The Atlantic's take on young people and reading: not as bad as its take on Israel, but not good

I guess The Atlantic wants to expand its embarrassing takes beyond Israel to now college undergraduate reading habits. William Dean Howells continues to be, well, howling.

My take on this is that the quote early in the article about professors whining "'the kids don't read' is as old as colleges" is correct. I had a seminar course as an undergaduate at Rutgers in the 1970s with an old guy, already in his early 70s, who said it every week. In those days of the mid to late 1970s, at Rutgers, most students I observed, including majors in Political Science or History, the two disciplines in which I majored, didn't read most of the books they were assigned. I hated the classes where the profs tried to lead discussions of the chapters or book students were supposed to have read because it was clear to me most of the class had not. They showed up to simply want the prof to spoon-feed them what the prof thought was important. I stopped attending many of those classes, or would leave before halftime of the class.

I admit that was not a good strategy to get As. Often, I would get Bs more than As, as, come test time, I would have a slightly different take on a reading. It was my view then that too many of my Rutgers professors were themselves fairly shallow and unable to transcend their own perspectives. However, if there was an extra credit question that was based on a footnote in the book at page 172, I would likely be the only one (or maybe one of two) to get the answer correct. I will also say I did best with the profs, like the great Cold War revisionist/US Foreign Policy History professor, Lloyd Gardner (still alive in his 90s last I checked!), who didn't do discussions. They simply assigned the eight to ten books you had to read and you were expected to read and understand. He would say, Come to office hours if a reading is too hard. In class, he lectured with supplemental information not in the books. It was one of the only times I ever took notes. I received As in each of the three classes I took from him. Yet, most History majors thought his classes were a terror. I would bet most of my fellow History majors who became teachers or profs are, to this day, probably not very bright--unless they grew up and realized you gotta read and think critically. :)

Even while I am in grad school at UNM, I continue to hear from people who attended grad school elsewhere, are currently in grad school, and even professors, that it is foolish and too much to read entire books. In my classes, there is, admittedly, A LOT of reading. For each class, most of the time, we have to read each week an entire academic book of two to three hundred pages PLUS write a paper on the book for submission before class--and then be ready to discuss in the class.

I realize The Atlantic is talking about undergrads, but I must say this: In my grad school classes, the quality of the discussions is actually better than I ever saw at Rutgers in the 1970s. I must also add I do have a two-level course this semester, meaning graduate and undergraduate students in the same class. My observation of the undergrads is there remains largely the same Bell Curve of who has read or not read the assigned readings as I saw as an undergraduate at Rutgers in the 1970s--maybe slightly better now.

The idea that today's young people are somehow deficient, when I see so many, many racist, xenophobic, transphobic, uninformed, ignorant assholes and idiots in my age level, tells me maybe this take from The Atlantic may not be correct. Really. Let's run through my ranting drill about my generation: Most Boomers are the reason the planet's oceans are starting to fry. Most Boomers happily accept being herded into the political duopoly. Most Boomers hated Bernie and would rather see fascism than somehow their taxes go up to help their children's or grandchildren's generation. Most Boomers learned long ago to support the US military-industrial complex mass murders, especially when perpetrated by the US' favorite client-state, Israel--and too many think criticizing Israel as an apartheid ethno-nationalist state is antisemitic. But, sure. The young people don't know how to read a book. Sure. For me, I start with the proposition of "Give the kids a break." And maybe hear the kids out for once. And if some of the best and brightest get angry and impatient at the challenges our society and planet face, instead of thinking they are too naive or need to grow up, apologize and ask them, "What can we do to make this better, even if it costs me more of my money?"