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People who don't read books.

  • 04-11-2011 01:51PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭


    What do you think of people who don't read books?

    I don't understand how people can live their lives without reading. It's just such a basic thing for me that not reading seems no different from not watching films or not listening to music.

    I know some people say you can just watch films instead as you're still getting a story, only it's less boring and easier to do.

    But the experience of reading is completely different from watching a film.
    A book is usually more immersive than a film and reading is a great exercise for one's imagination and a great way to expand one's vocabulary and generally improve how one speaks and writes (which goes for adults as well as kids).

    Do you know anyone who doesn't read?

    Do you yourself not read, and do you think that's ok?

    What do you think of people who don't read? 732 votes

    Philistines!
    0% 0 votes
    Nothing wrong with not reading.
    32% 239 votes
    They should read more, but it's not a big deal.
    24% 181 votes
    I've read all my Atari Jaguar game instruction manuals and nothing else.
    42% 312 votes


«13456719

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,395 ✭✭✭✭cena


    What do you think of people who don't read books?

    I don't understand how people can live their lives without reading. It's just such a basic thing for me that not reading seems no different from not watching films or not listening to music.

    I know some people say you can just watch films instead as you're still getting a story, only it's less boring and easier to do.

    But the experience of reading is completely different from watching a film.
    A book is usually more immersive than a film and reading is a great exercise for one's imagination and a great way to expand one's vocabulary and generally improve how one speaks and writes (which goes for adults as well as kids).

    Do you anyone who doesn't read?

    Do you yourself not read, and do you think that's ok?

    Sure boards is like reading a book for alot of people


  • Posts: 24,867 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Not reading is one thing but I've always thought not listening to music is weirder.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 475 ✭✭candlegrease


    cena wrote: »
    Sure boards is like reading a book for alot of people

    lol

    Really enjoyed that for some reason.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 37,214 ✭✭✭✭Dudess


    If people aren't into it, fair enough - each to their own, but those who have a problem with others who read, seem thick as ****.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,762 ✭✭✭✭stupidusername


    Tl;dr

    I haven't been able to get back into reading for a long while because tablets i'm on make me quite sleepy,and reading has always been something to make me fall asleep. Hope no one judges me for it!

    It depends on the person,and their reasons for not reading really.if you know someone is smart then what difference


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,103 ✭✭✭mathie


    dares no avantidge to reddin buks shure


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    Not reading is one thing but I've always thought not listening to music is weirder.

    I had a friend as a kid who claimed to hate all music. Even at a young age, my mind completely boggled at that.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,474 ✭✭✭Crazy Horse 6


    I don't enjoy reading at all just seems like a waste of time. Thankfully both my girls love books and they literally have to be pulled away from them for dinner time etc.. that would be my wifes influence on them she's addicted to books.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,461 ✭✭✭Snakeblood


    No 'The Worst People' option?


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,424 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    I don't read often because I'd have to re-read a page about 4 / 5 times in order to remember what's going on.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 773 ✭✭✭Wetai


    I don't really read books, the last one I read was Harry Potter 7 when it came out, I think, and there weren't many before that (mostly other HP books, which I stopped at like 3/4 because they were getting really long). I generally prefer entertainment such as TV/films/gaming.

    In primary school, we were told to do a few minutes reading, mine was in the form of Final Fantasy games (which did, in fact, have a lot of reading as they didn't have voice acting till relatively recently, and have a pretty expansive story) and I ended up reading ahead of some people in our primary school class (along with two others) and with a fairly good vocabulary.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,327 ✭✭✭Sykk


    I don't read novels. I'm not really interested in fiction or even true stories that aren't educational. The only things I read are study material for my degree and geographical/astronomical/historical things :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,455 ✭✭✭Where To


    People who don't read books should be punished by being forced to read books!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    Dudess wrote: »
    If people aren't into it, fair enough - each to their own, but those who have a problem with others who read, seem thick as ****.
    Tl;dr

    I haven't been able to get back into reading for a long while because tablets i'm on make me quite sleepy,and reading has always been something to make me fall asleep. Hope no one judges me for it!

    It depends on the person,and their reasons for not reading really.if you know someone is smart then what difference

    If people try it and aren't into it that's fair enough and I'd try not to judge them (though I'd admit I'd find it hard not to, even though I know that's unfair), and of course if you've got certain circumstances like your medication that's fine.

    I think it's people who never even consider reading that I don't understand.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,980 ✭✭✭Dotrel


    Depends on what you're reading. I find straight-forward fiction to be dull as ditchwater and a waste of time.

