"Reading fiction is a complete waste of time." - Discuss amongst yourselves

[Flaxbee]

Do you agree? Disagree? Why?

I'm going out for our 15th anniversary dinner. But the above was said by someone who strongly believes that reading fiction is a waste of time.

I disagree, for a variety of reasons.

But am curious about what the denizens of DU think. Will read the comments later tonight. I hope many of you post your opinions.

[Scuba]

1. Strongly disagree.

Without the possibilities of fiction, we would still be sitting in caves, wishing we knew how to control fire.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”


― Albert Einstein

[OriginalGeek]

2. No person with any sense at all can really believe that.

At the risk of offending you by criticizing someone who might be a friend of yours, the person that said that has no sense.

[Wait Wut]

4. They may have some sense...

...but, they lack imagination, creativity, probably a sense of humor...it could very well be Spock.

What a weird, black, desolate hole they must live in.

[Coventina]

7. I think you're being unfair to Spock!

Who actually showed quit an artistic side at times.

But, we ARE talking about a fictional character, and therefore wasting our time.....

[Wait Wut]

10. Touche'

[NewJeffCT]

46. Spock is fictional?

bite your tongue.

[OriginalGeek]

8. I can imagine a lot of things

but a world devoid of fiction ain't one of 'em.

I bet even on Vulcan they had fiction. Although it may have existed simply to illustrate a lesson that needed to be learned.

And if we accept that fiction may help teach lessons, it cannot be a complete waste of time.

I would not want to party with that person.

[Wait Wut]

11. Ahhhh...

...I didn't think of the 'fiction as a teaching tool' angle.

[LanternWaste]

3. I'm often told television is a waste of time too

I'm often told television is a waste of time too. However, I imagine many people like to pretend they have deep knowledge what is or is not a waste of time-- which in itself, seems to be a waste of time.

[Coventina]

5. ??? That's just crazy talk!

Does this person watch TV? Movies?

Unless they stick with just the news and documentaries, I call bullshit on them.

They're just saying they don't like to read.

[hobbit709]

6. Does this person read the Bible?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[kairos12]

13. LOL

[Manifestor_of_Light]

28. Talking snakes, giants who bred with human women, etc.

Parting the Red Sea, driving a herd of pigs off a cliff, etc.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I find that statement kind of sad.

[Avalux]

12. Nope. Fiction is like stepping into a different world.

The imagination brings it all to life. When I'm in the middle of a really, really good piece of fiction, I can't wait to get back to it; I construct that world and characters in my head as if they're real and find myself wondering about them. It's a marvelous way to escape reality for a little while.

[Chan790]

14. I disagree obviously.

I write fiction.

I don't however read very much nonfiction or watch the news. I'm an escapist and reality is horrifying.

[nomorenomore08]

38. Same here. On all points. n/t

[malthaussen]

15. So's breathing.

We're all gonna die some time.

-- Mal

[treestar]

16. That person is very

not sure how to describe it. Overly literal and lacking in imagination. Talk about pragmatism. That's practicality to a very high standard.

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[CherokeeDem]

17. One of my favorite quotes...

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

I prefer to enjoy a thousand lives.

[NewJeffCT]

47. well said

great quote

[Demoiselle]

18. Fiction feeds our imagination.

Without imagination, human beings are worse than useless…

[sendero]

19. Absurd...

.... fiction/storytelling is a very important catalyst of our cultural development and shared conciousness. It's beyond vital.

[GusBob]

20. To me the best stories are true

But the statement that fiction is a waste of time is nonsense. Some modern fiction I find contrived and farfetched as per it's genre I guess. Gone Girl comes to mind. Very popular. Very very poorly written with glaring plot holes and a worthless ending. That was a waste of time.
But when you are steeped in reality, truth and facts that type of literature can be irritating I guess. To each their own.
Right now I am reading Poilu by Louis Barthus, a diary of a French WWI soldier. 475 pages of pure gold to me. Some might say it's not even literature. But again to each their own.

[Iggo]

21. What an idiot.

[nomorenomore08]

39. Yeah, pretty much. n/t

[csziggy]

22. I'll bet they read it in a science fiction story based on that premise

[RebelOne]

23. Well then, why waste time watching movies?

Most movies are fictional.

[kentauros]

24. I agree.

Writing fiction is far more enjoyable and such a better use of my time

[Arugula Latte]

25. Of course I disagree.

Now, change "reading fiction" to "watching professional sports" and I might change my tune ...

[arcane1]

26. I'm a prolific reader, 99% of which is non-fiction, but I still disagree.

Fiction in general is not my "thing" but I still enjoy it from time to time. Say, maybe one fiction book per year. I suppose if I read nothing but fiction it would technically be a waste of my time, since I wouldn't be reading the stuff I enjoy most.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

27. That is a ridiculous statement.

If that is his opinion, to each his own. Does this person spend time watching tv or sports games? I do like fiction, but I have preference for non- fiction. They are both worthy in many ways. Learning new ideas in both can change your life.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

29. Depends on the book.

I read almost exclusively non-fiction, and when I read fiction, it is old classics from the 19th or 20th century.

