Replies

You write "You began by suggesting that we revise the spelling system to help dyslexics. That didn't fly. Now you are trying to suggest that illiterate thugs got that way as the result of our spelling system. Our spelling system is responsible for all our social problems. Bull. It isn't that simple, unless you have blinders on and the argument, however illogical it may be, helps to promote your pet cause."

I originally wrote, in my very first post:

"Illiteracy often leads to poverty, desperation and crime. The USA has 2.1 million prisoners behind bars, the highest incarceration rate in the whole world. Is this due to spelling and illiteracy? Well, 60% of our prisoners are illiterate -- judge for yourself."

So while I may be expanding on those arguments I am not switching arguments. And I do not claim our spelling is responsible for all social problems, but that it increases illiteracy -- it about doubles it -- and illiteracy increases social problems. This is not new with me, it's generally known, it's an axiom, almost a cliche. Practically everyone who has ever been in a jail remarks on the prevalence of illiteracy. A US Supreme Court Chief Justice wrote "The percentage of inmates in all penal institutions who cannot read or write is staggering... The figures on literacy alone are enough to make one wish that every sentence imposed could include a provision that would grant release when the prisoner had learned to read and write."

But of course that was Warren Burger and since he was a liberal I guess you won't accept that he knew anything about criminology, even though he was Chief Justice. Sigh. There must be *some* way to convince you. Hold on while I look for a quote from Gabriel. Or maybe Attila :-)

As I've state, illiteracy is NOT a function of our spelling system. Changing the spelling system will NOT make kids want to learn. Their illiteracy is a function of deeper social problems. You can find all kinds of correlation between a lack of education and social-economic environments, yet we ALL have the same spelling system.

It is fine to focus on illiteracy. Might I suggest that you turn away from the overly simplistic notion that it is our spelling system that is the problem and turn your attention to all the social ills that result in illiteracy.

Yes, illiteracy and social ills are a viscious cycle and they feed on each other. However, your notion that our spelling system is somehow the cause is flat out naive, illogical and flies in the face of the simple fact that we ALL have the same spelling system - yet specific social economic groups are the ones who have issues with illiteracy.

Changing the spelling system, which would casue problems for the majority (are we all supposed to go back to school to learn your silly new system?) will not change the fact that certain kids to not want to learn for reasons far more complicated that how we spell.

A lot needs to be fixed to cure illiteracy and the social ills that come of it - long before we all suffer under your silly new spelling system. You basically want to disrupt everything for those of us getting along just fine, under the naive notion that it will somehow magically fix illiteracy in the minority of the population who have much more serious problems than you acknowledge.

Give it up man. I'm sitting here laughing at you, scratching my head and truly wondering if you are serious, or just a troll scoring points for each letter I type!