|
© All columns copyrighted
Columns must not be
reprinted in any form without the author's express permission.
|
|
Melvin's blog
Nshima & Curry
Melvin's Blog
Nshima & Curry
| |
DON'T FORGET TO FEED YOUR READING
HABIT
I want to begin this column by thanking you for being a
reader. There are so many better things you could be doing
with your time, and I'm truly grateful, absolutely thrilled,
that you haven't yet discovered them.
Well, perhaps you have, but you've decided to take an
occasional break from playing video games, chatting on your
cell phone, and searching the Internet for pictures of Clay
Aiken.
Reading is an important activity, whether you're reading a
humor column or reading the back of David Beckham. Reading
can educate, entertain and inspire you. There's really no
substitute. That's what I keep telling my wife.
Me: "Reading is so much fun, you know."
Wife: "Really? Then why don't you turn off the TV and read
something?"
Me: "I am reading, silly. Can't you see the scroll at the
bottom?"
But I don't just read television, I also read books, a few
dozen a year. Just last week, I completed two: "Green Eggs
and Ham" and "Red Riding Hood." My wife was amazed.
Unfortunately, not everyone is a prolific reader like me.
According to a report from the National Endowment for the
Arts, only 57 percent of American adults read a book in
2002, compared with 61 percent in 1992. This is shocking
news to me, because I thought everyone in America reads at
least one Harry Potter book per year.
And what about the impact of Oprah's book club? I thought
she was doing wonders for reading, talking about books the
same way she talks about food: "I couldn't put this down. I
just devoured it. I'm telling you, it was irresistible."
Perhaps Oprah's show does not reach enough young people.
Only 43 percent of people aged 18 to 24 read literature in
2002, compared with 53% in 1992. Literature includes poems,
plays, and narrative fiction, but does not, alas, include
rap lyrics. Otherwise most teen-agers would be literary
prodigies.
The NEA blames television, the movies, and the Internet for
the decline in reading. But the Internet also promotes
reading. On any given day, just by going online, I can read
newspapers from around the world, blogs on various subjects,
and email from wealthy Nigerians.
It's important to recognize that the younger generation
reads in different ways. To fully understand their reading
habits, we need to ask them questions like these:
---How often do you read? (a) Every day; (b) At least once a
week; (c) Every time I use the bathroom; (d) Whenever
Halley's Comet comes around; or (e) Me no read.
---What is your favorite thing to read? (a) Newspapers; (b)
Books; (c) My father's will; (d) Bumper stickers; or (e)
Stories about Clay Aiken.
---Who is your favorite writer? (a) J.K. Rowling; (b) Bill
Clinton; (c) David Letterman (I love his Top Ten lists); (d)
My insurance agent; or (e) Whoever wrote the directions on
my acne cream.
I conducted a similar survey and discovered that the best
way to get young people to read my column is to have it
printed on the back of women's shorts. It's a fashion
trend -- young women wearing shorts with words printed on
the back, apparently believing that men need another reason
to look. But I give these women credit: They're not trying
to attract ordinary, run-of-the-mill men -- they're trying
to attract men who read.
If he can read your shorts, perhaps one day he'll be able to
read your mind. You never know.
Send this column to a friend
| |
|
