• Primarily0617
    -5•9 months ago

    What exactly would you like them to read and understand that requires a reading level above 6th grade level?

    • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
      8•9 months ago

      Proposed and actual legislation. Complex articles about the implications of policy decisions. Scientific and medical articles. Anything that can produce an informed electorate is what they should be able to read, and most of that is well above a sixth grade level.

      • prowess2956
        6•9 months ago

        I’m really enjoying you trying to change the mind of someone who is clearly three fifth graders in a trench coat.

        • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
          5•9 months ago

          My hope is that somebody else reading the exchange will see the depths of the ignorance of OP. Because they’re pretty fucking dumb.

      • Primarily0617
        -3•9 months ago

        Why on earth do you think high reading level is a skill that correlates with the ability to parse legislation? I’ve literally had somebody trained in law try to explain specific laws to me and be completely wrong. Knowing long words isn’t going to help you. A similar argument applies for your other examples.

        If you’re reading a technical document aimed at professionals in the field, I literally don’t care what your reading level is: you’re probably not going to correctly parse the text unless you have the background knowledge the text assumes you have.

        If you’re reading an article aimed at a general audience, then congratulations: it’s already written in a way that you can understand it, because it’s aimed at a general audience. If nobody could read it, nobody would buy it.

        • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
          3•9 months ago

          Why on earth do you think high reading level is a skill that correlates with the ability to parse legislation? I’ve literally had somebody trained in law try to explain specific laws to me and be completely wrong. Knowing long words isn’t going to help you. A similar argument applies for your other examples.

          If you think that reading level is just “long words” then your literature teachers completely failed you, and I’m sorry.

          If you’re reading a technical document aimed at professionals in the field, I literally don’t care what your reading level is: you’re not going to correctly parse the text unless you have the background knowledge the text assumes you have.

          If you have a high enough reading level you can do further research to learn what the experts know. You can read multiple sources and make your own connections. You don’t have to trust someone just because they say they have expert knowledge - you can check them.

          If you’re reading an article aimed at a general audience, then congratulations: it’s already written in a way that you can understand it, because it’s aimed at a general audience. If nobody could read it, nobody would buy it.

          So if most people can only read at a 2nd grade level it’s okay for journalists to write articles like See Dog Run? How are we supposed to communicate complicated ideas without complex language?

            • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
              2•9 months ago

              Coming up with a way to quantify the complexity of a text to determine reading level is very different from the process of people reading.

              But if you’re okay with an educated elite ruling over the ignorant masses, I don’t think I can convince you that people aren’t things.

              • Primarily0617
                -2•9 months ago

                Coming up with a way to quantify the complexity of a text to determine reading level is very different from the process of people reading.

                We’re literally discussing a study that attempted to quantify the complexity of texts people are comfortable reading. What did you think we were talking about?

            • @TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.idEnglish
              1•9 months ago

              Lol. That’s why, as explained in the Wiki article you linked to, it’s a requirement in many states that auto insurance policies be written at no more than a 9th grade reading level.

              But sure, having 6th grade reading skills is perfectly fine.

              What a joke.

        • Very_Bad_Janet
          2•9 months ago

          I’ve literally had somebody trained in law try to explain specific laws to me and be completely wrong.

          Do you have a sixth grade reading level? Otherwise I don’t think this helps your argument.

          • Primarily0617
            0•9 months ago

            No, I went and fact checked with different lawyers, since I understand that parsing legislation isn’t something that’s performed particularly well by laymen.

      • Primarily0617
        -1•9 months ago

        Good thing there are a wealth of articles explaining in detail exactly what every single line of the constitution means.

        • Very_Bad_Janet
          2•9 months ago

          Are you saying that you would be comfortable having US citizens solely rely on others to interpret and explain the Constitution to them? You don’t want them to have the ability to read and understand it themselves? Who would those people explaining the Constitution to everyone else be?

          In all of your comments on this thread you seem to be arguing that having a seventh grade + reading level serves no purpose. Do you see any value in having a higher than sixth grade reading level as an American citizen?

          • Primarily0617
            -1•9 months ago

            I don’t want everybody working off their own interpretation of what the constitution says, no. This is the same argument as people who are anti-vax because people should “do their own research” rather than trusting experts.

            There’s obviously value in certain circumstances and walks of life where a higher-than-average reading level is beneficial. However, I can’t really see how any current problems in society could be linked back to the average US citizen’s ability to parse a text that uses long words and long sentences.

            • Very_Bad_Janet
              1•9 months ago

              So, you’d like only a select group of experts - an elite, if you will - to interpret and explain things to the masses.

              • Primarily0617
                0•9 months ago

                This is the same argument as people who are anti-vax because people should “do their own research” rather than trusting experts.

                People who know what they’re doing in a specific technical area should parse highly technical primary sources and disseminate information to those less technically inclined.

                I don’t care what your grade-level is: it has no bearing on your ability to correctly parse technical documents.