(In 1957 they were concerned we were turning into a nation of dummies. 52 years later - thay wur rite!)
In 1957 the big concern on the part of educators was the fact that Americans were reading less, understanding less, and the numbers were growing.
As part of its weekend series New World in 1957, a panel of educators from University of Chicago discussed the problem and wondered what was the future going to be like.
Dean Lester Asheim (University of Chicago Library School): “We are not so much interested in whether people actually sit in front of printed symbols and interpret what they mean, because if they can get the same ideas and the same mental stimulation, the same recreation and fun for that matter from other devices, that ought to be all right with us. I think the thing we really are concerned with is that there are particular values that can be gained from reading which are now being lost, and that we think these values are important.”
I cannot imagine what that same panel would have to say in 2009.
However, if you're reading this, you're doing a lot better than the vast majority. Comforting . . . no?
And that's why . . . . .
Ignorance will get you in nothing but trouble.
