The Death of Print

How often these days do you see someone reading a book? It seems to have become a dying art, these days. But why, though? I have a theory. It's because the corporate media wants people inundated by so much natter and white noise that they can't focus on any one thing in particular. They want people to be on Facebook and Twitter, with three youtube videos running in the background, and the TV blaring down the hall. Books make people think. Books are concrete. They make people use their imaginations, and the last thing the Powers That Be want is a group of imaginative, thinking people.

So how would one go about ensuring the death of print? It isn't as hard as you'd think. A good part of the populace wouldn't even notice. As long as they have a phone to text on, or an Ipad to watch seventeen episodes of Jersey Shore in a row on, they'll be happy. But for the rest of the people, the people who DO read, how would you go about it? Well, first, you'd cut funding to libraries. That's happening already. Next, you'd ensure that only the most vapid and unintellectual books get put out. You'd keep it down to a fourth grade reading level so the proles can understand their prolefeed. Next, you'd cut education to the bone so literacy suffers for it, and you're almost there.
Of course, you'd still have the greats of history, but when's the last time you sat down and opened up Mark Twain, or Hemingway, or so on and so forth?

I see people read books everyday. Well, my old lady at least. She grabs a book then locks herself in the bathroom for 2-3 hours a day (to get away from me)

Dude I come from a relatively isolated place in Asia.
I am using dial up right now We don't get too much access to the net so we have to spend most of the time playing,reading etc.
I definitely love reading books.
I do not understand what kind of person will not want to read a good printed book.

reply to post by Grifter42

I agree - and let me add another twist.

Don't forget the death (in a way and in part) of the Postal System.

The rates are SO HIGH to send anything that isn’t electric?
Think about it.
Books rates - gone.
Stamps way up there.
Sure, you can say it’s all to blame on the internet - but it’s all to blame on the internet and NWO.

Why.
Because rain, sleet snow and hail can stop your internet - so can the flick of the switch - but not your local mailman. They can stop info right now, right now. Paper? They can't.

What does it boil down to?

TPTB will control all media and all interpersonal traffic. All books. Wow, talk about rewriting and controlling history on the largest scale possible.

I DESPISE electric books. On the other hand I don’t have a choice as $$$ talks.

So, it’s all a part of the plan.

No books = Control history and make it changeable.

No interpersonal information that is not tractable, traceable, recordable, hackable, readable by TPTB = tough to make a united stand or keep a secret isn't it?

It’s a deep rabbit hole. And I know rabbits.

peace

I read quite a lot, several books a week, but I see your point. It seems everyone is riveted to a TV, computer or game. I read because it gives me something TV never could. There's nothing so relaxing as a good book, a cigar and a hot cup of coffee on a summer day, sitting in the back yard under a tree, conning a ship through the universe or solving a mystery.

I am an avid reader and prefer holding a real book in my hand compared to using an electronic device to read from. That being said, I don't believe there is a conspiracy to squash the books.

Technology has progressed to a point where you can have 50 books on an electronic device. Technology typically makes things more convenient for people. It's like saying that machines in factories were a conspiracy because they took jobs from people.

Secondly, most new books are dumb. I think that is because people are only getting dumber. If an intelligent person isn't willing to right a book, you won't get an intelligent book. The classics are really good to read still.

As far as cutting education, have you been in an average public school lately? Kids are supposed to be the future of this country. I fear for the future. Most kids do not want to learn and have no desire of the unknown, let alone read an actual book.

I think those are contributing more to the decline of the book. Your post really made me think of all the things above though!

reply to post by shivaX

Dude I come from a relatively isolated place in Asia.
I am using dial up right now We don't get too much access to the net so we have to spend most of the time playing, reading etc.
I definitely love reading books.
I do not understand what kind of person will not want to read a good printed book.

