Do you know anyone who is illiterate ?

RATM · 06-09-2010 10:15PM #1

Was just thinking back when I worked in a pub a few years back. There was this lad who only really came in once a month or so. He used to come into the pub for a few hours to have a couple of pints and back a few horses. But he'd always ask me to write his betting slips for him and claim that he'd left his glasses at home.
After a while I wondered about it and mentioned it to the other barman. He knew of him and confirmed him as being able to read and write numbers but not able to do letters and words.

I remember reading a stat before that said there is an 11% illiteracy rate amongst the population, travellers being the group most affected.

Have you come across it much yourself?

Gary4279 · 06-09-2010 10:17PM

dggb?

3hn2givr7mx1sc · 06-09-2010 10:18PM

Few auld lads that can just about read and write.

When I say just about, they can read the betting section of the paper and write out dockets.:P
They can calculate the scoring in darts in seconds, though.

Mike 1972 · 06-09-2010 10:21PM

TBH I suspect its a lot higher than 11%

As far as im concerned anyone who uses TXT SPK on the internet or buys red top tabloids falls into the category of illiterate.

kippy · 06-09-2010 10:24PM

I dont think I know anyone who is illiterate......but then again I've not had the chance/opportunity to see whether everyone I know can read or write.

3hn2givr7mx1sc · 06-09-2010 10:25PM

Mike 1972 wrote: »

TBH I suspect its a lot higher than 11%

As far as im concerned anyone who uses TXT SPK on the internet or buys red top tabloids falls into the category of illiterate.

So anyone who reads some of the most popular newspapers in Ireland is illiterate?

Lux23 · 06-09-2010 10:26PM

Yes I know one or two but I know far more people who are just lazy with grammar and spelling which is probably more worrying.

chirogirl · 06-09-2010 10:26PM

I'm not sure if my grandma was illiterate? As I never once seen her write or read anything. She used to get everyone else to write birthday, christmas cards and paperwork etc for her. Although, she could read numbers as she used to catch the bus to our house.

Terry · 06-09-2010 10:27PM

sye

DazMarz · 06-09-2010 10:28PM

An amazing number of people who come into the office I work in "leave their glasses at home"... I don't bother to get stroppy at having to fill forms in and stuff, cos I suspect the vast majority are simply illiterate.

spurious · 06-09-2010 10:29PM

Just about being able to read a newspaper with a reading age of 8 (for example 'The Sun') would make you functionally illiterate.
A person with a reading age of below 10 would struggle with some of the instructions on medicines and tablets for example.

Most LC students would be reading at a reading age of about 12/13.

Mike 1972 · 06-09-2010 10:30PM

baz2009 wrote: »

So anyone who reads some of the most popular newspapers in Ireland is illiterate?

Yes

starbelgrade · 06-09-2010 10:32PM

I was stopped by a traveller once who was on the phone to somone who was giving her an address. She had to give me the phone so I could hear the address & write it down for her as she didn't know how to write. She was in her early 20s.

I must admit, that I found it quite saddening.

06-09-2010 10:32PM

I can understand people being less willing to fill in forms - i'm fully capable to read and write, but I hate filling out forms - always, always make mistakes.

Where I used to work the vast majority of the Traveler community that came in were illiterate. You always had to spare a lot of time going through what we were showing. One staff member was approached by a Traveler couple and when they asked what was on, she pointed to the monitors and a synopsis folder we have, and when the guy said he couldn't read, my co-worker laughed at them. The disgust on their face was something awful and I jumped in and calmly went through what was on, giving my best advice on what they should see- I fear to think what could have happened had I not been there.

starbelgrade · 06-09-2010 10:40PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I can understand people being less willing to fill in forms - i'm fully capable to read and write, but I hate filling out forms - always, always make mistakes.

Where I used to work the vast majority of the Traveler community that came in were illiterate. You always had to spare a lot of time going through what we were showing. One staff member was approached by a Traveler couple and when they asked what was on, she pointed to the monitors and a synopsis folder we have, and when the guy said he couldn't read, my co-worker laughed at them. The disgust on their face was something awful and I jumped in and calmly went through what was on, giving my best advice on what they should see- I fear to think what could have happened had I not been there.

