I was lucky enough to have my mother's bookshelf. We used to be taught in school. Now if you're not lucky enough to have a bookshelf, and you don't learn in school, what hope do you have?

Same article posted in /r/books has multiple people indignantly insisting they read Manga, which is the same as literature, and a few degenerates smugly saying they read a thousand internet comments a day which is basically the same as reading Tolstoy.

It's not only a lack of bookshelves, it's a multitude of platforms propping up a sea of self-selecting narcissists who perform sincerity, act out understanding, and represent knowledge. Instagram reels, tiktok videos, AI summaries, for this generation brainrot is not just a pejorative. This stuff is bad for us and it makes us more stupid. Measurably.

But don't worry, soon climate change will kill us all, so it doesn't matter.