I'm one - nice to meet you.
Well, let me clarify. I'm someone who LOVES books in paper form.
But where I live? I can't get them in English and I don't enjoy reading them in the native - they lose too much.
I cannot afford the exurbanite price of postal books - they're heavy you know.
I would give anything (but the money I don't have) to never look at a E-reader again.
But my choice?
E-Read - or not to Read.
Har har.

peace

A large fraction of the current generation despises reading in the U.S.
I know, it's obscene. But it's been socially programmed into them. They think it's work, when a good book can be one of the finest pleasures known to civilized man. It's not entirely their fault. I blame the government, which is deliberating dumbing down the populace to create a more ignorant and subservient populace. These dumbed down masses will not be able to read about how the Gulf of Tonkin was staged by the government to have a pretext for war, they will not be able to read about Ruby Ridge or Waco, they will not be able to read about things that you and I take for granted. There's a dark age coming.

I don't believe in a death of Print. First of all I would be without a job.

But there always be printed ads, newspapers and books.

Originally posted by Hellas
I don't believe in a death of Print. First of all I would be without a job.

But there always be printed ads, newspapers and books.

Newspapers are in a huge decline. Books, sure, in a limited and abridged fashion, but the morning paper is suffering. They are becoming less and less profitable compared to news on television, the internet, and so on.
The elder generation is what is keeping the paper alive. In a decade or two, it'll be even worse off than it is now.

I will be very sad if that ever happens. I love to read, and I prefer a real book. I don't have any type of E-reader and that is fine with me. I just finished 3 books over the long weekend.

Oh and don't forget the money printing

I enjoy reading. But I primarily research certain topics of my desire. And in doing so, I usually utilize the internet. But I certainly hope there is no death of tangible, real books. I'm about to start reading a book written by Mark Twain....

For whom The Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
One of my favorites!!!

if books were sold at a fair price you'd see more people reading them.

I'm not surprised people are using kindles and the internet to read, what with the stupid costs books are still selling at!

That's another good explanation of why print is in decline. Rising paper costs and continued unsustainable deforestation have indeed contributed.

I love antique books, I have many that are 300-500+ years old. I am a bookbinder by trade but I love restoring antiques using traditional methods and tools. In 300 years time my books will still be very servicable to read if they are looked after properly, I cant say the same for epub files or pdf's. So if the worlds literature goes totally digital then we stand the chance of loosing alot of knowledge as file types are replaced by the next one. It's already messy as some file types are'nt compatible with some readers.

You don't need to burn books if you can just wipe them out in a magnetic pulse, or have software wipe them from the harddrive when the corporations decide you've had them long enough for their tastes. 'You like that E-book, Johnny? Well, you better pay up this month's leasing fees."

I'm a syndicated newspaper columnist and have been a columnist for many magazines, newspapers, and websites long enough now to have seen a lot of interesting things happening.

Bad news: magazines are gone, newspapers are holding on by their fingernails and mostly bankrupt (Tribune, one of my employers, had a huge bankruptcy filing and while at the moment it seems to at least be keeping most of us writers and editor types employed, that won't last long); bookstores are gone (Barnes and Noble is only hanging on from the sales of its Nook ereader and the fact that they have a huge content catalogue similar to Amazon's; otherwise two Christmas seasons ago they would have gone out of business just like competitor Border's did.)

Good news: I'm able to reach so many international readers now through my websites and membership site and the e versions of my print books and print material. Years ago many mainstream editors at major publishing houses who were pursuing deals with me told me point blank that they rarely bother to bring an author's work into foreign countries because of the "hassle." So when I told them, for example, that at that point for some reason I had a cluster of thousands of loyal readers in Germany who wanted to buy my books, they shrugged their shoulders and went, "Meh, f#kkk them. They're not American readers, who cares?"

Well, I care! Thoughts and ideas and information are meant to transcend geography, language, and culture, especially in this day and age. Print publishers have long had problems properly serving non-American markets because the US is still seen as the center of the universe for no good reason -- leaving artificial and unnecessary barriers in place.

E communication and e publishing transcends those barriers and is very wonderful and exciting!

To make up for this, we should build huge stone monuments, and write the really important stuff on those.

reply to post by LipstickMystic


You all sound like very intelligent people who read a lot of books. For now, everything seems fine but keep in mind that IQ is dropping globally and people are becoming less and less literate every day. You see teenagers clicking out pidgin english in text messages. I'm in my twenties and I hate that gibberish.

It's like George Orwell predicted, what with Newspeak. Only it's not invented by the government but by the incredibly dumb. P0ST M073 L8R