Inconceivable!
Here's one for ya;
When writing for mass media (newspapers, mags, business proposals, you get the gist) it is stressed (and stressed, and stressed again) that you are NOT to write above a 8th grade reading level. This is because the national reading level is apparently so low that writing anything better would be considered over peoples heads. so those of us with a broader vocabulary are stunted and put off balance by trying to use five little words to replace the one that would have fit perfectly.
AND YET- Disney channel- with its shows geared towards elementary schoolers and junior highers (though honestly probably gets watched by people on both sides of that age bracket)- regularly uses words like 'amalgam' and 'quagmire,' and no one has a problem understanding whats going on. explanations? And don't feed me a line about how our children are just learning so much more now, the schools are stepping up, kids are just smarter now. please. I still have to translate myself around people my own age and younger.
I've heard from a lot of people that its for peoples whose first language is not English, but honestly, that's kinda ridiculous. I went to a school that was 90% Hispanic, and most of them spoke English better than most 'white kids.'
obviously, the mass public can function at a higher reading level than everyone thinks. Good ol' Disney has proven that. this writing block is just handicapping us. If we were to raise the bar, I would bet nearly anything that the reading average would go up too.
When writing for mass media (newspapers, mags, business proposals, you get the gist) it is stressed (and stressed, and stressed again) that you are NOT to write above a 8th grade reading level. This is because the national reading level is apparently so low that writing anything better would be considered over peoples heads. so those of us with a broader vocabulary are stunted and put off balance by trying to use five little words to replace the one that would have fit perfectly.
AND YET- Disney channel- with its shows geared towards elementary schoolers and junior highers (though honestly probably gets watched by people on both sides of that age bracket)- regularly uses words like 'amalgam' and 'quagmire,' and no one has a problem understanding whats going on. explanations? And don't feed me a line about how our children are just learning so much more now, the schools are stepping up, kids are just smarter now. please. I still have to translate myself around people my own age and younger.
I've heard from a lot of people that its for peoples whose first language is not English, but honestly, that's kinda ridiculous. I went to a school that was 90% Hispanic, and most of them spoke English better than most 'white kids.'
obviously, the mass public can function at a higher reading level than everyone thinks. Good ol' Disney has proven that. this writing block is just handicapping us. If we were to raise the bar, I would bet nearly anything that the reading average would go up too.
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