[JVS]

30. I'm of two minds on this. In short, I think people should be more selective.

Because young children need to read in order to improve their reading skill, reading is often viewed as a good thing in unqualified terms. Thus a child who is obsessed with something like Goosebumps, Harry Potter, The Babysitter Club, the Hardy Boys, etc. is encouraged to go ahead and read all he or she can in comparison to a child who grows obsessed with similar subject matter but in the form of TV or movies. And I'm ok with this because young children need to practice the mechanics of reading. As these children get older though, their reading should tend to greater sophistication. And as far as adults go, we should probably be reading things that have significant literary merit. I'm not impressed by someone plowing through all of the Tom Clancy or John Grisham novels, or reading every romance novel they can find. They might as well be watching TV.

So I'd modify it to "Reading fiction can be a complete waste of time"

[Flaxbee]

35. This person has a tendency to say provocative things, but I think generally

this person would agree with you -- and when qualified like that, I can't say I disagree -- and am guilty of reading away a lovely afternoon with a mediocre book that turned out to not have been worth my time.

I don't think everything a person reads needs to be educational or mind-expanding or thought-provoking, and I certainly am not a book snob, but I do feel a bit of brain rot if I don't challenge myself with my reading material. During extremely stressful times, though, "junk" fiction saves my life - pure escapism.

[raccoon]

42. Why should we be reading things that have significant literary merit? Not that

there's anything wrong with that.

But by that philosophy, we should only be listening to music that has significant merit.

[JVS]

43. For the same reason that you should eat nutritious food instead of garbage

And yeah, you should try to listen to good music instead of music that sucks.

[raccoon]

45. Both of which are highly subjective. nt

[shenmue]

31. No! No! A thousand times no!

Reading is awesome.

[Taitertots]

32. Waste of time. No. Something I want to do. No

Some people have a hard time distinguishing between things that they enjoy/dislike and things with are a waste of time, wrong, unneeded, stupid....

I have no interest in reading fiction. Reading something that provides mental stimulation and entertainment is never a waste of time.

This person has fallen victim to the idea that their personal preferences define absolute truths about the world around them.

[Paladin]

33. I think that sort of blanket condemnation comes off as small-minded prejudice.

I have a few other thoughts, but I'll withhold them, on the chance the person who expressed the anti-fiction opinion is your spouse or partner, with whom you're celebrating an anniversary.

[Flaxbee]

34. lol

perceptive of you.

comment mostly geared toward the mysteries I tend to enjoy ... as this person has no problem with Shakespeare, Lord Byron, etc...

[Paladin]

36. Glad to hear that the fiction ban is not a 100% matter.

Do you participate in DU's Fiction group? I'd be interested to know what mysteries you like; I'm partial to Raymond Chandler and James Lee Burke.

[Rob H.]

37. Reading fiction is a waste of time, mysteries in particular?!

That's straight-up crazy talk, is what that is. There a few things better than reading a good mystery to while away the hours.

[Enthusiast]

40. Fiction? I love it!

I am always reading a book, a work of fiction.

[Recursion]

41. You know, I'm a fiction writer, but I liked Sideways' argument

"This world is full of so many things you don't know... when you read something somebody just made up...?"

[raccoon]

44. Sometimes reading fiction can teach us something about life. Maybe something

that helps us personally.

For instance, I've read some works where I really identify with a character, and sometimes
it's like holding up a mirror.

I wonder if the same people who are of the opinion that reading fiction is a waste of time
watch TV dramas, reality shows, sitcoms, etc. And, as another poster mentioned, you could
say the same about movies--most movies are fiction.

(Psst: Even movies which are supposedly based on truth or historical events are often highly fictionalized.)

[grilled onions]

48. The Tentacles Of Fiction

It has pushed many a student into delving further into a topic. For example a story about a butterfly collector can create enough interest into a young reader to want to learn more about butterflies.
In a world where people are stressed and they need escape a book of fiction can be just what they need to unwind.
Many books of historical fiction manage to sneak in real pieces of history on subjects that the reader may not have known before.
There are many fictional characters(especially those in series) that can seem very really and their humor or talents come through. A steady reader of a certain character may, out loud, quote one of their gems. This may give the reader a bit of their favorite uncle(if they had one).
No reading is wasteful. Even if you ending up disliking the book you can still glean something out of it. In a worst case scenario they can make great door stops!

[mainer]

49. If he's saying everything we do must have a concrete purpose

then he must also agree that it's a waste of time to:
-- listen to music
-- dance
-- watch plays, TV, movies
-- visit a museum
-- visit an amusement park
-- sit in the sun and daydream

He/she sounds like a "hunter/gatherer" kind of person who believes that only those activities that pay the rent or put food on the table are useless. He also sounds really, really boring.