Literacy, language, listening skills and crap like that

I have a friend who appears to have poor listening skills. He may pretend to be a good listener, yet time and again I notice he isn’t really listening … i.e. understanding what I say … repeatedly.

The other day we were talking about some media stuff (which, granted, is one of my topics) and I was yet again lamenting about the widespread poor literacy skills leading to poor behavior and such, and he mentioned “yes, but what about the literate people?” (of which I am quite sure he feels he is one).

There is a lot to unpack here. Let me start with noting (yet again) that today, literacy requires (at least) media literacy — e.g. in order to look up a definition of a concept you need to know the difference between a dictionary, an encyclopedia, and many other types of media (whether a cookbook or a novel or whatever). Likewise, a website, a smartphone, an app, and so on. To truly understand a lot of media, you need to understand computer languages, fine print, the legal system, … I could go on and on. Most people are not (well) versed in all of these technologies which are fundamental to the way modern civilizations function.

And so today, when I saw my friend again, I asked him about the distinction he had made regarding “literate” people. I asked him to name such a literate person. He said “you”.

This also needs unpacking. I have spoken with this friend at length about my views regarding literacy (many of these are also covered in separate blog posts here). I have mentioned that I (as well as most other people) are obviously far more illiterate than literate (since I can — more or less — use only a very few languages at a level which someone / anyone might refer to as “literate”).

My friend likes to play games. I like to play games, too. One of his games is to accuse me of being narcissistic. He doesn’t actually make the accusation, he just sets me up that way — and this is, I feel, exactly such a case. The implicit accusation is that when I lament about the poor literacy skills of most people, he makes that out to be an example of narcissistic behavior. It isn’t. It is merely a statement of fact.

There is a fine line separating poor listening skills from ignorance.

I have another friend, or perhaps an acquaintance (as I haven’t seen him much lately, as my workplaces have transitioned in the meantime and therefore also my work-related contacts), who I also often discussed with about these and related issues. I think perhaps we shared a somewhat iconoclastic vibe. He once made a fascinating remark, I guess it was intended as a warning, that if I discuss “difficult” (for want of a better term) issues with people, they may very well “shut down” their brain, attention, … — listening skills?

I have time and again made comparisons between very large (“mainstream”) media companies and dictatorships like Nazi Germany — both very large organizations, both very manipulative. No leading business engaging in manipulation and propaganda will ever tell their “consumers” that they are distrustworthy (this is a word I have myself invented to describe when something is worthy of distrust). [1]

You have to reach that conclusion yourself.