What's the story with people who read books (usually fiction type books- for entertainment) who think that they are some kind of supreme intelligent being and that people who do not read books are, well to put it bluntly, idiots.

 

 

 

Is it some kind of revolutionary concept that different people have different likes and dislikes? Is a person mentally lacking because they prefer watching a movie over reading a book? Do these pseudo-intellectuals not realize that some people in this world have extremely busy schedules and can't be cabbaged to devote a large amount of time to read a book?

 

I like reading books from time to time, but I am not one of these would be philosophers who try to read as many fiction stories as possible. Sure, your vocabulary and writing skills may improve if you constnatly have your nose in a book. But what does that really do other than make you appear to be more intelligent? Anyone can come out with a sentence full of complex words and whether they truly know the words or not does not make a difference in how smart the person truly is at the end of the day.

 

I remember on another forum someone posted a statistic saying X percent of american families do not own/read X amount of books, and people were discussing how sad that was.

 

 

 

Anyone else feel the same or am I the only one who hates scum that try to validate their intelligence or lack thereof?

*Removes his head from his [wagon]* I'm not sure where you came up with this...I'm a "book reader", and while I do feel like I'm smarter than the average bear, it isn;t because I read. It's because I am. Schedule or not, it doesn;t say much about your IQ when you express disgust at the slightest thought of having to read (yes, I know people like this. Many people.).

I like reading books from time to time, but I am not one of these would be philosophers who try to read as many fiction stories as possible.

 

 

 

What did you say, inferior being of lesser intelligence? I'm trying to read here. :P

 

 

 

I honestly agree with you 100%. But, I know people who are like that and don't even read anything. :P It's pretty sad when people try so hard to validate their intelligence. It just makes them look stupid.

Reading a book does not make one more intelligent. It just makes one split out ideas and concepts that are not his own, but the book's.

Sure, your vocabulary and writing skills may improve if you constnatly have your nose in a book.

 

 

 

That's exactly why, and books require infinite more imagination than movies, which are just given to you visually and audially.

 

 

 

And most intellectuals are smart enough to know not to being arrogant.

I read. A lot. I probably own more books than a lot of people have read in their lifetime. I can attest to the fact that vocabulary, writing skills, and other areas vastly improve from reading. That can't really be argued. Sure, some people don't like to read. But they will find English class a lot harder for it.

 

 

 

And what you said about not knowing what the words mean is completely untrue for someone who really takes something away from reading. You learn how to use context to figure out the meaning of the words, and the more you read the better you become at writing paragraphs after professionals because you've seen them so often. You can't do crap without understanding it, so if you've become good at writing and have expanded your vocabulary from reading you understand the meaning behind it all.

 

 

 

Besides the vocab and surface stuff, there is almost always a message behind any sort of writing, and reading a lot will expose you to a lot of them. You watch the Discovery Channel? I read for the same effect, with the added benefit of improving my skills in other areas. You enjoyed Lord of the Rings? So did I; the books, that is. Going deeper than the obviously educational reads are the more subtle messages, such as those in Romanticism.

 

 

 

I don't think any less of anyone who deosn't like to read, because it's pretty obvious that they are not interested in that area of work or education. I have no problem with someone who prefers to excel in another area unrelated to rhetoric and literature. But you can't deny the benefits that being a bookworm gives you.

I don't care whether people read or not, it's just people who think it's cool to not read, and prominently show their disgust at it whenever reading is brought up.

 

 

 

e.g.

 

"I have to go drop this book off at the library real fast...be right back"

 

 

 

"Why are you reading a book, you're such a loser"

 

 

 

I want to whack people like that...

Oh damn sorry about that, it's just they're so interesting you see, I can't help it.

 

 

 

I don't judge people who don't read books, but there really is so much out there to read and discover through reading that I just sometimes feel a bit sorry for people who never take the time out to read, i just feel like they're missing out.

 

 

 

Me? I'm fascinated by this world, which is why I mostly read factual books nowadays, instead of fiction, there's so much out there to learn and absorb from books and reading. I won't say i'm especially intelligent because I read, but I know my english was vastly improved when I was younger because I read a lot, and reading round a subject at school really helps your understanding.

Hm.. you say fiction.

