Author Stephen King Takes Foot, Inserts Directly Into Mouth:
"I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's, it's not as bright. So, that's my little commercial for that."
Forgive my frankness here but what an ass. Really, some of the smartest people I've ever met spent extended time in the military. My good friend Dick Bradley was in the Marines and he's sharp as a tack. The picture painted here by Stephen King, who, by the way, has written the same book 11 times, is one of an army filled with morons who simply have no other choice but to serve. The facts dispute this picture. In this day and age many military jobs require technical expertise that King most certainly doesn't posses. I don't think the frail bastard could pick up an assault rifle, much less fire one.
Update: Stephen King fires back...
"That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt," he said in a statement posted on his Web site.
King said he supports the troops but believes the war in Iraq is a "waste of national resources ... and that includes the youth and blood of the 4,000 American troops who have lost their lives there and for the tens of thousands who have been wounded."
"I live in a National Guard town, and I support our troops, but I don’t support either the war or educational policies that limit the options of young men and women to any one career — military or otherwise," King said.
What a joke. The problem wasn't with encouraging youth to read, the problem was in insinuating that if you don't, you're forced to join the military. Therein implying that all citizens serving in the Armed Forces are illiterate fools. That no one could have possibly joined the military for any other reason that it was a last choice. Stay away from politics Stephen, you're clearly out of your league.
12 comments:
What a dumbass! I bet he'll face a backlash for this.
Stephen King is an idiot. Does anyone actually read his crap books any more? He should read someone like Michael Yon so he can get back in touch with reality.
I don;t want to sound like an ad, but "this is your brain on drugs".
Maybe that accident scrambled his brains a bit too...? Or is he just been visiting with John F. Kerry a bit too much? Time to make a new sign, I guess.
John Kerry did say virtually the same thing... It's almost odd how close the two gaffs are.
Hey ya'll! I totally dissent this statement! We's in the army is all geniusus, ya'll. Your a jerk, Stephen Spielgerg!
lol spielgerg
everyone in the army is retarded
I think you misunderstood. He was saying that people who can't read have very few options available aside from the military, not that military people as a group can't read. Understand the difference? Pay close attention to what he's saying. You've got it a little backwards. You take his meaning to be "military equals illiterate" while he was saying "illiteracy sometimes equals military"
hope that helps
I agree with Christopher. He was encouraging literacy and stating that there aren't many options available to people without educations. The Military will take them but it doesn't mean they'll advance.
Sorry, he's still an idiot IMO. If you guys are right, rather than saying "People who join the military can't read" he is saying "If you can't read, your only option is to join the military". Yeah, that much better.
You have to admit that it was a stupid and insensitive thing to say and it shows Kings true colors about what he thinks of people who do decide to serve their country. Only someone who holds soldiers (Marines, sailors and airmen, too) in contempt would use their career choice as an example of what could happen to you if you decide not to get educated.
Perform this exercise... Say exactly what he said, only replace "Army" and "Iraq" with "barber" and "Des Moines". Do you think that barbers would have a legitimate complaint? Especially those in Des Moines? Of course they would.
For some reason people have the mistaken impression that people who join the Army and other services are stupid and do so because they have "no other options", well I've got news for you, a majority of them join because they feel a sense of obligation to serve their country and are as intelligent (or more. certainly more mature) than most civilians in their age bracket.
This is really simple. If you categorize people into groups by their level of education and their willingness to join the army you get 4 groups.
1. People with education who wants to join the army.
2. People with education who doesn't want to join the army.
3. People without education who wants to join the army.
4. People without education who doesn't want to join the army.
Let's assume that without education a person have few opportunities available. In that case people in category 4 have little choice but to join the army if they don't want to work minimum wage jobs and the like for the forcible future. By making sure everyone have access to good education people wouldn't need to make that choice.
The only flaw in your post is this: Uneducated (illiterate) people don't generally have the military as an option. People unfamiliar with the military make it sound as if the recruiters will take any old fool that stumbles in off the street. I'd wager they turn as many people away as they enlist in a given year. People who think otherwise are simply showing the ignorance or disdain for the military, or both.
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