this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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You're right about the illiteracy rate, I risremembered it.
Here we go from the horse's mouth:
https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2024-2025-where-we-are-now
So, I was correct to say that the average adult American reads at a 5th grade level.
21% are functionally illiterate, not 30%.
Now, do I, personally meet people who can't read beyond a 5th grade level? Have a very limited vocabulary when speaking in person, unable to articulate themselves clearly, often misusing words that don't mean what they think they mean?
Yes. Frequently. All the time.
2 in 10 seems about right to me, comparing the stats to my own experience.
Americans and English speakers outside of America really do not seem to understand that we are fucking stupid compared to basically all the rest of the developed world, G-whatever number, countries.
Most European and other 'First World', developed countries have literacy rates above 99%.
Basically all European countries are over 95%.
China is at about 97%
The US is at 81%.
That is comparable to... Cambodia, Kenya, Algeria, Guatemala.
In my own life, almost every single person I've met online, who speaks English as a second language, speaks it more proficiently, has a wider vocabulary than most Americans I meet or know online or irl.
This is what happens when a country destroys its public education system.
Wow. I guess looking back on times I’ve visited the states, I have met a fuck ton of stupid people. And I haven’t been there often. I guess it’s like the whole Irish drinking thing, it sounds like an exaggeration of the truth but the reality is actually worse than you thought.
Oh god do not even get me started on how culturally normalized drunk driving is in the US.
Almost everyone I've ever known in the US has driven drunk or very high maybe once a month or more, for at least a 5 year period of their life, and they will call you an asshole for telling them that's bad.
Jesus and I thought Alberta was bad haha