Capital

Screened out …?

Remember back in the day when T.V in Ethiopia was black and white, color televisions and video players (VHS and Betamax) were exclusively affordable by the very wealthy and the only satellite near Earth was the moon? That technologically 'primitive' era between the industrial revolution and the digital age, for all its Spartan aspects, did have many positive traits, which unknown to vain humanity, were irreplaceable pieces of the puzzle of life. Things such as naturally sharp, short and long term memory, longer and more focused attention spans and the desire to accumulate mental information for instant recall…
For instance, I dare any of you reading this to write down from memory five telephone numbers. Yeah, include your own. I bet that you have given up and your hand has strayed to that handheld brain - your cell phone…? Yep! I knew you couldn't do it, because I also can't _ not since I became a phonkie (phone + junkie), trusting a silicon thingy instead of the natural memory from a brain which once used to store up to 20 telephone numbers.

We have been gradually screening out our mental faculties - both literally and figuratively. In the most direct sense, the screen has replaced the papyrus. The written word as we once knew it has been reduced to the sound byte and news flash ... like the irritating 'streaming' text, condensed of course for economic reasons.
Things are in fact so badly skewed that reading is not only a dying art; even its very definition is changing form. I began to note this fact soon after realizing that folks have stopped asking a new acquaintance, once common ground breakers. Such as, 'so what do you like to read?' or 'whose your favorite author?' It is also a crying shame to me and to other like minded citizens that no more do we see youngsters with a fat novel sticking out of a jacket pocket.

In the context of our frighteningly opaque youth … (and I fear, also among young adults and quite a few others) reading is just skimming often abbreviated text, and 'digesting' snippets … sort of like a regression into voluntary sign language.

The few and far in between bookworms are considered to be the most angular of squares and many finally do succumb and drop their priceless reading habit for the sake of conformity. I can say much more on this topic for I do love my books and can not imagine a life devoid of regular consumption of good writing. However, since I am always so passionate, often voracious and sometimes obsessive about reading, I may not be as objective as I would like to be when I rage about the imminent death of reading. That's why I must defer to Capital's Society for more balanced public commentary. Keep reading!

Is the habit of reading an endangered quality?

I have to confess: I have given up trying to get my three, video game crazy teenagers to read books. Its no use and absolutely no competition with all the electronics they have at their disposal. Its either getting rid of the games, TV, receiver and DVD player or watch helplessly as my children grow dumb and dumber.

Eyasu F. 40,
Frustrated Father

The problem has deeper roots than just the present generation’s obsession with screens instead of reading books. Ethiopian society, due to historically low literacy and a pervasive ignorance among the literate, most of whom read (if ever), only to study for exams, and other factors have made us into one of the least literate societies in the world. Let’s not put the blame entirely on the current generation, bad as it is.

Melat. S. 33,
K.G Administrator

Custom and practice move with the time. If reading printed matter is going out of date so be it. We don’t move around with course drawn any more- we have cars and planes. Society must always adopt to new ways and technologies. Let’s not fight what we can’t prevent from happening.

F.A. ,
Grocer