• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

Why is reading 'dorky'?

cajunmama said:
I just think that there is a trend (in the states at least) toward mediocrity, unless it is super macho athleticism. Don't excel at anything, just do barely enough to get by and anything more is kissing butt. I've told my neice that the kids who tease her about being smart are idiots and later in life, when they have to sweat to earn a buck, with her brain, she'll be the one sitting behind a desk telling them what to do. They tease her for being smart, like being stupid is cool?
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I'm getting at. I look back and this is what a lot of my schooling was like, though for most of it I had some good friends so it didn't bother me too much (although any social outcasting hurts). It's this type of bullying which makes some kids not strive to do well, and I frequently would stare out the window rather than answer questions I knew the answer to and get eyes rolling. When I was in my final years of high school all these kids who I'd thought were dumb as a post because they never really did work and always looked down on me for doing well suddenly began to excell. This was because it was acceptable to want to get good grades and get into the uni you wanted.

I don't know what I'm going to tell my kids if they run into this stumbling block. Kids shouldn't have to hide their intelligence. I was lucky in that I was athletic as well, and that was an acceptable thing. Hopefully my kids will have other interests as well in which they can be appreciated by their peers. Maybe extracurricular activities where they can be accepted for their intelligence, like a writers club, reading group, etc. Would something like this work for your neice, Cajunmama? I'm interested to know how adults advise kids going through these things. My mum told me to tell the bullies to 'Get a life'. It didn't work :(. I don't really think 'Because I can' would be much better, in truth.
 
Bill Hicks: I was sitting in Waffle House reading, and the waitress came up to me and asked, "What are you reading for?" Not, "What are you reading?" But "What are you reading for?" The guy in the booth next to me says to her, "Looks we got ourselves a reader!"

I think that early on people decide that school sucks, so everything associated with it sucks. Learning is associated with school, so blah on learning. Then, you have to read to learn, so reading sucks too.

I think a lot of people rediscover reading after they find something they like. My cousin is a former high school quarterback and jock supreme, never read a whole book in his life, not even for school. He read the entire LOTR rings trilogy after he saw the movies. He even started learning Elvish for Pete's sake!
 
Kook- My neice has other interests beyond reading, like dancing and cooking. And she has a few close friends, my oldest DD included, that appreciate her intelligence. In fact, she's been a major influence on my oldest DD's interest in reading. She's never been told to hide her intelligence, just how to stand up to teasing. In fact, her parents are considering letting her skip a grade in school. There are lots of pro's and con's to that one. :rolleyes:
 
cajunmama said:
Kook- My neice has other interests beyond reading, like dancing and cooking. And she has a few close friends, my oldest DD included, that appreciate her intelligence. In fact, she's been a major influence on my oldest DD's interest in reading. She's never been told to hide her intelligence, just how to stand up to teasing. In fact, her parents are considering letting her skip a grade in school. There are lots of pro's and con's to that one. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
That's awesome :) Sounds like she's got a good solid head on her shoulders in more ways than one!
 
What is amusing is how the kids who don't like to read or are not as smart in certain areas as you are will come up to you and ask for help no matter what they might have done to tease you before in the past.

I can't really remember if I ever brought the stories to life in games with playmates... then again I was most often by myself so books were my constant companions either way. I have a movie trivia game that my mother bought me for Christmas a couple years ago, but the problem is that you need at least 4 people to play it. I have yet to have enough people together willing to go up against me in something like that...
 
I wouldn't say that reading was "dorky" or "uncool" at my school... but then I seem to spend most of my time in the library, and my (very few) friends are like-minded people, so I probably wouldn't know...

I used to be embarrassed to be sitting outside in the eyes of everyone reading, back in the days when I had no friends - but I think this was more because it emphasised how socially out-of-it I was, rather than I was reading. However, I'd keep on reading, instead of going and pretending to socialise with people, so...

I don't think I've ever been teased for reading, except by a couple of my friends who stay up later at night reading than I do, so they really can't talk. I don't think, honestly, that reading is here seen as nerdy or anything - just not mainstream! Thank goodness for that!
 
Doesnt' it strike any of you as ironic that we are even needing this conversation? I don't know about countries besides the US, but here the battle cry is "improve education" and "more money for schools" and yet many of the very same people who rant the loudest for these reforms are the same ones who seldom pick up a book or darken the doors of their local public library. And forget about asking these people to read to the children in their lives; they've got to get to the next sporting event you know. Nothing against sports; they serve a great purpose in our lives. I just get tired of having to defend the value of books and reading.
 
On the bus today a first-former asked me why I was reading, she said it was immature. I laughed out loud at this. Just thought I'd share it with you all.
 
Fistandantilus said:
On the bus today a first-former asked me why I was reading, she said it was immature. I laughed out loud at this. Just thought I'd share it with you all.
Click to expand...

Well, ignorance is curable, but stupidity is an inoperable cancer..
People sure are funny aren't they? :rolleyes:
 
Fistandantilus said:
On the bus today a first-former asked me why I was reading, she said it was immature. I laughed out loud at this. Just thought I'd share it with you all.
Click to expand...

Astounding.:rolleyes:

Btw, Fisty, good to see you young 'uns enjoying HHGTTG
 
Definition of Dorky reading: It is 85 degrees inside... there is a hurricane blowing outside..... and I'm curled up with a copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray. My co-workers thought I was nuts, but I just needed some peace and quiet. Here I am an adult and reading is still considered to be somewhat dorky. They would look at me, cock their head to side, say "Huh, you actually like to read?" Then appear shocked when I answered yes. Even more shocked by what I was reading (Wow, you like to read the heavy stuff, huh?).

On the upside I had two patients during the storm who were big readers and we were able to spend lots of time chatting about books. Great Fun!
 
Fistandantilus - Haha! That one actually made me laugh out loud! :D

mr_michel said:
Hichhiker's Guide to the Galaxy :)

but what im curious about is
whats a first-former? :confused:
Click to expand...
It's a kid who is in the first form of school. I'm not sure how old that is there - here a first former is two years away from high school.
 
Its good to know I made you laugh.
A first former is someone in their first year in high school in the uk and northern Ireland. (thats about 11-13 yrs of age really)
CDA, what are you talking about? I read the guide about four years ago and have read it 3 or 4 times sine then, have I misunderstood?
 
OH, my signature, I see. I had the one about throwing youself at the ground and missing as my signature after a registered, THGTTG is my second favourite book of all time and all my school books are plastered in DONT PANIC scince second-year (they called me weird, but they havent read the guide, that's weird). I recently re-read the whole series, erm... again.
oh yes, and I resent the term young 'un :D (it is a slight, miniscule little bit patronising CDA) :D
 
Fistandantilus said:
OH, my signature, I see. I had the one about throwing youself at the ground and missing as my signature after a registered, THGTTG is my second favourite book of all time and all my school books are plastered in DONT PANIC scince second-year (they called me weird, but they havent read the guide, that's weird). I recently re-read the whole series, erm... again.
oh yes, and I resent the term young 'un :D (it is a slight, miniscule little bit patronising CDA) :D
Click to expand...

If you think being called young is patronising, then may I respectfully suggest that you chill out a bit.

Young 'un.
 
I would love to be called a youngun by somebody other than my ancient uncle who still calls me Littleun one in awhile. He's a hoot though.
 
abecedarian said:
I would love to be called a youngun by somebody other than my ancient uncle who still calls me Littleun one in awhile. He's a hoot though.
Click to expand...

Exactly, abecedarian. It's more of a COMPLIMENT more than anything else! :):rolleyes::D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top