 

 

 

For non-fiction can be said that you can express complex thoughts in a very detailed way trough books. I doubt there is another medium to do this in a similar way.

 

 

 

As for fiction. idk.

You know, it would be easy to come into this thread and dismiss the claims as biased and ignorant. However, there really is a prominent amount of bookworm elitists out there and they're not afraid to tell me.

Hm.. you say fiction.

 

 

 

For non-fiction can be said that you can express complex thoughts in a very detailed way trough books. I doubt there is another medium to do this in a similar way.

 

 

 

As for fiction. idk.

 

On the contrary. I tend to notice those who search for an absolute, analytic truth to what happened usually end up disappointed. As you go on with that scientific approach, you only find that the more questions you answer, the more questions arise from those answers. A never ending cycle.

Although not 100% true, I would say the average book worm is probably slightly more intelligent. Why you might say?

 

 

 

Well look at it this way, as someone has already stated, books give a person more room to use their imagination. Now, a person using their imagination does not have ideas set in stone as much as those that mostly watch TV or movies. For example. Some one reading The Lord of The Rings may have more vivid images and a greater variety of detail in their mind compared to those of a person who watched the movies.

 

 

 

Now, the difference may seem minute at first, but there is one. A person who reads the book is much more likely to pick out what the author was trying to say through their descriptions, metaphors, characters, and be able to place those to themes. The movie on the other hand, limits the imagination of the viewer, and is more of a show, using effects and acting characters in order to entertain the reader instead of making them think: what is this movie trying to tell me.

 

 

 

Now of course this is just one example and there are more out there that either fit, or do not (as in some have movies that are meant to make a viewer think and wonder, while a book will be there for pure entertainment).

 

 

 

How does this relate to being smart due to being a book worm? Well, through reading, it is very obvious that one has a more open mind and is willing to think about the world around them as well as in the book more then a person who is briefly distracted by a movie which has more entertainment value.

Now I have the question:

 

1) We have the theory (so I'm not stating this as a fact) that we find some people who read and are intelligent, and very few people who are unintelligent and read, or are intelligent and don't read.

 

Thus, which of the following assumptions is true?:

 

a) Smart people tend to read more.

 

or

 

B) People who read more tend to be smarter.

Now, before we vote on which of the above statements are true, I think we need to define what smart is?

 

 

 

Are we talking 'book' smart. Are we talking life 'smart'. Or are we talking general 'smart'?

Hm.. you say fiction.

 

 

 

For non-fiction can be said that you can express complex thoughts in a very detailed way trough books. I doubt there is another medium to do this in a similar way.

 

 

 

As for fiction. idk.

 

On the contrary. I tend to notice those who search for an absolute, analytic truth to what happened usually end up disappointed. As you go on with that scientific approach, you only find that the more questions you answer, the more questions arise from those answers. A never ending cycle.

 

 

 

Mh.. that isn't because what i said about books. It's just that there isn't and can't be an absolute analytical truth. As far as i know that is a fact. You either end up in an infinite regress (ever answer raises new questions), use circular reasoning (You just prove what you already said in your premisse. For example: Sokrates is a greek, all greeks are human, therefor Sokrates is human. Whuppidido! Enlightening o.0) or end your question with a dogmatic answer (Ah [bleep] it! God created everything =P). That's what i learned in the first year of philosophy on university. If you want to go deeper into the subject, i suggest Kant (a bit hard to read though).

 

 

 

That took a while to sink in, then i decided to quit university and since there is no absolute truth anyway, i'll just make my own truth. Works for me.

 

 

 

Complex thoughts don't have to be about an "absolute analytical truth" though. So what you said doesn't devalue books.

Although not 100% true, I would say the average book worm is probably slightly more intelligent. Why you might say?

 

 

 

Well look at it this way, as someone has already stated, books give a person more room to use their imagination. Now, a person using their imagination does not have ideas set in stone as much as those that mostly watch TV or movies. For example. Some one reading The Lord of The Rings may have more vivid images and a greater variety of detail in their mind compared to those of a person who watched the movies.

 

 

 

Now, the difference may seem minute at first, but there is one. A person who reads the book is much more likely to pick out what the author was trying to say through their descriptions, metaphors, characters, and be able to place those to themes. The movie on the other hand, limits the imagination of the viewer, and is more of a show, using effects and acting characters in order to entertain the reader instead of making them think: what is this movie trying to tell me.

