Kulturkampf

[PhoenixDark]

I wonder if its correlated to a general downfall in reading actual literature, because you can tell a story in a lot of media but books are the only medium where inner monologues often play a large role in how that story is told.

Like, Jane Eyre is fucking great, but I can enjoy it without having to be a thirsty 19th century governess.

You're 100% right. Ironically it used to be conservatives trying to ban shit like Huck Finn or To Kill A Mockingbird, now some leftists are trying to erase them (for different reasons). But those are exactly the types of books that introduce children to literary devices, perspectives, symbolism, change, etc. Instead we're stacking generations of children who not only don't read, many of them CAN'T read. And then we're shocked they watch movies and cannot comprehend that a fictional character doing bad things does not mean the film/director/writer is promoting bad things. Brains are really cooked and it fucks up the type of movies that can be made, the types of movies that succeed/fail, etc. Same with television. It's bad now but shit is going to get far worse.

I def think my HS had various problems but English was great. Getting kids to engage with literature at an early age is important, and even if a kid is just reading books to get a passing grade you've unlocked a door they will use again one day. Lord Of The Flies, 1984, House On Mango Street...there's such a clear pathway to helping kids learn, if academics and activists and weirdo parents would shut the fuck up.