I was talking to a friend the other day and somehow our conversation went into a little politics and world events. Around this time the conversation started becoming extremely one-sided, and after a few minutes the friend stopped me and asked “how do you know all this stuff?”.

I simply replied, “I Read”.

To that the friend responded angrily, “OH so what you trying to say? I don't read? I READ! I read all the time!” The sad thing is that may be the case.

Whenever I go to a major city I make it a point to ride the public transportation at least once while I'm there and everywhere I go I see the same thing I see in New York City. I see hundreds of people with newspapers, books, and magazines. The problem is most of the stuff people are reading is only a half step up from watching a TV sitcom or soap opera. I guess this is why so many people are confused, apathetic, and misinformed about so many important issues. I hardly ever see people reading non-fiction works about things that affect or have affected their lives, and when I do, these “non-fiction” books are almost always something straight off the best-seller list of some so called “authority” bent of misinforming the public.

The situation is even worse among the poor, “minorities”, and woman, the people who can least afford to be confused about the decisions that have been and are being made for them by politicians, business executives, etc. I don't know how many Black and/or Latino women I've seen reading books on the train or bus who's titles should be “God-damn, Cheating Ass Men”, or some cheesy supermarket love story. If it's not that then people are reading their local, daily, tabloid newspaper like the New York Daily News or The New York Post, where it seems that men have somehow learned to read the newspaper starting with the sports section (although this may be a blessing in disguise).

I've lost track of how many times newspapers like The Daily News and The Post have run front page stories on celebrity weddings, break ups, and the like. Why the hell would I care who Jennifer Lopez is bonin' when I hardly have food in my refrigerator and no health care? Damn, at least you know what your getting when you buy the National Enquirer! When the local newspapers are not stalking celebrities they're perpetuating the myth of the Black or Latino super-criminal lurking in some dark corner waiting to pounce on you, especially if you're a white female. Read enough of this garbage and watch a little local nightly news and the FACT that close to 70% of people incarcerated nationally are there for non-violent offenses becomes pretty unbelievable.

African-Americans in New York City ought to be especially ashamed of themselves because there are at least two African-American owned and operated newspapers where they could get a fair shake, such as The Amsterdam News and The Daily Challenge. True you won't find them at every news stand but if you don't ask you won't receive.

Don't get it twisted though, people are entitled to try and make their commute as pleasant as possible, but I still can't help wondering, if these are the limits of our reading enjoyment? Believe me non-fiction reading has all the elements any book lover could want. You want Love, read about how corporate executives love of profits keeps you as a temp worker without benefits and forces 13-year old children into sweatshops all over the “third world”. You want Betrayal, read about how politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike have sold out the American people in favor of campaign contributors. You want Mystery and Intrigue read about the countless examples of the United States military covertly or overtly intervening in other country's internal affairs. There are too many important events happening these days for poor and working class people to be wasting their time reading this trash. We should be trying to find out when that next protest is and how to get organized to demand change. It has never been enough to simply complain and hide from problems and it certainly isn't now. A little apathy and large doses of entertainment can be deadly.

The views and opinions expressed herein by the author do not necessarily represent the opinions or position of Playahata.com.