Who deserves more pity?

[Ander]

In your opinion, who deserves more pity: people who can read and don't or people who want to read but can't?

[RememberingNever]

:mellow: umm... I guess people who want to read but can't. Why should you pity someone who can read and doesn't. I mean like, if they don't care why should you? It's really not a bad thing if you don't bother to read and you can. I'm pretty sure a person who can read will read when they have to.

[Branden]

Originally posted by RememberingNever@Dec 30 2004, 12:24 AM
:mellow: umm... I guess people who want to read but can't. Why should you pity someone who can read and doesn't. I mean like, if they don't care why should you? It's really not a bad thing if you don't bother to read and you can. I'm pretty sure a person who can read will read when they have to.
I agree. Someone who can read but won't doesn't really deserve pity, I mean it's their choice. They can start reading whenever they feel like it, nothing's stopping them.

But, why exactly would you ask something like this?

[Andrea]

Great topic. :thumbsup:


I would have to say people who can read and don't. They're wasting a gift that an illiterate person would probably kill for. If you have the ability to read, than read and obtain as much knowledge as you can. You may never know when something bad might happen and you all of a sudden lose the ability to read.

[越南]

Speaking of reading , has anybody read the book "Tell No One" by Harlan Coben ? I just finished it and its an awesome book..

Back to the topic - I think people who want to read but cant deserve more pity

[Alacrity]

the pity should go to the people that can read, but don't. they're wasting a beautiful gift. my sympathy and prayers would go to those that want to read but cannot.

[Atsuzen]

Those who read but can't deserve more pity, I guess.

[Anthony.]

Being able to read and not to is a waste of a wonderful gift. Deserves no pity.

I pity those who, when they're bored, can't grab a book and read.

[|2awk.Star]

Definitely those who can't read. Reading is an invaluable skill. It affects your life greatly. We all had to read to reply to this topic. Can you remember a day where you didn't read something? Save being in bed all day that is.

Those who can't read lose a valuable source of information. Almost everything you own has writing on it. I pretty much stopped reading leisurely when I got into music but I sure as hell read a lot more now that I'm taking music theory.

So if you can read but don't, your choice. But if you can't, then that's infinitely sad.

[Willstar]

Those who want to read but can't don't neccesarily deserve to be pitied. They probably wouldn't like being pitied for their inability to read. Pitying them over those who can read but don't is perfectly ethical, however. People who can read but don't are wasting a gift and they don't deserve any pity whatsoever.

[Neil]

People who can read but don't are making a choice. People who want to read but can't arent making a choice.

[Ryan]

Originally posted by Neil@Dec 30 2004, 12:56 AM
People who can read but don't are making a choice. People who want to read but can't arent making a choice.
Exactly

[Glenn]

People who can't read but want to deserve more pity.

[htep.fan]

The smart thing to do is not to show pity, just help them both in their problems: teach the illiterate to read and make the literate read.

[Jila]

Originally posted by htep.fan@Dec 31 2004, 12:51 AM
The smart thing to do is not to show pity, just help them both in their problems: teach the illiterate to read and make the literate read.
its stupid to make someone read. they read because they dont want to. you cant make them want to if they are the kind of person who just doesnt like reading. second, most people who are illiterate live in third world countries. they dont know anyone who knows how to read, therefore, you cannot just teach them. unless, of course, you decide to fly around the world teaching everybody how to read.

[Doctor Manhattan]

I agree about literate people not being made to read.

Why pity people who can't read? It's their choice. If they don't want to read, why make them? They have to read at school/their job and countless other things, and chances are if they don't enjoy doing that, why would they want to read in their spare time?

As for illiterate people, why would anyone pity them? It's not their choice to be illiterate, so why pity them?