26
I'AIUISAN rl...EVIEW
Cynthia Green Colin:
What they bring to the t;lbk may have declined
from the literary standpoint accord in g to how we've thought about litera–
ture. I'm not clear that they don't have an infinitely greater understanding
of biology, geo logy, things that we weren ' t expected to know.
Edith Kurzweil: I
think that what Fred is sayin g also is that,
to
begin
with, if people cannot read, they cannot absorb the biology or the history
or anythin g else. And their knowledge of history is abom inable.
Harry Kahn:
It seems to me that we're not taking into account the way
the world has changed, the opportuniti es of other ways of gettin g infor–
mation. Radio and television playa great part, and there are many reasollS
why people read less. Is there somethin g abo llt reading that makes it bet–
ter than television or better than radio) It certain ly is the best. But, I think
that kids growing up today want
to
read and there's no reason why they
can't, but they have the misfortune of having so many other choices.
Edith Kurzweil: I
think you're right, Harry, lip to a point. Sut what
find disturbing is that the people who are producing the shows on televi–
sion , who talk on the radio, themselves have not read eno ugh to inform
those who li sten as well as they cou ld .
Fred Ciporen:
On public television a couple of months ago there was an
excel lent ser ies on Stalin and w hat he did to R.ussia. That was as good as
anythin g written on Stalin . So it's not just television per se that's a lesser
medium.
Annabel Grimm:
1'111
not American. I'm
fr0111
Mexico City, but I agree
wi th you, sir, completely. I taught Mexican dance. I have been a dancer and
cho reographer at Columbi a University for four yelrs, and I have to bring
a map of Mexico because the graduate students have no idea where
Mexico is. I found this abso lutely horrendous. So now my dance compa–
ny and I go around to schoo ls. We begin wi th a big map, "Where is
Mexico?" And the kids say, "Oh I know, Mexico's ill Afi·ica. Let's see.
Where's Mexico)" I'm profoundly shocked, and I think that Americans
should begin to know where Mexico is.
Laurie Dickstein:
I'm a littl e surpri sed by this discussion because what
we're basically saying is that your children, or perhaps your gra ndchildren,
are stupider and less educated than you are, and I don't believe that you
believe that. And when you say that ro ck music really hurts your head and
yo u have nostalgia for early rock and roll. ..
