Learning inconsistent/inefficient languages doesn't stifle literacy - just look at Asian languages. The problem with reform is that you'd be fine with it except

Learning inconsistent/inefficient languages doesn't stifle literacy - just look at Asian languages. The problem with reform is that you'd be fine with it except if they decided on something you didn't agree with. Multiple by millions of speakers and any committee decision is laughed off the pages of public discourse. I remember the case of some place name being standardised a decade ago, and I guess they won the edit war on wikipedia but no normal person uses that pronunciation and they are just making it more difficult to find (although google's fuzzy matching can figure it out).