Stephen King fires back after blogger attacks remarks

[Kpassa]

http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.as...000&zoneid=500

BANGOR, Maine — Stephen King has fired back at conservative critics who attacked him over a remark he made a month ago at a writers symposium for high school students.

A blogger jumped on King’s statement at the Library of Congress about the importance of reading in which he suggested poor readers have limited prospects, including service in the Army.

"I don’t want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don’t, then you’ve got the Army, Iraq, I don’t know, something like that. It’s not as bright," King said at the April 4 event in which he was accompanied by his wife Tabitha and son Owen.

Blogger Noel Sheppard likened the comment to former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s remarks that if you don’t get a good education, "you get stuck in Iraq."

"Nice sentiment when the nation is at war, Stephen," Sheppard wrote.
King fired back Monday.

"That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt," he said in a statement posted on his Web site.

King said he supports the troops but believes the war in Iraq is a "waste of national resources ... and that includes the youth and blood of the 4,000 American troops who have lost their lives there and for the tens of thousands who have been wounded."

"I live in a National Guard town, and I support our troops, but I don’t support either the war or educational policies that limit the options of young men and women to any one career — military or otherwise," King said.

[Kpassa]

Nobody was questioning King over his patriotism, they were attacking him for saying that the Army recruits illiterates.

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by Kpassa

Nobody was questioning King over his patriotism, they were attacking him for saying that the Army recruits illiterates.

That particular banner is meant to look stupid... obviously.

[candace117]

AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!! !!!!!!

That poster...ah I love my brothers. We have to keep a good sense of humor you see...


Oh, and I'd blame any problems with reading on my college degree in Philosophy. I was a much better reader before I had to start reading differently THANK GOODNESS THE ARMY WAS THERE TO RECEIVE ME WITH OPEN ARMS!!!!!! THANX ARMEE!!!!!

[candace117]

By Stephen King's logic, reading well gets you good jobs or you end up in the Army. I read at a college level when I was 9 years old. I still ended up in the Army. I guess the reverse is, I'm in the Army so maybe I don't really read as well as all the tests and teachers and administrators said I did my entire life...

[Kpassa]

Originally Posted by Vlad

That particular banner is meant to look stupid... obviously.

Yes it was.

That banner was made by soldiers in response to a similar assertion that John Kerry made where he said that if you don't do well in school you'll end up in Iraq. That blunder effectively killed any chance Kerry had to try at another run for the Presidency. Contrary to what those 2 elitists think the typical Army recruit is better educated than people their age from the population in general. Even years ago when I was in the Navy they were changing their requirements and refusing to keep anyone who didn't get at least a GED before their first hitch was up.

[Kpassa]

Originally Posted by candace117

By Stephen King's logic, reading well gets you good jobs or you end up in the Army.

He's had to do some serious logictwisting on his website over this. The webmaster claimed that King is a big supporter of the troops and he sends boxes of his books over to Iraq for them. When someone asked why he would send books to soldiers who can't read the webmaster announced he was going on vacation for a week and shut the site down to any new posts

[compulsivepurse]

Most people I know in the Army are very well educated. Of course the officers are. The enlisted are, too, because the Army trains, and trains, and trains you. Sure, you have basic and combat training, but every time you get promoted you have classroom training, too. Which requires a ton of reading, and writing, and public speaking. A ton of enlisted that I know also get their bachelor's at night while they are in the Army, because the Army will help pay for it.

I hate when rich people who haven't been in the Army start talking about how stupid Army people are. You may not need a college degree to get into the Army but you don't need one to be a Police Officer, or a Fire Fighter, either. I guess all of those people are stupid. (I'm being sarcastic here, just in case no-one gets it).

[ksammon]

King said he supports the troops but believes the war in Iraq is a "waste of national resources ... and that includes the youth and blood of the 4,000 American troops who have lost their lives there and for the tens of thousands who have been wounded."


i agree i support the troops NOT THE WAR

[nathansgirl1908]

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I don't necessarily think he was saying that the Army is FULL of illiterates. I think he was saying that for those who really aren't able to read, they have very few choices in life. I guess this touches a nerve because here at the school where I work, the main ones planning to enlist in the Army after graduation ARE the ones who are EC and the ones who have a very low level of literacy. For many who can't read this IS the route they take. However, I certainly don't like the implication that the Army is subpar to ANY job. I mean hello? You are putting your life on the line for your country. It doesn't get any better than that.

[Danica]

I think that was insensitive for him to say, and a horrible generalization. He could have gotten his point across without having to insult the army. I think he should have more respect for these people.

[Kpassa]

Originally Posted by nathansgirl1908

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I don't necessarily think he was saying that the Army is FULL of illiterates. I think he was saying that for those who really aren't able to read, they have very few choices in life.

He's an author which means he's not necessarily an expert at extemporaneous public speaking. It could be easily brushed off if he said that he misspoke, reasonable people could understand that. Instead he blames the vast right wing conspiracy for publicizing his remarks so an incident that could have been resolved in one sentence will be played out for weeks in blogs all over the world.

[Roo]

Originally Posted by Kpassa

Yes it was. That banner was made by soldiers in response to a similar assertion that John Kerry made where he said that if you don't do well in school you'll end up in Iraq. That blunder effectively killed any chance Kerry had to try at another run for the Presidency. Contrary to what those 2 elitists think the typical Army recruit is better educated than people their age from the population in general. Even years ago when I was in the Navy they were changing their requirements and refusing to keep anyone who didn't get at least a GED before their first hitch was up.

kpassa: In case you need reminding, politics and/or political topics are not allowed here. Closing.