I Hate Reading

Summary

In this candid monologue, the speaker shares their aversion to reading, a sentiment rooted in childhood and exacerbated by school assignments and parental pressure. Despite recognizing the benefits of reading, they express a preference for fast-paced internet content and a sense of loneliness when listening to audiobooks. The video also touches on the impact of quarantine and suggests watching videos or playing Animal Crossing to stay engaged.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker finds reading boring and associates it with negative experiences from school.
• 🌙 They describe a common romanticized image of reading but feel disconnected from it due to personal dislike.
• 🤔 The speaker acknowledges the supposed benefits of reading but struggles to connect with them personally.
• 🏫 There's a hint of 'reading PTSD' from school, where reading was associated with tasks and stress.
• 📖 A fond memory of reading for fun during childhood is contrasted with later negative experiences.
• 📚 The enjoyment of reading was diminished by school assignments and the pressure to analyze literature.
• 👎 A strong aversion to reading developed, especially when it felt forced or like a punishment.
• 👩‍👦 The speaker's mother's well-intentioned efforts to encourage reading may have backfired.
• 🐉 Faking reading and the resentment towards certain books due to forced reading are mentioned.
• 🔄 The speaker tried to return to reading on their own terms but found that the negative associations remained.
• 🎧 They also tried audiobooks but felt lonely without the visual component of reading.
• 👀 The preference for visual content over reading is highlighted, with a mention of Twitch streams as a preferred alternative.
• 🏠 The speaker works from home and suggests watching videos or playing Animal Crossing as quarantine activities.

Q & A

What is the speaker's opinion about reading books in libraries?

The speaker finds reading books in libraries boring and associates it with an activity that was more common in the past.

What does the speaker describe as the 'poetic life' of some people?

The 'poetic life' refers to people who enjoy a cozy setting with a warm blanket, a good book, a warm cup of chamomile tea, and a cat, which the speaker finds appealing but not personally enjoyable due to a cat allergy.

Why does the speaker have a negative association with reading?

The speaker associates reading with school assignments and the pressure to analyze and memorize content, which led to a form of 'reading PTSD' and a loss of enjoyment.

What was the speaker's childhood experience with reading?

The speaker used to love reading, especially Geronimo Stilton books with fun text and pictures, and could read a 300-page book in two days during elementary school.

How did school reading assignments affect the speaker's view on reading?

School reading assignments, especially those that were boring and difficult to understand, took the fun away from reading for the speaker.

What is the speaker's opinion on the necessity of reading in English class?

The speaker questions the necessity of reading cryptic books with heavy symbolism in English class, suggesting that understanding spoken English should be enough.

How did the speaker's mother influence their attitude towards reading?

The speaker's mother enforced reading during summer vacations, which led to a negative association with reading as the speaker felt it was a form of punishment.

What was the speaker's strategy to avoid reading during enforced reading periods?

The speaker would fake reading by moving the bookmark forward and sitting idle, rather than engaging with the book.

Why did the speaker try to restart reading the same book later?

The speaker decided to give the book another chance on their own terms without the pressure of being forced to read, and found that they enjoyed it.

How does the speaker feel about audiobooks?

The speaker finds audiobooks lonely and prefers having visual content or streams in the background while doing other activities.

What alternative activities does the speaker suggest for people during quarantine?

The speaker suggests watching their videos in a loop or playing Animal Crossing, and encourages others to share their friend codes for the game.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Disenchantment with Reading: A Personal Narrative

The speaker expresses a personal aversion to reading, which they find boring and associates with negative school experiences. They recount their childhood enthusiasm for reading Geronimo Stilton books but how forced reading in school turned them off the activity. The speaker humorously describes the stereotypical cozy reading scenario others enjoy, which they cannot relate to due to a cat allergy and a general dislike for reading. They also share anecdotes about faking reading during summer vacations to avoid the task, only to find enjoyment in reading the same books later on their own terms. The paragraph captures a struggle between societal expectations of reading and personal enjoyment, tainted by past obligations.

05:01

🎮 From Reading to Gaming: A Shift in Leisure Preferences

In the second paragraph, the speaker discusses their shift from reading to other forms of entertainment, particularly gaming. They mention their unsuccessful attempts to enjoy audiobooks and music, which they find isolating without the visual accompaniment they prefer. The speaker admits to spending time watching YouTube videos or Twitch streams as a way to combat feelings of loneliness. They acknowledge the value of reading as a hobby for others but are candid about their own lack of interest in picking up the habit. The speaker lightheartedly suggests watching their videos or playing Animal Crossing as alternatives to reading, offering a glimpse into their current lifestyle during quarantine and their desire to connect with others who share similar interests.

Keywords

💡Reading

Reading is the process of interpreting written or printed text. In the video, it is presented as a common leisure activity that the speaker finds unappealing. The theme revolves around the personal dislike for reading, contrasting with the widespread appreciation for it as a calming and intellectual pursuit. The script mentions the speaker's childhood memories of reading Geronimo Stilton books, indicating a shift from enjoyment to aversion.

