The Second Apocalypse
Miscellaneous Chatter => General Misc. => Topic started by: Madness on December 07, 2013, 01:53:45 pm
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Apologies to anyone reading who doesn't self-attribute as male; but I guarantee there are useful nuggets to any orientation.
Why Men Should Read More Fiction (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/04/29/why-men-should-read-more-fiction/)
Also, anyone, but especially guys, who doesn't/don't have the Art of Manliness (http://www.artofmanliness.com/) bookmarked should probably do so now.
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I haven't had a chance to check out this particular post yet, but I can second the blog/podcast overall. I discovered this about a year ago.
The creators do a really good job of covering a wide range of topics with a nice degree of thoroughness, and they get some pretty solid guests to come on. I think they especially do a good job of talking about all things "manly" without being at all offensive or misogynistic about it. It's quite well done. Helped me improve my tie tying skills at a crucial moment. ;D
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The creators do a really good job of covering a wide range of topics with a nice degree of thoroughness, and they get some pretty solid guests to come on. I think they especially do a good job of talking about all things "manly" without being at all offensive or misogynistic about it. It's quite well done. Helped me improve my tie tying skills at a crucial moment. ;D
+1.
I find their unapologetic "manliness," both refreshing and appropriately lacking bro-moments.
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+1.
I find their unapologetic "manliness," both refreshing and appropriately lacking bro-moments.
I think they do a good job of being self-depricating. It's like "we do take our subject matter and content very seriously, but we don't really take ourselves that seriously."
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Truth.
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That reminds me, there's a phenomenal education policy book by Peg Tyre called "The Trouble with Boys" that made no splash several years ago, but it's just brilliant, fascinating reading. One of my takeaways from it was that studies show boys struggle with reading not because they can't perform the task of reading but because the topics of reading tend to be 'not real' aka fictive narratives and fictive universes are something that isn't engaging presenting boys' brains the way those narratives are engaging the brains of non-presenting individuals.
Thus the problem is always framed, 'x% of boys are reading below grade level" or 'x% of boys have a problem with reading' which results in solutions that never actually have an efficacious outcome. The proper way to frame the problem, 'x% of boys have a problem with fiction' results in solutions that have highly efficacious outcomes.
Which leads me to a pet peeve of mine where illiteracy is often useds as 'does not read' (implicit, read fiction). rather than 'can not read.' Most illiterates can read, they just don't read. American society would be a much different place if 40% of the country were illiterate as the scare-tatistians are often screeching.
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I'll check into that, lockesnow. Also, in light of your post, I think you may enjoy the (somewhat pulpy, no pun intended) book by Mark Bauerlein, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30).
I don't agree with everything he presents, or implies, (who really agrees with everything they read) but it's still an interesting read.