while scouting for a book at borders during the new year holidays, i overheard a conversation between two guys about books. one of the phrases that i heard was, 'books are the worst things ever invented'. and after relegating books to a position that they were both comfortable with, they slapped each other a high five and laughed the way guys do in shows like dude, where's my car.

firstly, (i really need to get this off my chest because it's just so obvious) you dont go saying stuff like that in a bookstore. i mean c'mon, what the hell are you doing there then? get the hell out.

but the worse thing was that they were about 16-ish, no older than that at least. it was just plain disappointing to see teens talk about books like that. and if there's two asses like that, there's probably a whole clan of book-hating idiots.

can you imagine a whole lot of people (teens) who hate to read and thinks that books are probably 'the worst things ever invented'? it'll spark a generation of idiots. not knowing how to have intellectual conversation, or have their own points of view, or posses information to form their own points of view on issues in the first place. not knowing where things come from and what's going to happen to them, why people do the things they do and what goes on around the world each and everyday. a group with an imagination of snails.

is this the beginning of an anti-reading generation?

i'm not asking for philosophical debates or passionate speeches (the ones people go to jail for when they present their points of view at the speakers' corner), i'm just saying that a book (yes even stupid ones like goosebumps) gives you something to take away with you when you finally finish that last syllable and flip that last page. it gives you material.

unfortunately, it seems like some of the younger generation equate lifting a 200-paged novel to bench-pressing 220.