New Study: 54% of American Adults Read Below 6th Grade-Levels
medium.com
Low literacy levels among adults in the United States are a major concern, with 54% of adults aged 16–74 years old, or about 130 million people, reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade…
  • Imnecomrade@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
    0·
    2 years ago

    One thing I like about Wikipedia is that they have a Simple English version: simple.wikipedia.org

    Has a Simple English Prolewiki been suggested or considered? As people’s access to education worsens, we may need to find ways to describe communist theory and current/historical events through a ML lens to people with lower reading levels.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      2 years ago

      Making things as accessible as possible by default is generally a good idea. There’s generally no good reason to use flowery language.

    • davel [he/him]@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
      0·
      2 years ago

      This isn’t a refutation of your suggestion, but more of a “yes and…”. Literacy was much worse in Russia & China when they revolted in the early 20th century. I’m not sure what percentage the vanguard were literate at the time. I imagine that lack of literacy made reading groups all the more critical. What we have now that they didn’t have then are audiobooks. The Soviet & Chinese Communists prioritized literacy education highly after taking control.

      • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
        1·
        2 years ago

        The reading groups are absolutely the special sauce that’s needed. There is simply no substitute for people getting together and discussing these ideas. Most people simply won’t read this stuff even if they have the capacity to understand it. The advantage of a reading group is that it’s a social activity. This makes it a lot more enjoyable to do which helps keeps people engaged. And the reading groups are the building block of actual organizing. This is how people meet each other, become friends, and start working together towards common goals.

        • Imnecomrade@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
          0·
          2 years ago

          I absolutely agree. Though, I believe my suggestion would serve a different purpose. This would include people new to ML and happen to come across Prolewiki online. Having simple english articles available would also be useful for comrades to share to people with learning disabilities and poorly educated people online. People who have their first spark of radicalization then may start looking for a party, organization, or social group that would have reading group events. My own first steps to radicalization began after reading wiki articles about alternative governments and economic models after net neutrality was repealed. I am now a PSL applicant who has attended marches, rallies, Zoom meetings, and reading group events, and they have been a wonderful experience that a wiki article obviously cannot replace.