Reading Test

There's this survey in the news about people who read books. The study said that on average, a liberal reads one more book per year than a conservative, so of course some point derisively and shout, "See, we told you conservatives were stupid!"

Hmm, a typical liberal claims to read 1 more book than a typical conservative. It makes me wonder if liberals taking the survey asked how many books conservatives claim to read every year before answering the question, so they could be sure to one-up their rivals. There was no discernable political affiliation one way or the other with those who didn't read any books at all. Political moderates read the least.

Would that mean that moderates are the stupidest? Or maybe the most honest?

The survey said women read more than men. Does that mean men are stupid?

It also said whites read more than blacks and hispanics. Does that mean blacks and hispanics are stupid?

Suburbanites read more than urban or rural residents. Does that mean farmers and city dwellers are stupid?

Among the readers, the Bible and other religious books are the most popular, with about two-thirds choosing them. Interestingly, non-readers are most likely to be non-religious. What does that say about atheists? Stupid, maybe?

The types of books other than religious read by most people are popular fiction, biographies, mysteries, and romance novels. The survey found that an insignificant number of people read political books or classical literature or poetry.

It's funny to observe that there really isn't anything that can be drawn from this study correlating intelligence with political leanings. It anything at all can be said about the study, the most consistent readers of books seem to be people of faith.

If the small difference in the number of books claimed by liberals and conservatives was based on the number of Harlequin Romances read by liberal women, what would that say about intelligence and political persuasions?

Did they count comic books? What political beliefs are held by comic book readers?

If they had surveyed me, they'd find me at the top of the scale. I read about a book a week on average. Mostly popular fiction, but I can also be found reading religious books and biographies and political books that interest me. I even pick up a classic literary work from time to time. Historical fiction is a favorite.

But I'm a rural male, so according to those who might choose to lump me with the stupid and illiterate, I might present a conundrum.

I like that idea.