4 ms·

The headline is misleading. The article says almost half "can’t read for their age". It's not saying they are illiterate. It's an inflammatory headline as writt

The headline is misleading. The article says almost half "can’t read for their age". It's not saying they are illiterate. It's an inflammatory headline as written and the language does not come from the article. Also - genuine question for anyone with a clue - what percent of high school age kids do you think have smartphones in, say, East Oakland?

tharne 4y ago
> Also - genuine question for anyone with a clue - what percent of high school age kids do you think have smartphones in, say, East Oakland? Answer: Effectively all of them. Source: worked in inner city schools for a bit in areas at least as poor as East Oakland.
- alephnerd 4y ago
  Can confirm - Mom works with inner city youth and bussed children with a number of East Bay school districts
- lo_zamoyski 4y ago
  Indeed. I sometimes suspect that those who've never spent any appreciable time around or with the lower classes fall back on Dickensian notions of the pauper. They might be surprised by their conspicuous spending habits and preferences devoted to the acquisition latest gadgets, flashiest sneakers, and gaudiest logo-emblazoned clothing. Failing to wear and own such things because, for example, your family is saving for or spending on education or something actually worth spending money on, is a faux pas.
  - trogdor 4y ago
    https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13392/w13392.pdf https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13392/w133...
mc32 4y ago
Phones are the new high-top sneakers. HS teens would rather be caught with pooped pants than not have a smartphone --even if not the latest and greatest.
Pigalowda 4y ago
Go outside and look around. Just use your powers of observation and take a look. If you are a typical neolib you live in a nice area. So how about you hop on some public transport and visit your local county hospital ER.
- standardUser 4y ago
  I asked about high school aged kids, not hospitals, but thanks for the oddly hostile comment anyway. Fun to be a dick to strangers, huh?
marvel_boy 4y ago
All of them.
PaulHoule 4y ago
My experience with underclass whites is they access the internet exclusively through phones and seem almost unaware of computers and wired internet access. It’s an example of “the poor pay more and get less.”
xboxnolifes 4y ago
"Can't read for their age" is the key part. Without specifying the numbers from years prior is not very relevant in my opinion. When I was in high school, it seemed like most everyone's reading/writing ability was between a 6th-8th grade level according to these scores. Made me wonder if the assigned scores were just too ambitious.
jhanschoo 4y ago
By the way, I don't consider Internet access as useful to literacy as it did to millenials. Millenials had to deal with a text-based internet for online entertainment, but late Gen Z-Gen A's Internet is videos and images with taglines on social media.

tharne 4y ago

> Also - genuine question for anyone with a clue - what percent of high school age kids do you think have smartphones in, say, East Oakland? Answer: Effectively all of them. Source: worked in inner city schools for a bit in areas at least as poor as East Oakland.

alephnerd 4y ago
Can confirm - Mom works with inner city youth and bussed children with a number of East Bay school districts
lo_zamoyski 4y ago
Indeed. I sometimes suspect that those who've never spent any appreciable time around or with the lower classes fall back on Dickensian notions of the pauper. They might be surprised by their conspicuous spending habits and preferences devoted to the acquisition latest gadgets, flashiest sneakers, and gaudiest logo-emblazoned clothing. Failing to wear and own such things because, for example, your family is saving for or spending on education or something actually worth spending money on, is a faux pas.
- trogdor 4y ago
  https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13392/w13392.pdf https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13392/w133...

mc32 4y ago

Phones are the new high-top sneakers. HS teens would rather be caught with pooped pants than not have a smartphone --even if not the latest and greatest.

Pigalowda 4y ago

Go outside and look around. Just use your powers of observation and take a look. If you are a typical neolib you live in a nice area. So how about you hop on some public transport and visit your local county hospital ER.

standardUser 4y ago
I asked about high school aged kids, not hospitals, but thanks for the oddly hostile comment anyway. Fun to be a dick to strangers, huh?

marvel_boy 4y ago

All of them.

PaulHoule 4y ago

My experience with underclass whites is they access the internet exclusively through phones and seem almost unaware of computers and wired internet access. It’s an example of “the poor pay more and get less.”

xboxnolifes 4y ago

"Can't read for their age" is the key part. Without specifying the numbers from years prior is not very relevant in my opinion. When I was in high school, it seemed like most everyone's reading/writing ability was between a 6th-8th grade level according to these scores. Made me wonder if the assigned scores were just too ambitious.

jhanschoo 4y ago

By the way, I don't consider Internet access as useful to literacy as it did to millenials. Millenials had to deal with a text-based internet for online entertainment, but late Gen Z-Gen A's Internet is videos and images with taglines on social media.