It's one thing being uneducated. It's another thing being ignorant. Your co-worker falls into the latter category.

06-09-2010 10:45PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

It's one thing being uneducated. It's another thing being ignorant. Your co-worker falls into the latter category.

I completely agree with you on that. I was so surprised when she laughed - there was a moment of shock on all our faces. With Travelers you can somewhat understand them being illiterate as it is ingrained into their very culture to be - not excusing it. She should have had more understanding.

alwaysadub · 06-09-2010 10:45PM

Yep-my old boss. He left school at 13 barely able to read or write cos he'd no interest in learning, yet he somehow managed to set up his own (quite successful) shop. His son has basically been running the place for the past 10 years or so, but dunno how he managed before that.

Biggins · 06-09-2010 10:47PM

RATM wrote: »

Do you know anyone who is illiterate ?

Yes, a person that once was related to me by marriage - and another who was a great local singer.
(He used to learn the words of his favourite songs by playing them again and again on his cassette player)

Ban Ki Moon · 06-09-2010 10:47PM

hah? bleedin muppa sez som1 is gay so he did

who what when · 06-09-2010 10:48PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

It's one thing being uneducated. It's another thing being ignorant. Your co-worker falls into the latter category.

Actually no, they are in fact the same thing. Consult your dictionary!

Cat Melodeon · 06-09-2010 10:49PM

I've worked in learning support with teens and adults and have met a fair few illiterate people, settled as well as Travellers. It goes across all age groups, although I've mostly worked with older people (55+) who maybe left school once they had made their confirmation and hadn't had any kind of formal education since. My dad left school at 13, he could read and write but many of his classmates from primary school never got much further than being able to write their own names. I'd imagine that was quite common back then (1950s).

imme · 06-09-2010 11:01PM

Used to work in an office where people came to pay bills.
Some would ask me to write out the cheques for them.
They would sign their names of course;).

They were obviously used to it, didn't phase them, but first time someone asks you to do it, it's quite surprising.

orourkeda · 06-09-2010 11:02PM

Yeah. Your ma

orourkeda · 06-09-2010 11:04PM

Gary4279 wrote: »

dggb?

Dodgy Box?

starbelgrade · 06-09-2010 11:06PM

who what when wrote: »

Actually no, they are in fact the same thing. Consult your dictionary!

They can have the same meaning, depending on which dictionary you consult - but they can also be used in different contexts to convey different things.

And many words are not always used in the context as defined by a dictionary definition, yet are still understood in the way they were suggested to mean. To suggest otherwise would be both uneducated and ignorant.

I think they call that, 'touche'.

davyjose · 06-09-2010 11:07PM

who what when wrote: »

Actually no, they are in fact the same thing. Consult your dictionary!

I think you mean thesaurus.

Sticky_Fingers · 06-09-2010 11:09PM

davyjose wrote: »

I think you mean thesaurus.

Well look at you with your fancy book learning.

who what when · 06-09-2010 11:13PM

davyjose wrote: »

I think you mean thesaurus.

Actually no i dont. Straight out of my dictionary-

Ignorant –adjective
1. lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned: an ignorant man.

who what when · 06-09-2010 11:14PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

They can have the same meaning, depending on which dictionary you consult - but they can also be used in different contexts to convey different things.

And many words are not always used in the context as defined by a dictionary definition, yet are still understood in the way they were suggested to mean. To suggest otherwise would be both uneducated and ignorant.

I think they call that, 'touche'.

I know, just messing with ye

zuroph · 06-09-2010 11:16PM

My cousin is illiterate, its pretty awkward. I had to sit down and read a book to him earlier on, and stop and show him all the pictures. then, he shat himself, right there. and laughed. Last time I'm babysitting.

davyjose · 06-09-2010 11:22PM

who what when wrote: »

Actually no i dont. Straight out of my dictionary-

Ignorant –adjective
1. lacking in knowledge or training; unlearned: an ignorant man.

Well my dictionary (lets be honest -- we both went to dictionary.com) says:

Uneducated –adjective
not educated.

Therefore, my "Dictionary", makes no correlation between ignorant and uneducated. My thesaurus however...

Do you know anyone who is illiterate ?

Comments