2013, Lebanon
Quantitative studies can be boring, and often are misleading. However, I always use statistics to define the level of my university classrooms in Lebanon. Recurrent questions I ask concern reading. Strange how in few years, the average percentage of readers in three different private universities drastically dropped: 40% in 2007… 1% in 2013. In fact, these are alarming numbers!
I have been an avid reader since my childhood and to this date, my house and work desk have been overflowing with books. I have been enjoying reading online articles too – digital literature can play an important role in building core literacy skills. As I see it, ‘not reading’ on a daily basis is just inconceivable, but most university students here would not agree with me. Indeed, reading seems for many a “luxurious futile activity” or a “geek identity marker” i.e. reading is not cool ! Spending free time in cafeterias, socializing, uploading pictures and ‘doing nothing’ are THE COOL THINGS TO DO!
This reluctance to read thus seems ‘social’. However, there are many other causes… I would argue that a youth culture that shuns reading or what I am defining as “neo-illiteracy” in Lebanon, must be related to:
1- The way literacy (and illiteracy) has been taught in schools, universities and homes.
2- The rapid invasion of electronic devices matching children and teenagers’ interests.
3- Linking reading to a difficult lifestyle where knowledge is slowly acquired versus Facebook and Twitter where information is fed with small and rapid bites using images, videos and short sentences.
4- Linking reading to stories and guidelines which are not related to nowadays’ youth identities in Lebanon – which do not resonate with who they are, the same way that pop music does for example.
5- The culture of ‘imposing’ a particular knowledge (censored, cleansed) and memorizing it versus encouraging creativity, constructive liberal knowledge and positive criticism.
6- The focus on physical attributes and perfection versus mental/intellectual. Banks offer loans for plastic surgeries, not for expanding one’s library!
7- The non-existence of major cultural and reading clubs and events in universities. University administrators often help students to organize marketing and business oriented events, as well as foam parties and food festivals.
8- The under-developed domain of research and publication in most Lebanese academic institutions, especially in Literature, Philosophy and Human Sciences.
9- The contribution of major media channels to the culture of illiteracy through crappy political TV shows and mindless sitcoms.
etc.
Why is reading important?
1- According to the startling finding of a research carried out by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on Education and Reading in England, those who read (and do it with pleasure), demonstrate an intrinsic desire to engage with stories, texts and learning – a predisposition to the sort of lifelong learning that explains increased social mobility, and academic/professional success.
2- Reading helps explore yourself, the world you live in, the rules of life, and form a better you. Through reading, you structure the path towards a better understanding and better actions to take in the future. When you are reading, you are actually gaining the knowledge and experience of someone. It can faster up your success towards one thing and you don’t need to repeat the same mistakes. “It’s like a mountain of gems for you to discover in books, of people’s success, failure and advices”.
3- Reading develops imagination and creativity. It develops the mind and language skills. It helps people learn to listen, thus to communicate and focus on what someone else is communicating. It helps also developing a good self-image. Non-readers or poor readers often have low opinions of themselves and their abilities. They feel isolated and tend to ‘give up’ ! (read IDLE no more in Lebanon, by Hermes).
4- When I lived in Montreal, I used to see young people read in the metro, in libraries and in coffee shops. In fact, they constantly devoured books. There is a correlation between a culture of reading and the evolution of a nation, even if reading is not the sole factor of advancement: Canada is at the top of many world ranking lists; Lebanon holds one of the worst positions.
5- There is an old saying: “The pen is mightier than the sword”. Ideas written down have changed the destiny of nations for better or worse. The fact of the power of written ideas communicated through reading is a foundational reason why some governments oppose free and honest communication. Illiterate people are easier to control and manipulate. They rely on what they are told and cannot think for themselves.
Last but not least, as Ray Bradbury states: “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them”…