People who don't read books.

sbsquarepants · 04-11-2011 02:11PM

I spend a lot of my time reading, papers, magazines, internet crap and so on - but I just do not see the appeal of reading novels. They just don't float my boat, never have since I was a kid. Give me the movie over the book every time

old hippy · 04-11-2011 02:12PM

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

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.

I'm not going to shout, mate but you really are missing out on so much. Reading can really take you places - doesn't matter how long or short they are. Hope you change your mind one day

Orando Broom · 04-11-2011 02:12PM

People don't read books are boobs.

paddyandy · 04-11-2011 02:14PM

How much time do we spend in Reality ...light of day stuff?

old hippy · 04-11-2011 02:14PM

Orando Broom wrote: »

People don't read books are boobs.

No, they're not.

bnt · 04-11-2011 02:16PM

Snakeblood wrote: »

No 'The Worst People' option?

That was what the "Philistines!" option meant. You need to read more.

I also can't imagine not reading - and no, Boards is no compensation. There is so much poor writing on here that it could become self-perpetuating: bad habits live on because this is all we read. No: we all need to read good books, well-written books, books that take us to places we may never dream of going. A picture may be worth a thousand words if you're in a hurry, but if you have the time to read a thousand words, you can create a mental picture far more evocative than any picture on a screen or a page.

old hippy · 04-11-2011 02:16PM

paddyandy wrote: »

How much time do we spend in Reality ...light of day stuff?

In the working day? 9 hours, I guess. The rest is escapism, be in buried in a beautiful book, an intriguing woman or a racy pub

Crazy Horse 6 · 04-11-2011 02:17PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

I thought it might be too inflammatory, so I'll let "philistines" suffice.

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

I actually can't remember the last time i went to the cinema or rented a movie. I don't watch TV at all bar the news and some discovery channel. Although at the moment i'm watching The wire boxset which my wife bought me for Xmas last year and i find it enjoyable enough. But yeah i'd consider watching a movie to be a waste of time tbh.

Standard Toaster · 04-11-2011 02:17PM

*hugs Kindle*

I've read rakes and rakes of book since I got a Kindle. Mainly work related ones tho at the moment. I life saver on the bus.

paddyandy · 04-11-2011 02:18PM

old hippy wrote: »

In the working day? 9 hours, I guess. The rest is escapism, be in buried in a beautiful book, an intriguing woman or a racy pub

... don't forget Sleep.

The King of Moo · 04-11-2011 02:19PM

Crazy Horse 6 wrote: »

I actually can't remember the last time i went to the cinema or rented a movie. I don't watch TV at all bar the news and some discovery channel. But yeah i'd consider watching a movie to be a waste of time tbh.

Fair enough, though for me personally, I think I'd go crazy if I didn't get a healthy dose of fiction, either cinematic or literary, every now and then!

But each to their own.

Blisterman · 04-11-2011 02:19PM

Funny enough, I had this conversation with my brother the other day. He thinks it's strange that I only read non-fiction books.
I said that once I know everything that really happened, then I'll start reading made up things.

Mr.Crinklewood · 04-11-2011 02:20PM

Couldnt be arsed reading this.

-Trek- · 04-11-2011 02:20PM

I kind of hope one day they will invent a device like they had in the Matrix, download a novel into the brain via a USB cable, that might solve my lack of patience towards reading problem.

conorhal · 04-11-2011 02:22PM

It's not the people that ‘don't read’ (even though I think such people end up having a rather narrow world view), but rather it's the people that seem to actually wear the fact that they ‘don't read' as a badge of honor that bother me.
I remember having a conversation with a girl and making a point during the discussion that we were having by referencing a book that I'd been reading at the time. She then came out with the statement, "oh, I haven't read a book since my leaving cert forced me to". I was genuinely shocked by the pride she seemed to take in that fact, and it seems to me that there is a cohort out there that seem to revel in being genuinely ignorant.
The same goes for my sister in law, if I'm visiting over a weekend I'll tend to buy a Sunday paper, I've noticed that when I do she will pull out the homes and lifestyle sections and then bin the news section without even glancing at it. I find that level of disinterest in what goes on outside your own small frame of reference to be ….a bit odd.
Then you hear stories about 'a certain Irish celebrity' doing a Hello! Photo-shoot, when the photographer suggested taking one of those cheesy shots involving her reading a book to her child sitting on her knee it turned out that there actually wasn't a book in the house and they had to do the shot using a stereo instructions manual. It's no wonder literacy rates are falling through the floor in this country.

My folks may have been poor and come from both a rural and inner city Dublin background, but their childhoods were filled with books, and as a consequence so was mine. Literacy was their way out of poverty and giving them a broader horizon as surely as illiteracy is the way into poverty for so many of this generation. There was a time that reading was a working class persuit every bit as much as it was one for the professional classes, these days there seems to be a profound 'anti-intelectualism' among certian groups, and it's growing.

It’s like George RR Martin said, “A reader lives a thousand lives before they die, a non reader lives only one.”

sbsquarepants · 04-11-2011 02:23PM

Orando Broom wrote: »

People don't read books are boobs.

