Illiteracy is not a disability - stop making excuses

I have noticed there has been a change in the attitude to illiteracy in recent years. People are wearing illiteracy like a badge of honour and saying things like they can't help it. And when you point out they can do something about it just by putting some effort into learning to read and write properly some do-gooder comes along and tells you that you are being unfair to them. Lets clarify, there are people who have genuine learning difficulties, and those who have genuine learning disabilities, but the vast majority do not.

Certain young people appear to think that being illiterate makes them 'special' and gets them 'special attention'. It also means they can use their illiteracy as an excuse for not finding work and not taking any responsibility for themselves and their future.

And worst of all society encourages their attitude. Poor education, easier exams and a 'someone else is always to blame' attitude, which is prevalent throughout society, contributes to their laziness and apathy. You hear teenagers who complain that the reason why they can't read and write properly is because their school has let them down, they come from a poor background etc. Being from a poor background will affect your higher education choices but it doesn’t stop you from being able to read and write. For example children in the poorest areas of the world often have scarce educational resources but many still manage to learn to read and write and some walk miles a day to school, and then work to help support their families as well. Then you have teenagers who have their parents drive them to school and have many opportunities in the west who simply don’t put in the effort to educate themselves. They think education is something that is given to them by their teacher and that they can use poor teaching to be lazy, when in fact everyone have a responsibility for their own education, no matter what their age.

So, stop making excuses for illiteracy. Everyone, (excluding those who are genuinely mentally disabled) can learn to read and write properly.