People seem to be saying things before they think about them lately.
Over the weekend, the Mister and I were watching a news report on the drug raids in San Diego at SDSU. One moron said something to the effect that he felt sorry for the accused students because they didn't sell the drugs with the intent to kill people. Wth kind of thing is that to say?? So, it's okay for drug dealers to sell drugs as long as they intend for their customers to live long lives? Umm. Okay. That makes total sense.
Lastly, Stephen King. I'm sure everyone heard the bonehead comment he made about reading and the Army. Here's a link in case you missed it along with his remarks regarding the backlash:
Stephen King Story
First off, for him to make the statement in the first place was appalling. I get so sick and tired and fed up beyond belief at all the implications that if you join the military it's because you had no other prospects and were too stupid to do anything else. People who think that are prime examples of ignorance and yes, I take it personally. It's an insult to my husband, my father, my brother, uncles, cousins, and some of the best friends that I've ever had or will ever have in my life. I'm not saying that every person who has been or is in the military is a Rhodes scholar. I've seen some of the greatest displays of idiocy from a few of the Marines, sailors, and soldiers (I've only known three people in the Air Force and they were all family members and they were pretty smart ;)) that we've known over the years. But you know what? The military doesn't own the rights to having idiots working for them. Idiots are freaking everywhere.
Furthermore, for King to defend what he said by replying that he meant that children should learn how to read, is insulting. That, in itself, is implying that we are all idiots. This statement: "I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's not as bright, " and stating that we misunderstood it, saying that he really said this: "That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt," is also contemptible. That is not what he said in his first statement. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Check out Laurell K. Hamilton's May 6th blog entry: LKH Blog Does anyone ever stop to think, when they're insulting our men and women in uniform, that the freedom that they possess to say these ignorant and offensive things are defended by the same people that supposedly aren’t smart enough to do anything better with their lives?
I’m disappointed. Stephen King was one of my favorite authors and I have always been impressed by his abilities. Being thoughtless and then unwilling to own up to what he said doesn’t take away from his talents in the least, but I’ve lost all respect for him. I know that I’m just one small and insignificant person ,but I won’t be buying anymore of his books and I’m trading in the ones that I currently own at my favorite used bookstore for something better. For me, it’s the end of an era.
As someone who has served 13 years in the Canadian military, yes, King's remarks are insulting. For some, the military is an easy job to get, provided you're healthy and don't mind being told what to do. The military only expects that you graduate high school and for some jobs, even grade 10 is enough. BUT... they also teach on the job, and that's pretty smart, to get paid to learn. But again, if you can't read, good luck passing the entrance exams.
ReplyDeleteNot to point fingers, but haven't there been college students that can't read? You know the ones: those elite athletes whose value is judged by the touchdowns or baskets they score instead of the power of their grey matter... Not to say that all athletes fit that bill...
Barbara~~You make a valid point. I happened to grad high school with someone who couldn't read, the teachers knew this person couldn't read, but they graduated this person anyway. Oh yeah, and this person played basketball which was the big sport at my high school since we didn't have football.
ReplyDeleteTo Barbara again, lol~~My husband was a recruiter for the Marine Corps for three years and he didn't put anybody in who couldn't read and pass the ASVAB (military entrance exam). I can remember a few incidences of kids that he had to turn away because they couldn't pass the exam which, I believe, is on an 8th grade level. In short, King's theory is bull.
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