New research provides evidence that reading "The Hunger Games" books can promote collective action on behalf of disadvantaged groups. The new findings ...
There was a study a few years back that suggested that reading the Harry Potter books made kids more empathetic. I tend to think that's just fiction in general. You get to see the inner life of a different person--why they do the things they do, their hopes and fears, etc. It turns out that all those strangers you pass every day are all people, not NPCs programmed to interact with you and then go still when you're gone.
So anyway, I think reading fiction is good for your brain, but it's certainly not doing politics. I have to say though that the fiction I read when I was a young idiot raised by conservatives helped me turn left when I grew up and started thinking for myself. Books like The Grapes of Wrath, The Jungle, Hard Times, etc really had a massive impact on me and how I thought about the world, bosses, and workers. I've never read The Hunger Games though, and maybe it's just trash, but I don't think it's ridiculous to think it might get some kids going on the pipeline to the left. The question is what they'll do when they get there.
Yeah, this is one of those times where I can see both sides--on the one hand, I think it's good to read fiction, but I also definitely get the "I beg you to read a different book" crowd. I'm not on Twitter though, so I think I have a higher tolerance for Harry Potter etc nonsense because I'm not as exposed to adults who are way too into children's fiction. Hell, I read children's fiction to feel calm and cozy at times. It's soothing! But probably not great if that's your entire literature diet.
There was a study a few years back that suggested that reading the Harry Potter books made kids more empathetic. I tend to think that's just fiction in general. You get to see the inner life of a different person--why they do the things they do, their hopes and fears, etc. It turns out that all those strangers you pass every day are all people, not NPCs programmed to interact with you and then go still when you're gone.
So anyway, I think reading fiction is good for your brain, but it's certainly not doing politics. I have to say though that the fiction I read when I was a young idiot raised by conservatives helped me turn left when I grew up and started thinking for myself. Books like The Grapes of Wrath, The Jungle, Hard Times, etc really had a massive impact on me and how I thought about the world, bosses, and workers. I've never read The Hunger Games though, and maybe it's just trash, but I don't think it's ridiculous to think it might get some kids going on the pipeline to the left. The question is what they'll do when they get there.
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Yeah, this is one of those times where I can see both sides--on the one hand, I think it's good to read fiction, but I also definitely get the "I beg you to read a different book" crowd. I'm not on Twitter though, so I think I have a higher tolerance for Harry Potter etc nonsense because I'm not as exposed to adults who are way too into children's fiction. Hell, I read children's fiction to feel calm and cozy at times. It's soothing! But probably not great if that's your entire literature diet.