Kids are reading too much. we might want to put a stop to that.
For some reason I ended up watching ABC News with Peter Jennings last night. I don’t know why. Anyway, Mr. Jennings revealed the shocking truth behind the Harry Potter series: it encourages kids to read, thus giving them headaches (a doctor at GW University named them ‘Hogwart’s Headaches.’) Fascinating. So kids are reading too much and we might want to put a stop to that. If they read too much, they might actually reach the level of proficiency needed to make it in the 21st century, and as an added bonus might even become life-long readers. We wouldn’t want that!
This ‘news’ story sickened me almost as much as those commercials for the Saving Jessica Lynch made-for-TV-movie. I ask, who watches this crap? (Although I’m definitely tuning in for the Elizabeth Smart story on CBS. Haha, I’m kidding!)
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By Joe, November 7, 2003 @ 8:02 am
Yeah, that was truly a misguided story. It gave the impression that kids should read less. Great idea. Buried deep within the story was a brief mention that to avoid headaches the reader should take a break, but the message the story was giving was “don’t read. It’s bad for you, like vegetables and exercise.”
By pam, November 9, 2003 @ 11:50 am
Other articles on the subject had this theme: “Kids … reading? Huh? Have we slipped into an alternate dimension?” I don’t think the concept fits into the popular media’s stereotype of kids today.
By Jennifer, November 11, 2003 @ 5:30 pm
I owe my bespectacledness to reading. I read so much as a child that my eyes could no longer adjust to seeing things at a distance. It’s true.
However, I’m all right with that. I’d rather need to wear glasses than be illiterate.
My niece who is five can’t even sit still long enough to listen to someone read her a story. The TV kills the attention span.
Sigh.