Can someone sum up Paul's post for me? I didn't read it.

@1, civilization came to an end.

looks like America hates poetry about as much as I do.

This is clearly dangerously subversive information that should result in the NEA being defunded entirely.

I realized with a jolt that there are adults walking around today who were not born when the right wing first started attacking the NEA, and have never heard of John Frohnmayer or the NEA Four, for example.

Ronald Reagan intended to push Congress to abolish the NEA completely over a three-year period upon entering the office in 1981. However, this plan was abandoned when the president's special task force on the arts and humanities, which included close Reagan allies such as conservatives Charlton Heston and Joseph Coors, discovered "the needs involved and benefits of past assistance," concluding that continued federal support was important.

Over half of Americans didn't read a single "work of literature" in a whole year. Does that include novels, or just the heavier stuff?

The numbers were up between 2002 and 2008 … coinciding roughly with the Bush years? Interesting. Could it be that all of us liberals were holed up in our houses reading novels until our Kenyan socialist overlord took over, then we came out of the woodwork for all of our handouts?

tl;dr

While I may read fewer books, I'm pretty sure I'm reading more words per year.

So thanks for that, Internet :)

Who reads poetry on purpose outside of a scholastic context?

@9 Civilized people.

Numbers up in 2002-2008 would correspond fairly well to the height of the Harry Potter craze. The first movie came out in 2001, which is when LOTS of people really got into the series and had to catch up on the previous books. The 5th book (2003), the sixth book (2005), and the 7th book (2007) set all sorts of sales records. The Harry Potter films were also coming out steadily during those years and each film probably sent a new wave of people off to read the books.

@1, he pushed adults reading comic books instead of real books. Now we are all fucked. THANK'S PAUL!!!

I wonder how the group of people who didn't read anything correlates with the group who doesn't believe in evolution. I guess the bible is a book, but then isn't the whole point of church that you can have someone read the book to you rather than reading it yourself.

I guess my paltry couple books a month doesn't look so bad now.

@9: Pick up a copy of "Joyful Noise" by Paul Fleischman and get back to me.

Uh, what's "play reading?"

@15, the reading of plays? They print them in books, you know. "Shakespeare" ring a bell?

@5 In this context a "work of literature" includes novels, short stories, poetry, and plays not read for school or work.

The actual questionnaire is in the 2012 SPPA instrument from the link below. This is how the question about "literature" was phrased. They say newspapers and magazines don't count, except if they are focused on literature. Like maybe the New Yorker or a literary journal. I don't see anything about comics. Someone who read the Sandman might have considered it equivalent to a novel, but I doubt someone who follows Archie would.

[During the last 12 months] did you read any (INSERT)?
a. Novels or short stories
b. Poetry
c. Plays

http://arts.gov/publications/additional-…

What about non-fiction?

I generally read nonfiction to novels at a ratio of around 20 to 1.

@18: Libertarian conspiracy literature doesn't, in fact, count as nonfiction.

@19
What libertarian conspiracy?

@20: I don't know what's on your bookshelf, nerd.

people don't read books b/c they're too busy checking their stupid fucking mobile gizmos every two seconds. i bet conversation is down since 08 too. the powerbrokers love this shit btw. much easier to herd the sheep.