 1, which is considered "very poor". This means they can understand short, straightforward texts on familiar topics, but may have trouble reading unfamiliar sources or topics. In Scotland, 26.7% of adults have literacy challenges. Poor literacy can lead to limited job prospects, poor health, low self-esteem, and reduced life expectancy.
Children
According to the Guardian, one in five children leave primary school in the UK unable to read or write properly. In 2024, Pro Bono Economics estimated that 106,000 five-year-olds in England each year are not meeting the expected literacy standard, and that the long-term cost of insufficient literacy skills could be £7,800 per child on average. Researchers have also found that more than a quarter of five-year-olds in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester have low literacy levels.

National Literacy Trust
Adult literacy | National Literacy Trust
...

National Literacy Trust
What do adult literacy levels mean?
This survey found that 16.4% (or 1 in 6) of adults in England, and 17.4% (or 1 in 5) adult...

The Guardian
Britain's battle to get to grips with literacy is laid bare in H is for ...
Mar 3, 2019 — Harry is a white working-class boy, the demographic that does least well at sch...

The Guardian
Lack of support for children in England leading to 'literacy crisis'
Feb 28, 2024 — Wed 28 Feb 2024 09.41 EST. Lack of support for early years language and commun...

UNA-UK
International Literacy Day - Factsheet - UNA-UK
Nov 8, 2017 — In the UK the literacy rate is 99%, which means one in every hundred struggle t...

The Independent
Poor literacy in children could cost economy £830m after ...
Feb 26, 2024 — In Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, more than a quarter of five-year-olds...

Literacy Capital
Literacy in the UK
16.4% of adults in England, or 7.1 million people, can be described as having 'very poor l...
Generative AI is experimental.


...



While in the UK the literacy rate is 99%, when you stop and think about that, you realise it means that one person in every hundred struggles to read and write. Even in the US, where the literacy rate is 99% too, 36 million adults can't maintain employment because of their inability to read or write. source: https://defradigital.blog.gov.uk/2022/09/21/recognising-the-power-of-literacy-when-designing-services/

Opprinnelig skrevet av Nargo:

Maybe the USA should stop lowering standards?
Maybe stop using "It's their culture" to excuse people failing to learn?

i think the joke thee art makking is tha US was teh first country to have public education, and thus the first to commit to broad-spectrum literacy.

Meanhile the UK resisted and had extremely poor literacy rates well into the 20th century.

They even attacked literacy programs in their colonies to make themselves look less backwards. By comparison.

[Groogo]

Opprinnelig skrevet av horse!:

Literacy has been a growing problem in the USA since the 1980s, it's just a problem now coming home to roost. It's costing the American economy a massive amount in lost growth and lost opportunity.

I personally think it's down to a culture of anti-intellectualism. I know people want to blame the left or right wing for it, but it's been 44 years since the problem really started, and both parties have presided over it. The one constant that I see as an outsider, is a media environment that ever increasingly just wants to set people at each other's throats, appeal to the lowest common denominator, and treat any kind of dissenting or even just different way of thought as a heresy to be ridiculed. And, hell, treats any kind of authority or expertise with contempt.

I appreciate that that isn't the entire media environment, but it's the one that people have been deliberately choosing for themselves as they curate what they want to watch or read or listen to. It makes them feel better about their chosen tribe even as it stupefies them.

And then those people become parents. And so on. It's frightening to think about what the effect of social media is going to be on this decline, because we're only going to find out when that generation starts having children of their own.

But that's just like, my opinion, man. Just my two cents of conjecture, as a foreigner.

Well done.

[talemore]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Maximum Disambiguation:

Opprinnelig skrevet av 𝖠̶̶̅𝖨̶̶̅𝖬̶̶̅:

54% of Americans from ages 16-74 read below a 6th grade reading level.

Honestly, I find this absurd. Assuming it's accurate, though: That basically means people learn to read in middle school, (from whence the 6th grade level is derived in the first place,) then obviously at least some people learn some more in high school/college, then on whole their language devolves or atrophies over time.

I guess a lot of jobs do not require long-form paragraph comprehension. Even a guy writing code doesn't need to read treatises as part of his daily duties.

So, I don't really know how the standard is measured to produce this statistic, but I guess it's conceivable.

Brain damage concur over time. All this media and worrying as well increase aging of memory.

The brain compensate brain damage which is why you could have a 54% brain damage and still be a working human.

The brain becomes like a broken memory in a computer. The holes in the memory is skipped. Partitions inside the memory is smaller than in a computer. Once that cell is dead it's not activated again.

[Rain :)]

Opprinnelig skrevet av talemore:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Maximum Disambiguation:

Honestly, I find this absurd. Assuming it's accurate, though: That basically means people learn to read in middle school, (from whence the 6th grade level is derived in the first place,) then obviously at least some people learn some more in high school/college, then on whole their language devolves or atrophies over time.

I guess a lot of jobs do not require long-form paragraph comprehension. Even a guy writing code doesn't need to read treatises as part of his daily duties.

So, I don't really know how the standard is measured to produce this statistic, but I guess it's conceivable.

Brain damage concur over time. All this media and worrying as well increase aging of memory.

The brain compensate brain damage which is why you could have a 54% brain damage and still be a working human.

The brain becomes like a broken memory in a computer. The holes in the memory is skipped. Partitions inside the memory is smaller than in a computer. Once that cell is dead it's not activated again.

I think people also don't realise just how much people do actually know- unfortunately, the majority of it doesn't matter. For example, most people here couldn't point to UAE on a map- nor countries like Singapore, the Philippines, etc etc, but they wouldn't hesitate if asked what quadrant Solitude in Skyrim is- Windhelm? Riften? Markarth?

The issue is like you were saying, we only have so much memory, and the media people are consuming now is so detached from anything worthwhile (concerning real life) that it just produces mindless objective drones, only capable of point-form instructions