Supporting the Argument
Mary Hamilton
In "American the Illiterate", Chris Hedges worries that the American public cannot read well enough to be informed and make rational decisions. If Americans cannot read well, then they are more prone to being deceived by propaganda and may become dependent on an elite reading class. This is a legitimate and serious concern. In the second paragraph, Hedges presents his supporting data: fifty million people read at the fifth grade level. But Hedges does not say where he found this data and his whole thesis is based on statistics he doesn't provide. Without data, it is impossible to know whether he is misquoting or exaggerating figures. This is poor researching on Hedges' part and it weakens his argument considerably.
On the second page, Hedges states, "Political leaders in our post-literate society no longer need to be competent, sincere, or honest." I doubt this is true; in fact, it may be the opposite. The Internet and wireless technology means that politicians are monitored constantly and are constantly in the public eye. Whereas in the past the goings-on in politics did not reach the public for some time if at all, now we know what is happening within minutes. For example, when President Wilson had his stroke and became severely disabled, the public was oblivious to it and the fact that his wife, Edith, may have been running the White House for him. Now, we know about politicians' health within hours of their having visited the doctor!
Toward the end of the article, Hedge fears, "[Americans during the economics decline] will retreat even further into irrational fantasy." What Hedges does not state exactly what fantasy Americans will retreat to. Hedges goes on to explain this is why we need stronger action on the government's part to teach people how to read.
Although Chris Hedges has a legitimate concern, he supports his argument badly, undermining his article. We should do everything we can to teach and encourage people to read, but I do not think it is nearly as catastrophic as Hedges believes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This was a generous approach, Mary, in recognizing validity in Hedges's concerns while questioning how he presents those. I thought your comment about the internet sometimes forcing politicians to be more accountable, not less, was a good addition that I hadn't considered much.
ReplyDelete