dvds are fundamental (6.03.05)

There is a new disease infecting our community.
It specifically targets our children and young adults.
No, I am not speaking of a new strain of HIV/AIDS or
violence, but rather something more heinous and without
a viral etiological connection. I am speaking specifically
of our ability to read as well as our desire to read.
This is not an issue of having a skill deficit, but rather,
the failure of seeing reading as being important and
essential. I was taught that it was my duty to read all I
could get my hands on, and this was not just limited to
the sports page, horoscopes or my particular interests.
I often remind my son that more than 150 years ago,
during the period of American slavery, it was illegal for
slaves to learn to read and that if they were discovered
to have acquired such a skill, they were punished by
being blinded, having their tongue cut out or killed.
Now I am not going to place blame on the school system,
since the foundation for reading should be established in
the home, nor will I attach this reduction to external
elements of the environment such as television, cable and
the New Age culture of music videos and playstations.
If we truly concerned ourselves with this issue, then we would
elevate reading over other pastimes, particularly in
environments where reading should flourish such as in the car.
I don’t claim to have all of the answers but I do know that
if we were concerned with this, we would have books and
newspapers in the backseats of our cars and trucks instead
of video screens and DVDs.
--torrance stephens