10mo ago

you’ve been traumatized into hating reading (and it makes you easier to oppress).

ismatu.substack.com you’ve been traumatized into hating reading (and it makes you easier to oppress).

i was not going to publish this essay because i don’t like to yell but here the fuck i am.

The ruling class wants you to be literate enough to understand their written orders. And nothing more. True literacy is punk. True literacy is revolutionary.

If you look at this article and think "this is too long to read" you're part of the target audience. Make the time.

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47 comments

the website makes my phone lag
I'm not going to wait for 10 seconds before it scrolls way past where I was reading
Also does this article account for people with (mental, physical or learning) disabilities who cannot read or have more difficulty doing so? You can tell me to read all you want but if the text isnt accessible I simply cant read long texts, I have dyslexia, ADHD (focus issues) and my eyes physically shake leading to me skipping over entire paragraphs unless there's enough white space between the lines
That is not even to mention people with intelectual disabities or the language barriers that might cause this to not be readable
Yes I have trauma regarding reading but maybe consider there's more to it than that OP
All that is to say, things arent as simple as "you are the audience, read it"
maybe the article is better but idk cause its inaccessible for me for various reasons including "my phone is not powerful enough to read this article". I see some form of irony there, considering class was mentioned
- I have dyslexia, ADHD (focus issues) and my eyes physically shake leading to me skipping over entire paragraphs unless there’s enough white space between the lines
  I read A LOT. I have a couple of degrees.
  Ignore snobbery. Listening to an audiobook is just as valid a way of enjoying a book as reading it. I suggest starting with something you think you might actually enjoy, maybe a genuine classic, not this overly long blogpost.
  Listen to a chapter before you go to sleep. If people are snobs about audiobooks, don't mention you listened to it, just say you read it.
  I recommend looking on the BBC sounds app/website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/
  It's free.
  
  I've tried audiobooks but it seems that - as silly as it sounds - I need closed captions with those
  a combination of listening and reading with speeds synced up for me (like CC on video content) would work best, and most options for that are subscription based, or require expensive tech last I checked
  I'll check the BBC sounds out tomorrow though, I appreciate the help
  
  I’ve tried audiobooks but it seems that - as silly as it sounds - I need closed captions with those
  Dude, same!
  
  I've also had that experience, but it really depends on how well it's been narrated.
  For example, Stephen Fry's version of Harry Potter (yes, I know, but it's really well read) it's immediately obvious who says what and he's well spoken. Unsurprising as he's also a good actor and that does matter.
  Some audiobooks the narrator rambles, doesn't enunciate clearly, and doesn't make it obvious who said what.
  
  Oh my gosh, I absolutely love Stephen Fry's narrations! You're right, the production quality of the audiobook, as well as the cadence of the narrator, can make or break it.
  
  They also have a lot of dramatisations on there. That means different actors read the different parts, sound effects, etc. It's basically like listening to a movie.
  Let me know if you need help finding somewhere to begin. The BBC's been around for a while and they have A LOT of stuff on there, and it's only the tip of the iceberg as they regularly change it.
  Hell, why not start with some Terry Pratchett. Mort. That's not on the BBC sounds site at the moment, but here it is on Archive.org:
  https://archive.org/details/mort20220604/01+Episode+One.mp3
  https://archive.org/details/mort20220604/02+Episode+Two.mp3
  https://archive.org/details/mort20220604/03+Episode+Three.mp3
  https://archive.org/details/mort20220604/04+Episode+Four.mp3
  Or perhaps you want to show off. Here's a dramatisation of Dostoyevsky's The Brother's Karamazov:
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b00y9455
  Stars at least one of the actors from their adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Mort, funnily enough.
  
  frfr audiobooks are great! I'm halfway through Green Mars because I listen to audiobooks at work now, after spending literal years procrastinating on reading the Mars trilogy because I couldn't make the time to sit down and for real read a book.
- Do you use Firefox? Reader mode should solve the problem with lag.
  The author is actually mindful of everything you just mentioned and has experienced these things herself.
- FTA:
  I did not come to reading consistently because the act in itself was easy. I have multiple learning divergences— dyslexia, autism, ADHD. I still (still!) struggle to focus my mind on the page, and at this point I read for a living. I came to reading because not reading was worse.
  
  Thanks for the quote, does the author provide any solution to that or acknowledge that some people simply cannot because if not it feels like a "I can do it with my disabilities so you can too!"
  
  reading is still uncomfortable in certain seasons of life, especially seasons that require high screen time from me. I still have a week, two weeks go by without reading. I still pick up a book and blink and realize I’ve spent forty minutes on my phone. I read specifically because I notice how much my brain expands his capacity when I force him into the mode of expansion. Expansion is itchy! It’s uncomfortable!! Reading does not always feel good, just like going to the gym or doing your dishes or eat vegetables does not feel good (especially if you haven’t done it in a long time) and yet!! I sigh in relief when it’s been done. When reading defines my habits, I think noticeably easier.
  Basically they present reading as a chore that you never have to enjoy doing, but have to do anyway because the alternative is worse.
  
  hrm yea I don't really like that take. I get the point but also equating their experience to everyone else is just, not it. It just doesnt work like that for many, even those with the exact same challenges
  I've tried reading, so often. I want to be able to, even it just doesn't work for me. And believe me I've tried everything
  anyway thanks for quoting the relevant sections of the article for me! That was helpful
  
  Thanks for asking questions and engaging with me, it actually made me read the article instead of skip it for being 40-ish minutes long lol
  
  hey that's neat! thank you for your time!

47 comments