    Even say something like Moby Dick is only enjoyable because most of the book diverts from the narrative and deals with subjects like cetology and life on the sea rather than Ahab blathering on about his white whale.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,327 ✭✭✭Sykk


    People who don't read books should be punished by being forced to read books!

    You're on to something there...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 71 ✭✭Biedronka


    I think people who don't read are retarded in a way.
    You just can't develop your intellect without reading, you can't explore some parts of your brain without it.
    Most of the young people I know (couples around 30) don't even have one book at home -not even a magazine!
    This is just sad. I wouldn't like to raise my child in a house without books, or without pictures/paintings on the walls.

    By the way, in Irish schools when you learn english or literature, do you have a list of books that you have to read? How many and what kind?
    Did you enjoy reading them?
    When I was at school we had to read many and some of them were really not interesting and I wouldnt even call them good literature, so maybe this puts people of reading.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    Snakeblood wrote: »
    No 'The Worst People' option?

    I thought it might be too inflammatory, so I'll let "philistines" suffice.
    I don't enjoy reading at all just seems like a waste of time. Thankfully both my girls love books and they literally have to be pulled away from them for dinner time etc.. that would be my wifes influence on them she's addicted to books.

    That's fair enough, but just out of curiosity, would you consider watching a film to be a waste of two hours or so?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,257 ✭✭✭Love2love


    I am very important, I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,139 ✭✭✭-Trek-


    I seem to lack the patience required to read books, I blame growing up with television and the sega mega drive.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,229 ✭✭✭Acidflash


    a great way to expand one's vocabulary and generally improve how one speaks and writes
    Do you anyone who doesn't read?

    Yes, I know a few people who don't read at all. I go through phases where I will read a few books then not pick one up for a few months / year.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 677 ✭✭✭CarMe


    Me and my friend were talking about going to the cinema last night so I texted her saying "We need to talk about Kevin is out in the cinema, that's one of the best books I've ever read" to which she replied "Ah it wouldn't be my cup of tea if it used to be a book" :) from a girl who loves sex and the city!
    Each to their own I say but I'm so glad reading is s part of my life I dip in and out of.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,762 ✭✭✭✭stupidusername


    Oh thats the important bit really,what kinda books you read? Well i've no interest in fiction of any sort.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,980 ✭✭✭Dotrel


    -Trek- wrote: »
    I seem to lack the patience required to read books, I blame growing up with television and the sega mega drive.

    Twenty years on and it only dawned on me that Sega and Mega are almost spelt the same.

    I'm going to start calling it the Sayga Mayga drive from now on just to annoy people


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭Captain Graphite


    My Dad's a pretty smart guy but he claims he has never read a book in his life (except for when he had to for school.) Like he reads newspapers and stuff but never reads fiction. He thinks it's a waste of time. The only book I've ever seen him read is a Haynes car manual.

    I don't understand his attitude towards books myself but I don't bother arguing with him over the merits of literature.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,461 ✭✭✭--Kaiser--


    In my experience, people who don't read anything (newspapers, books, comic books even) are usually pretty stupid and have nothing interesting to say


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 9,441 ✭✭✭old hippy


    A friend of mine had reading difficulties right up until his mid teens. He now enjoys reading.

    There's a few people who I work with who don't read & I can't really relate to them But maybe that's more to do with my expectations of people...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    I used to be really judgmental about people who didn't read. But my since meeting my boyfriend, I changed my mind. He tries his best but for some reason he just cannot concentrate on more than a few pages at a time. And it's not like he is stupid, he does really well at work, he just cannot read a book.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15,238 ✭✭✭✭Diabhal Beag


    I hate reading books. Just not into committing to 300+ pages. I do read magazines (which I'm sure book-readers will probably be shouting that it isn't the same at your monitors). It just never interested me from school to present day.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,207 ✭✭✭The King of Moo


    Biedronka wrote: »
    I think people who don't read are retarded in a way.
    You just can't develop your intellect without reading, you can't explore some parts of your brain without it.
    Most of the young people I know (couples around 30) don't even have one book at home -not even a magazine!
    This is just sad. I wouldn't like to raise my child in a house without books, or without pictures/paintings on the walls.

    By the way, in Irish schools when you learn english or literature, do you have a list of books that you have to read? How many and what kind?
    Did you enjoy reading them?
    When I was at school we had to read many and some of them were really not interesting and I wouldnt even call them good literature, so maybe this puts people of reading.

    I remember reading a lot of really good quality children's literature in school as kid, books like those by Roald Dahl, and really enjoying it, but I'm not sure how many of them I read in school or got them from the library to read for myself.
    Though I do remember a big emphasis on reading in school, though that was quite a while ago, so things might be different now.


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