Literacy has a sad today

Re: this bit of depression.

To address the cynics first, it's true that you can't really judge what college kids are reading based on sales at the college bookstore. Those stores' sales are made up almost entirely of textbooks, other required reading such as novels and anthologies, cheap items in the "used" bin, and impulse buys. I think it's safe to say that these purchases of books about "hunky vampires or Barack Obama" fall into the last category -- if you're loading up on Advanced Economics or Theoretical Neuroscience, it's pretty easy to justify tossing in a brainless paperback and charging it to your student account.

But that aspect doesn't account for the larger issues. I graduated from college three years ago, and I remember "Harry Potter" beating out every single book for being most discussed outside of a classroom. Sure, we'd gush about our love for Lady Brett Ashley or moan about the tedium of Samuel Beckett, but virtually nothing of any real relevance or importance save presidential politics (the election of 2004 and Karl Rove's visit to our campus) was on the lips of any student, even English majors.

College students are self-obsessed, monomaniacal party machines who often lose articles of clothing in public places; they also spend more time than they would at a full-time job reading, researching and writing in-depth on a myriad of esoteric subjects; they really don't have any time or desire left over in their free time to read anything more complex than articles on College Humor. But why isn't just plain reading a part of these students' lives anymore? Before the Internet, political fanatics and subversive activists wrote books, and students read them, not because they loved to read, but because reading was a primary mode of communication as well as a way to pass time and stay engaged with the world. Reading and writing weren't considered chores or activities set aside out of necessity for a few hours a week, they were just a natural, cohesive part of society. Now, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone with an attention span long enough to finish anything other than headlines on Drudge. Strangely, in the Age of Information, real information is no longer relevant.

Which brings us to why people would rather read "Twilight" than something more fulfilling or even well-written (even king of pseudo-lit Stephen King hates Stephanie Meyer!). First, I think it has to do with trends -- vampires are a phase that ebbs and flows, and this book came out at the right time and was able to target the optimal audience of tween girls (not to mention it probably half-assedly filled some gaps in the hearts of those in Harry Potter withdrawal). Second, I think there's a mentality, especially in parents, that any book is a good book -- "Hey, as long as my kid is reading." This might apply to college students, as well, who think, "Hey, I'm reading a book not required for class! I deserve a medal!" But the third reason is the most problematic: People do not understand books. For some reason in the past few decades, society has divided volumes into "School Books" and "Fun Books," and the twain very rarely meet.

I was a writing tutor in college, and I could tell that virtually every student who walked into the writing center was in "School Book Mode." You could ask them what they thought of a book or a class, and they'd answer academically and dismissively. Even if it was a book like "Cat's Cradle," or a poem like "Howl," works that are extraordinarily stimulating, deep, and -- most importantly -- FUN. These students seem to think that if a book is required reading, for them or for any other student in the country, then it cannot be a Fun book, and therefore cannot be a Good book. They treat reading like a chore, and any other piece of trash they come across has infinitely more potential to be Good or Fun simply because of its non-school nature. Therefore, "Twilight" is popular because it's superficial, it talks to ignorant teenagers on their own level, it challenges and stimulates no one, and no school would ever dream of ever making it required reading.

This mentality towards education has infinite problems associated with it. It has to do with, in some cases, an omnipresent disconnect between a student and school that has existed as long as schools have, but in other cases, a rapidly growing trend of laziness brought about by society's glorification of instant gratification. It's easy to blame the Internet and to rail against Twitter and instant messaging for the downfall of literacy, but they're obviously a huge part of the problem -- schools have already lost the war over handwriting to keyboards.

"There is nary a student in the classroom -- and this goes for English majors, too -- who wouldn't pronounce Stephen King a better author than Donald Barthelme or William Vollmann. The students do not have any shame about reading inferior texts," Professor Eric Williamson says. Well, where's the shame? It's time for illiterate kids and adults alike to rediscover the embarrassment of being ignorant.

Poor Noah

If I stop what I'm doing for a few minutes and blog every time I observe someone misusing the English language, I doubt I'd ever get any other work, reading, writing, eating, peeing or much else of anything done. But here I go.

You're Making Noah Webster Cry, day 1.

I work in a newspaper office, where there is much bandying about of style terms, neologisms and shorthand. Often, people I work with use terms (I guess in the interest of saving time by using shorter and less-precise words), and this one of them.

The words "fix" and "revise" to mean the noun "correction."

As defined by Merriam-Webster, the first set of definitions for "fix" is for the verb. The set second, for the noun, includes the following: "1: a position of difficulty or embarrassment : predicament 2 a: the position (as of a ship) determined by bearings, observations, or radio; also : a determination of one's position b: an accurate determination or understanding especially by observation or analysis 3: an act or instance of improper or illegal fixing 4: a supply or dose of something strongly desired or craved 5: fixation."

Only as the very last option (and the least common) is the one that means "something that fixes or restores : solution ." And I suspect this entry was added as nominalization has become an increasingly widespread and horrifying trend.

Yes, nominalization. The act of turning an unsuspecting, useful word (usually a verb) into a noun, creating what are often unnecessarily long, convoluted sentences. "My specialization is in phonetics" instead of "I specialize in phonetics." "I tend to engage in rationalization of the issue" instead of "I rationalize." And so forth. Like passive voice, nominalization takes away action and displaces the emphasis of a sentence. Nominalization is bad. But case in point: Blogger's spellcheck doesn't even recognize the word, and wants to replace it with "criminalize." Well, I can see the relationship.