💡PTSD

PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. In the context of the video, the speaker humorously refers to 'reading PTSD' to describe their negative emotional response to reading, stemming from school assignments that made reading feel like a chore rather than a pleasure.

💡Symbolism

Symbolism refers to the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, often found in literature to add depth to the narrative. The speaker expresses frustration with the need to identify symbolism in literature, such as the color of curtains in a book, which they find obscure and detracting from their enjoyment of reading.

💡To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee, often studied in schools for its themes of racial injustice and moral growth. The speaker uses it as an example of a book that they found difficult to engage with due to the academic pressure of analyzing its content, contributing to their overall aversion to reading.

💡Cliffnotes

Cliffnotes are study guides that summarize literature, providing a condensed version of the plot and themes. The script mentions Cliffnotes as a tool the speaker felt they needed to understand older literature, indicating a sense of struggle with comprehension and enjoyment of reading.

💡Parenting

Parenting refers to the process of raising and guiding children. The speaker discusses their mother's approach to encouraging reading during summer vacations, which they found counterproductive, leading to a deeper aversion to reading rather than fostering a love for it.

💡Quarantine

Quarantine refers to the isolation of individuals to prevent the spread of disease. In the video, the speaker mentions quarantine in the context of staying at home and suggests watching their videos or playing Animal Crossing as ways to cope with the situation, highlighting the impact of the pandemic on daily life.

💡Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is a popular video game series where players live in a village and interact with animal characters. The speaker recommends the game as a way to pass time during quarantine, showing a preference for interactive and visually engaging activities over reading.

💡Audiobooks

Audiobooks are recordings of text being read aloud, allowing for a listening experience rather than reading. The speaker mentions trying audiobooks but finds them isolating, preferring visual content and company, which contrasts with the solitary nature of reading.

💡Twitch

Twitch is a live streaming platform often used for video games. The speaker mentions Twitch streams as a background activity while at home, indicating a preference for dynamic and social forms of entertainment over solitary reading.

💡Fast-paced content

Fast-paced content refers to media that is quickly changing and engaging, often found in video formats. The speaker contrasts this with reading, which they find slow and unengaging, suggesting a preference for the immediacy and stimulation of fast-paced online content.

Highlights

The speaker expresses a personal dislike for reading, contrasting it with the common romanticized image of reading as a cozy activity.

Mentions a humorous anecdote about receiving a cure egg as a gift instead of buying one on sale at Target.

Discusses having a cat allergy, adding a layer of personal complexity to the common imagery associated with reading.

Reflects on the idea that reading is calming and beneficial for the brain, despite not personally experiencing these benefits.

Shares a personal history of developing a negative association with reading due to school assignments and parental pressure.

Recalls fond childhood memories of reading Geronimo Stilton books and the joy of discovering new books.

Describes the shift in enjoyment from reading freely to feeling forced to read certain books by school and parents.

Expresses frustration with the requirement to analyze books for symbolism and plot, which feels tedious and unenjoyable.

Muses on the irony of later enjoying a book that was previously disliked when read under duress.

Shares the story of faking reading to avoid the chore of reading books assigned by parents.

Explains the emotional response of associating reading with punishment and the resulting aversion to it.

Contrasts the speaker's aversion to reading with the enjoyment others find in it, acknowledging differing preferences.

Discusses the difficulty of enjoying audiobooks due to a preference for visuals and the feeling of loneliness they induce.

Reflects on the preference for background noise like YouTube videos or Twitch streams over music or audiobooks.

Endorses the idea of personal preference in hobbies and interests, suggesting that not everyone needs to enjoy reading.

Offers alternative suggestions for activities during quarantine, such as watching videos or playing Animal Crossing.

Invites viewers to share their Animal Crossing friend codes for a sense of community during quarantine.

