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Since the "literacy isn't a net good, tankies improving literacy is bad actually" take showed up on my TL I wanna respond to it but without QRT since the person is a fellow anarchist. Basically this is really shallow and kind of stupid thinking, and it makes me frustratedPermalink On twitter.com
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The fact that, under capitalism, illiterate people have a lower quality of life than literate people is of course unjust. Socialists believe we should have a decent standard of living regardless of our circumstances and current skillsPermalink On twitter.com
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However, literacy is not simply a tool through which workers use to interface with the capitalist system. Reading is a net good beyond capitalism. It gives people access to a large volume of information, culture, and entertainment that would be difficult to transmit otherwisePermalink On twitter.com
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Socialists are also interested in the development of human beings beyond work and basic needs. And literacy can be a big part of human development more broadlyPermalink On twitter.com
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I can teach myself how to paint, through YouTube yeah, but also because I can read. I can watch cartoons in a language I don't speak because I can read. That's pretty neat! Everyone should have the option to do that if possible. It's not about "oh the inherent political barrier"On twitter.com
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You may argue that not every language historically had a written component. This is true and it did not make those cultures "primitive" in any way. But a lot of those cultures, when they found out about written language, rushed to implement the technology on their ownPermalink On twitter.com
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It's like arguing that "roads aren't a net good because under capitalism people are forced to use a vehicle to work" and therefore "tankies that champion increased transportation are still not addressing the fundamentals of capitalism". Reading is just a useful technologyPermalink On twitter.com
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In a lot of societies, who is literate is not random. In many places it's not just that literacy is low, it's that women specifically are not allowed to learn to read to limit their opportunities. I'm not sure why a socialist would hesitate to fix thisPermalink On twitter.com
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What is it with anarchists having the worst, most embarrassing discourse on here? Why is it always "bed time abolition" and "literacy isn't good" that's always popping off on everyone's feeds?Permalink On twitter.com