4 ms·

It's remarkable that Marshall McLuhan's ideas haven't entered the public conscience yet.

mapontosevenths 1y ago
53% of American adults read below the sixth grade level. No idea that requires more than a sixth grade education will ever be mainstream again. Huxley was right.
- SoftTalker 1y ago
  It’s been a long time, if ever, that people voted for ideas. They vote for party, as they always have, or for a charismatic candidate.
  - yencabulator 1y ago
    Blame that one on the US two-party system. Multiple parties means you can have okay-ish feelings about 2-3 of them, and support people based on their ideas.
- croon 1y ago
  While genuinely a sad statistic, should it still be called "sixth grade level" at that point if less than half of adults, much less 12 year olds actually reach it? I mean it should because it should be a reasonable level to reach were it not for the dismantling of the educational system, but apparently it's not.
  - mapontosevenths 1y ago
    I think this is a reasonable question. However, I would argue that it still should be. Firstly, I should say that reading scores aren't typically measured by grade levels for this type of study. That's just a colloquialism we use to make it comprehensible to the average person. The PIAAC for example uses a numerical score that translates to "levels of competency". [1] Still, I think it's still a valuable way to express the idea. There exist levels beyond the sixth. Even if most folks don't attain those higher levels anymore we do need some way to refer to them and the sixth grade is when a high school bound adult should have attained that level in order to keep up with later coursework. [1] https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/ https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/
RajT88 1y ago
That book is brutally dense reading. It almost needs a translation for normal folks. It is absolutely no wonder the ideas have not caught on more.

53% of American adults read below the sixth grade level. No idea that requires more than a sixth grade education will ever be mainstream again. Huxley was right.

SoftTalker 1y ago
It’s been a long time, if ever, that people voted for ideas. They vote for party, as they always have, or for a charismatic candidate.
- yencabulator 1y ago
  Blame that one on the US two-party system. Multiple parties means you can have okay-ish feelings about 2-3 of them, and support people based on their ideas.
croon 1y ago
While genuinely a sad statistic, should it still be called "sixth grade level" at that point if less than half of adults, much less 12 year olds actually reach it? I mean it should because it should be a reasonable level to reach were it not for the dismantling of the educational system, but apparently it's not.
- mapontosevenths 1y ago
  I think this is a reasonable question. However, I would argue that it still should be. Firstly, I should say that reading scores aren't typically measured by grade levels for this type of study. That's just a colloquialism we use to make it comprehensible to the average person. The PIAAC for example uses a numerical score that translates to "levels of competency". [1] Still, I think it's still a valuable way to express the idea. There exist levels beyond the sixth. Even if most folks don't attain those higher levels anymore we do need some way to refer to them and the sixth grade is when a high school bound adult should have attained that level in order to keep up with later coursework. [1] https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/ https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/

RajT88 1y ago

That book is brutally dense reading. It almost needs a translation for normal folks. It is absolutely no wonder the ideas have not caught on more.