I love boobs!;)
There's an awful lot of snobbery around reading books I find. Some people look down their noses at those who don't like reading as if the only reason to not read is because you can't.
I can read, I can even understand big words, in fact I love words and language, but i do NOT like novels. Simple as that, I don't find they expand my mind, fire my imagination, help my vocabulary or anything else for that matter - they do precisely nothing for me, so why would I waste my free time forcing myself to read one, when there are so many better, more enjoyable ways I could spend my precious free time?

kowloon · 04-11-2011 02:23PM

There is a fair bit of snobbery around the printed word.

I remember reading a particularly annoying narrative of a battle that really could have done with a map. Instead the author thought it was better to describe contour lines and the course of a river.

Sometimes pictures, charts or film are a better way of putting the point across. A lot of academics seem to forget that they're supposed to be laying out their argument as clearly and as efficiently as possible and get lost in their own bullshit.

As for entertainment, it's entertainment and is entirely a matter of taste. Picking film over book doesn't make someone stupid anymore than owning lots of books somehow makes someone an intellectual.

Freddie59 · 04-11-2011 02:25PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

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?

I only read when on holidays. And then I could do a book per day. As for improving how you speak and write I would not necessarily agree. The biggest amount of damage to punctuation and grammar has been caused by text speak.

Pople cannot differentiate between 'their' and 'there', 'your' and 'you're', etc.

And WTF is 'would of' about??!! This is basic stuff!

stupidusername · 04-11-2011 02:25PM

conorhal wrote: »

It's not the people that ‘don't read’ (even though I think such people end up having a rather narrow world view), but rather it's the people that seem to actually wear the fact that they ‘don't read' as a badge of honor that bother me.

I've never experienced that, though I do get a hint of snobbiness from 'reading' threads on boards. like you're a better person if you read.

westies4ever · 04-11-2011 02:25PM

the late great bill hicks

http://youtu.be/Uvs2g5Nj0NI

ceadaoin. · 04-11-2011 02:26PM

CarMe wrote: »

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.

Sorry but that makes her seem like an ignoramus to be honest. Without even knowing what sort of film it is she won't see it because it was originally a book?! Bizarre. That's a lot of films she's ruling out.

I love reading and have done since I was a child. My first baby is due soon and I'm already looking at books I can read to her when she gets a bit older. Encouraging kids to get into reading is one of the best things you can do in my opinion.

stupidusername · 04-11-2011 02:28PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Sorry but that makes her seem like an ignoramus to be honest. Without even knowing what sort of film it is she won't see it becuase it was originally a book?! Bizarre. That's a lot of films she's ruling out.

Yeah, CarMe, you should let her know that Sex and the City was based on a book, and Bridget Jones Diary was a book first.

Da Shins Kelly · 04-11-2011 02:30PM

They should read more, reading is great for the imagination and people's grasp of language. You can really tell the difference between people who read a lot and those that don't - difference in vocabulary, writing skills, even in the way they speak. I also think reading helps with developing opinions and getting an insight into other people's opinions and ways of life since many authors put a lot of themselves and their own upbringings or cultures into their work.

It doesn't actually bother me or anything though if some people just don't like reading.

kowloon · 04-11-2011 02:31PM

stupidusername wrote: »

Yeah, CarMe, you should let her know that Sex and the City was based on a book, and Bridget Jones Diary was a book first.

Sometimes it's better not reading

.

pickarooney · 04-11-2011 02:34PM

I rarely have the time or patience to read books. I think I've only finished two or three this year. I don't watch many films either for the same reason although I will often watch 4 half-hour programs in a row because it feels like less of a commitment.

stimpson · 04-11-2011 02:36PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

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

Louis Walsh?

sbsquarepants · 04-11-2011 02:36PM

Freddie59 wrote: »

I only read when on holidays. And then I could do a book per day. As for improving how you speak and write I would not necessarily agree. The biggest amount of damage to punctuation and grammar has been caused by text speak.

Pople cannot differentiate between 'their' and 'there', 'your' and 'you're', etc.

And WTF is 'would of' about??!! This is basic stuff!

But verily my good Freddie, language doth evolve!
It's just evolving at an unusually rapid pace right now and in a wholly unexpected direction, but it is evolving nonetheless. It shouldn't be shackled - in fact it can't be.

ScumLord · 04-11-2011 02:38PM

I think people who read fiction are no better than people who watch TV, it's all nonsense at the end of the day. I only red something factual, like manuals or educational books. If your not learning something I don't see the point.

ynul31f47k6b59 · 04-11-2011 02:39PM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

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.

Exactly this. I could never, ever understand why people wouldn't read, or why I'd get responses like - "You're reading a book?! Jaysus you should get out more" (I seem to know a LOT of people who have never read a book) - until I realised that some people just don't have the patience to sit and work their way through a big novel. I'd read anything and everything (except magazines) all day if I could, have been the same ever since I was a child. My other half is the complete opposite. If it's something he's really interested in, he'll still skim a few pages and then leave it down. Some people just don't like reading, it doesn't bother me, why would it?! Sure as long as I can read and am happy doing it, it doesn't really bug me that a lot of people have no interest.

paddyandy · 04-11-2011 02:40PM

There is'nt the quiet in a lot of homes as there once was and i find reading tiring i hav'nt read a book in years.Useless information mostly.

People who don't read books.

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