Yeah, right. You may be an alcoholic, but you're still human. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Yeah, right. You may be an alcoholic, but you're still human. [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Human? No, more like the Man of Steel... liver [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I read that Estonia, my little East-European country, has one of the lowest percentage of analphabetic people in the world, mind you. ;)

The veracity of statistics aside, why do you find it sad? Is literacy a pre-requisite to happiness? Do you think pre-literate nomads were/are in a state of constant depression?
By all means enjoy your literacy if you feel so inclined. I think that skills=power. But illiteracy is not something to look down on or pity.

[ 04-19-2004, 06:03 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

Yeah, right. You may be an alcoholic, but you're still human. [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]It's still true though. Can't help it.

Sweden introduced a mandatory public school system 1842, and I assumed the Netherlands, being somewhat similar to Sweden, had a similar system. Is there a public scholl system in the Netherlands? :1ponders: If it was introduced 20 years ago I would have understood how some of the elderly had trouble reading, but if it's a hundred years old? I don't know if 10% is good or bad overall in the Western world, but it sounds fairly high in my ears.

No, literacy isn't important for happiness, but it's a fairly basic skill to have in our modern society. Besides, the pre-literate nomads had no need of literacy since there were nothing to read. ;)
But literacy IS a skill, and a powerful one to boot. And I don't look down on or pity people who have trouble reading, I just consider them to be at a slight disadvantage overall compared to they ones that reads well.

If you were illiterate you wouldn't be able to post on IW and that would detract from your happiness. Reading brings happiness in so many little ways, not to mention the usefulness of it in our modern society without which your quality of life would be far lower. Surely I don't need to spell it out ;)

Whoever asked, 10% is very high. In western Europe at least illiteracy tends to be around 1%. It's much higher in some 3rd world countries.

Yeah, right. You may be an alcoholic, but you're still human. [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]It's still true though. Can't help it. </font>[/QUOTE]<young beginner drinker voice> Oh Johnny, you are sooo cooool! </dumb voice off> [img]tongue.gif[/img]

But if I were illiterate it is unlikely that I would know or care about IW. Ignorance is bliss.

If you don't have the 'literacy is vital' argument drummed into your head from birth it is unlikely that you are going to experience any anxiety over not being able to read or write.
Likewise, if you don't have the 'fat is ugly' argument drummed into your head (which is argued for, subtly and not-so-subtly by 'the media'), then you are unlikely to feel anxiety about putting on a few pounds [img]smile.gif[/img]

I'm not saying literacy isn't valuable, quite the contrary. I just don't believe that it is necessary for happiness, and a low rate of national literacy is not a sad thing.

Heh.. the source is the Dutch Government, and I don't think they enjoy making themselves look worse then they really are. Hierophant: I don't think literacy is a requirement for happiness, it is our educational system I consider to be sad.

[ 04-22-2004, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: Dreamer128 ]