Anyway, "fix." As in, "I made the fixes to that page" instead of the more precise, eloquent "I made corrections" or even better, "I corrected that page." So many fewer, better words! "I made the revises" is even more ignorant, and it makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.

So remember, no nominalization. One thing I can get behind, however, is om-nominalization.

Birdlips - Tire Chains

Artist: Birdlips
Song: "Tire Chains"
CD title: Cardboard Wings
Label: Self-released
Release date: Feb. 12, 2008
Genre: Folk rock

Not the type of songwriter to lock himself in a room until he's finished, Cliff Usher gathers the pieces for his songs from wherever he travels. In the case of his band Birdlips' first album, that place is Europe, but not the crowded streets of its inhabitants. Instead, the romantic Cardboard Wings takes the outdoor, lyrical approach of Wordsworth with the terseness and intensity of Shelley. A traveler's confessional lament, the album jumbles flute, guitar and piano into raw folk melodies that sound plucked from various countries but still come out sounding predestined, a perfect black-and-white film where nothing is out of place. Usher and co-performer Lindsay Pitts don't need or want a dozen takes to get their harmonies perfect -- in fact, the raw blend of their voices is best left unpolished. Haunting but rich, "Tire Chains" recounts a chilly group trip to France, and in true art-flick fashion offers some profound tidbits: "Time is only worth the air it buys / We can't spend our lives plotting our path as the crow flies."

Mates of State - "Now"

Artist: Mates of State
Song: "Now"
CD title: Re-arrange Us
Label: Barsuk
Release date: May 20, 2008
Genre: Pop rock

By the time a pop-rock band makes it to its fifth album, it's usually either a hint of even greater things to come (Help! for The Beatles, Document for R.E.M.) or a sign of winding down (Pressure Chief for Cake, Stoned & Dethroned for The Jesus and Mary Chain). But the fifth release from married duo Mates of State, Re-arrange Us, is aptly named -- it's not a radical departure nor a predictable bore, but a spunky career remix. The only difference is that it's a little sweeter -- after all, the couple did just welcome their second child.
On "Now," the pair ditches the familiar electric organ for a softer blend of piano and synthesizer, and jumps feet-first into a clash of childhood and maturity. What could be a gleeful, infantile chorus ("now now now now now now!") is undercut by an all-too-adult existentialist lament: "I've been waiting for a sign / to tell me where I belong."
"Now" goes a little softer on the staccato than it might have a few albums ago, but that makes it somehow even more poignant. If their fifth album indicates the direction Mates of State are headed, they still have a lot of stories left to tell before they're done.

Guillemots - "Clarion"

Artist: Guillemots
Song: "Clarion"
CD title: Red
Label: Polydor UK
Release date: April 8, 2008
Genre: Pop-rock

Fans of the loungey, symphonic themes in Guillemots' previous releases might be a little taken aback by the reckless abandon with which the group's new record plunges into a new, dark work full of synthesizers and retro, Michael Jackson-esque electro-pop. But the glamorous Red is full of surprises, not the least of which is "Clarion."
The song opens lazily enough, with stock ambient sounds giving way to a twangy Eastern theme punctuated by finger snaps. But when the drums kick in, laid down under Fyfe Dangerfield's soaring, gleeful vocals, it's suddenly a dance tune. Even though the retro beats would be at home in any 21st-century club, there are still enough strings and meaningful lyrics on top of the synthetic glitter to keep the tune grounded in its orchestral roots. But at times it seems to ask for more: "Give me a beat and real sound / Maybe some feet will reach cold ground to find you."

What Made Milwaukee Famous - "Sultan"

Artist: What Made Milwaukee Famous
Song: "Sultan"
CD title: What Doesn't Kill Us
Label: Barsuk
Release date: March 4, 2008
Genre: Pop-rock

Having performed with the likes of Franz Ferdinand and the Smashing Pumpkins, pop-rock quintet What Made Milwaukee Famous has remained surprisingly and unfairly under the radar. But the band (named for a Jerry Lee Lewis song, not the members' hometown, which is actually Austin) seems to be refining its sound with its sophomore album, What Doesn't Kill Us.
"Sultan," an unashamedly catchy rock anthem that begs to be compared to the best of fellow Austin rockers Spoon, gets the formula exactly right, with just enough horn power behind the jangly piano, and pithy lyrics to spare. From “Your only guarantee is the fear of the unknown” to " Make up your mind / Are you in are you out," the song is a nod as much to the underappreciated band as it is to the down-and-out drifter looking for a second chance.

Mountain Goats - "Sax Rohmer #1"

Artist: The Mountain Goats
Song: "Sax Rohmer #1"
CD title: Heretic Pride
Label: 4AD
Release date: Feb. 19, 2008
Genre: Folk-rock

It's hard to find a band more literate than The Mountain Goats, so it's appropriate that one of the best songs on the group's newest release, Heretic Pride, is named for a writer. But Sax Rohmer, the mind behind the archetypal villain of "yellow peril" Fu Manchu, is inspiration for rather than the subject of this characteristically eloquent tune.
Vocalist and songwriter John Darnielle has penned some of the most vivid and complex lyrics in rock music, and in "Sax Rohmer #1," he lets loose a barrage of dark and sinister imagery that indeed could have been lifted from a Fu Manchu novel, from "piles of broken bricks, sign posts on the path" to "hopeless urchins" and "spies from imperial China." The narrative is backed by a diligent but unremarkable guitar melody, intentionally letting the story take center stage.
But then, slipping into the catchy and strangely upbeat chorus, the song becomes less about the dangers of Rohmer's dark world and more about finding one's way home in spite of them.