Transcripts

reading books libraries it's all boring

I don't know if that's an unpopular

opinion or not when I was growing up it

was pretty normal but now I always hear

people gush about how great it is to

bundle up in a warm blanket with quote a

good book while the faint light of the

fall evening peeks out of their cracked

windows and hits their collection of

plants perfectly they've got a warm cup

of chamomile tea they've prepared with

the cure egg they use daily and actually

it's a funny story they were about to

get one at Target because they were on

sale but they received one as a gift

instead what a coincidence huh and they

have a cat I'm not saying that isn't a

poetic life you've got going on over

there but I still don't like reading and

have a cat allergy it's kind of

complicated the thought of reading

sounds really nice to me it's supposed

to be calming and good for your brain in

some sort of way I don't know how

exactly but people repeated all the time

so it might be true but I think I've got

some weird reading PTSD from school

because the other part of my brain

thinks about how boring and slow and too

quiet it's gonna be and I feel like I

have to take notes and memorize things

and identify the plot points and know

the names and symbolisms and To Kill a

Mockingbird and oh god was I supposed to

read after chapter 7 by Thursday or

through it I used to love reading I

still have the strong memory of going to

my elementary school's library and being

excited to check out the next Geronimo

Stilton book because I love the pictures

and fun text they had they always wrote

the word cheese like this and being able

to read books that had more than 10

words on the page was impressive to a

six-year-old whenever I found a book I

like touring up I would read it non-stop

I was able to crush a 300 page in two

days which I don't think is considered

impressive anymore but it was in fifth

grade and look that was the only South

fourth I had all right but when school

started making us read books by force

did kinda took the fun away from me I

don't like being told what to do with my

free time especially if you're gonna

make me read a book written in the 1940s

that I need cliffnotes to decode just to

realize that all the animals were

communists also it's 20% of my grade I

get it though what else are we gonna do

in English class we can all understand

each other right

you were speak in English

I that's gotta count for something right

but the more I had to read really

cryptic books in my spare time where the

symbolism is in the color of the main

characters curtains and I'm not even

observant enough to realize they had

curtains led me to not really having fun

and also feeling like an idiot I like my

subtlety like I like my coffee splash in

my face how am I supposed to know what

the a stands for adultery I don't know I

could mean a woman for all I know

asparagus and all that isn't anything

new everyone complains about English

assignments everyone hates reading The

Scarlet Letter everyone thinks school

should die however something that also

locked in my disdain for reading was my

mom hi mom of course as a parent you

don't want your child to do nothing but

play video games all day that obviously

leads to undeniable life failure so

what's the solution make them read more

and on paper I don't think there's

anything wrong with that honestly I'll

probably use that parenting technique

too when applicable I think my mom made

the obvious good parenting decision but

as the victim here

I believe I fell in the small minority

where it had the overall opposite effect

during summer vacation my mom would

always tell me that I needed to read at

least two books so I don't forget how to

read whenever my mom would walk in on my

brother and I playing Mario Kart

together in the living room she would

ask if we've read yet today which we

would respond

no because readings for chumps and then

she'd lock us in our rooms to be chumps

I started hating reading so much I would

rather do literally nothing than read a

book there were a couple summers where I

faked reading entire books because I

just didn't want to read that much there

is this one about dragons I think called

the secret country and I still remember

that just looking at the cover would put

me in a bad mood because of hatred

association screw your secret country

when I was being forced to read I would

sit angrily on my bed open the book move

the bookmark of reasonable amount

forward to make it look like I read and

then just sit there for 30 minutes

staring at it it was boring and I don't

know what was wrong with me I could have

had at least a decent time if I'd

tried to read the dang book but I guess

it turned into a dignity thing actually

the ironic part is maybe a year or so

later I decided to restart the same book

and give it another shot on my own terms

and I finished it in two days it was

pretty good I did it again with another

book called Molly moon and the morphing

mystery it's like the fifth book in this

Molly moon series it's been a while so I

don't really remember this story but

it's about this orphan who can hypnotize

people and has a pug anyway it's funky

because I actually read the first few

books of the series on my own and

remember really liking them I would read

them any chance like God but as soon as

I was forced to read this one I just

decided I'd rather literally waste my

time and sit alone rebelling against a

reasonable parenting but this time I

never went back to read it I I think

that might have been the point of no

return for me I think the association of

reading is a necessity or some sort of

punishment has deep rooted itself in me

and now I just feel like reading isn't

fun or I'm in trouble for something even

though I live alone

I've tried listening to audiobooks but

honestly they make me feel really lonely

I don't know why it might be the lack of

visuals I like pictures you know so no

one else is around it's the same with

music I've never been a big music person

so whenever I try to sit down and do

something while listening to music it

somehow enhances this feeling of being

alone and like time is going by slower

which makes me uncomfortable so I always

have either youtube videos or more

recently twitch streams in the

background I'm still not super used to

twitch yet but I like riu cars stuff

he plays Mario maker sometimes I wish I

read more it might be good for me to

slow down instead of always consuming a

fast paced content on the internet but

on the other hand I think it's just a

preference I have that's been cemented

with bad association if you like reading

I think that's really great I've got a

lot of friends who like reading and it's

cool that you've got a really nice hobby

you can fall back on to de-stress or

however you people feel while staring at

words all day I was gonna say you should

recommend a good book I should give a

try but I took a second to think about

if I would actually try to read any

suggestions and being real with myself

the answer is no so enjoy that chamomile

tea hey hey how is everyone doing at

home I suppose I'm lucky that I work

from home and rarely leave the house so

quarantine isn't hitting me too hard but

to those of you who are outside people

needing suggestions may I suggest

watching all of my videos in an infinite

loop until we can leave our houses or

animal crossing I actually recommend

that one more any Mutual's who are

playing send me your friend code because

I want to add you I've been doing this

thing where before I open up the game

I'll look at my friend list and see how

many people online are playing Animal

Crossing normally it's a hundred percent

anyway however you're keeping yourself

busy during quarantine I hope you're

doing well and thanks for watching my

video bye