Poll Results, Lois Lowry, and What's Killing America

First things first: a big thank you to everyone who voted on the poll! As you can see, The Act and They rock tied at five votes, with The Invincibles at three votes and They suck at one.

To the person who voted 'They suck': Well, this is awkward. I respect your opinion and everything, but could you please tell me what you think I'm doing wrong? If you're too much of a coward to just tell me, make a fake google account or something. I just want to become a better writer, okay? Okay. Thanks.

Anyway, I will post the next chappie of the Act very soon- to be more precise, as soon as I write it. :)

Now, last night I went to the annual May Hill Arbuthnot lecture at the Saint Louis Library Headquarters with Anna the Dane. The author of the Giver, Lois Lowry, was the main speaker.

And you know what?

She's awesome. I mean, she's 74 and very much alive- she's hilarious and cheerful and clearly very wise. She spoke on the importance of reading at a young age and how books shape cultures- how true! I mean, look at To Kill a Mockingbird. To say that book has not changed the U.S. is like saying Uncle Tom's Cabin means nothing. Anyway, she point is so much more important, considering how many kids are spending their time on their iPods or Wii or x or y. Our culture has devalued the written word and turned to technology that requires less energy, less time.

I think it's going to kill America. Correction- I think it's killing America. As in now.

That probably sounds harsh, but does anyone else agree? How many people now a days actually know how to think for themselves, besides choosing this gadget over that one? How many people have actually read something worthwhile in the past month? Year? Decade? The numbers seem so bleak- heck, our government shows that. The fact that the people stand aside and watch the building burn rather than getting water to put out the flames shows how selfish and impatient our culture is.

I suppose I'm ranting- sorry. But does anyone else agree with me? For those of you who disagree, why do you think I'm wrong? I mean, listening to Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber isn't exactly going to get people anywhere in life, and that's how people spend their time. Watching Transformers isn't going to teach people how to make their own decisions. Spending hours shopping or glued in front of the computer isn't going to help people make the right decisions.

And there I go again. I don't feel inclined to apologize a second time, but I do think this is a major problem in American society. What do you think?

P.S.- I started this post not knowing what I was going to write. Ironic, right?