 

 

 

Now of course this is just one example and there are more out there that either fit, or do not (as in some have movies that are meant to make a viewer think and wonder, while a book will be there for pure entertainment).

 

 

 

How does this relate to being smart due to being a book worm? Well, through reading, it is very obvious that one has a more open mind and is willing to think about the world around them as well as in the book more then a person who is briefly distracted by a movie which has more entertainment value.

 

Exactly. Not only do you get to create your own characters and settings, you get to see what each character is thinking and how they feel about events, which adds to it all. You can;t get that from a movie.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase people use when talking about great movies? Sometimes whats not shown has much more impact than what is shown. In a book none of it is shown.

I don't know about you guys, but I read books and see movies to tell a story. Not to analyize the words or pick the theme of it... sure they have meanings and messages, but to make them such an 'important' value in edcuation makes me sick.

Nobody calls me stupid because I don't read :?

 

 

 

I just plain don't like to read lol, I never have.

 

 

 

I always find ways around reading books for school, I like english class but most of the stuff they make us read and analyze is just stupid and WILL NOT help me life contrary to what they tell me, very little I learn in high school is going to help in life, its just there isnt much else to test me on :XD:

 

 

 

I always find ways around reading books for school, I like english class but most of the stuff they make us read and analyze is just stupid and WILL NOT help me life contrary to what they tell me, very little I learn in high school is going to help in life, its just there isnt much else to test me on :XD:

 

 

 

Not attacking you, but im curious about what books they have made your read.

 

 

 

And if possible, can others give me what they are made to read in high school?

My friend posted a similar story on another board:

 

 

 

I had a guest at the hotel I stay at tell me that I must not read "smart" books, that I probably just read Danielle Steele and romance novels because I'm a girl.

 

 

 

What happened was he checked in, and he was carrying a book I had read called Absurdistan, and I tried to strike up a conversation with him about it. ANd the guy just looks at me and kind of says, "You didn't really understand it, did you?" And I was just like, "Um...yeah, I did." And he just shakes his head and says something about how all girls read are Danielle Steele and romance novels, and then "pretend" to be literate by name dropping books names and authors, and he gave me this LOOK. I could have slapped him. What is this, the fifties?

 

 

 

So yea some people can be jerks.

I have a phobia of reading halfway though a book only to discover it's a piece of crap.

And if possible, can others give me what they are made to read in high school?

Well there are books that my teacher has, and recommends, which I'm sure she wants us to read.

 

 

 

Some books are The Hobbit, The Murder on the Orient Express, The Kite Runner, To Kill a Mockingbird, books like that.

 

 

 

I'm not sure why you wanted that info, but there ya go.

I can't recommend To Kill A Mockingbird more.

 

 

 

It's a brilliant book.

And if possible, can others give me what they are made to read in high school?

Well there are books that my teacher has, and recommends, which I'm sure she wants us to read.

 

 

 

Some books are The Hobbit, The Murder on the Orient Express, The Kite Runner, To Kill a Mockingbird, books like that.

 

 

 

I'm not sure why you wanted that info, but there ya go.

 

I simply required the information to prove a point.

 

 

 

I didn't find any information of interest from The murder on the Orient Express, but after reading The Kite Runner's summary, I can safely say I have picked out a few themes from it:

 

 

 

"Do not force others to endure or like activities that one wants them to, as everyone has their own preferences and are different".

 

 

 

"Do not make hollow threats as the other party may call one's bluff".

 

 

 

"A bully now is a bully later".

 

 

 

I've read the Hobbit before, but it's been so long that I can't remember it exactly. The summary is unnecessarily long, so I'll give you the one theme I can think of:

 

 

 

"Do not be afraid to try new things, for they can lead to wondrous and unexpected adventures".

 

 

 

 

 

Now, if you were an adult and wishing that your children grew up learning some life lessons in school, would you not want your children to learn these kind of things? Well that is exactly what we are being taught through reading novels in school. If we analyze books tot he point that we pick out specific themes, we can teach ourselves and future generations many great things about life and how to live it.

 

 

 

Edit: only reason I did not do "To Kill a Mocking Bird" is because I want to read the book myself.