Illiteracy After Education - Part I

Feb 19, 2004

“People in other countries are worried about illiteracy before but we have to face illiteracy after ,” my teacher observed.
That put me to deep thought. Though I understood immediately, what she meant, I decided to find good examples to justify it. I would like to quote some of the classic ones that I found:

Example One
A wedding: Middle-aged , in expensive attire, are chatting comfortably. One of them observes,
is so dirty!”
“It is getting worse you know,” adds another.
“Don’t know why the doesn’t do anything,” says a third one.
The conversation drifts away to some other subject after that and sometime later, the ladies get up to move around. The first lady smiles at an acquaintance and in the meantime throws an empty paper glass on the lawn (quite thoughtlessly, I assure you).

Example Two
A casual chat, on the roadside, between two friends:
“I tried to be friends with that new chap in our class but I found that he is much too boring.”
“Yeah I know. He actually reads novels…and that too classics!”

Example Three
A female from Hyderabad, with a Pakistani-cum-British accent, talks to another female from Mirpurkhas, with a Pakistani-cum-American accent:
“Do you knew anyone here?”
“Nah!”
“Anyways, what that notice up there?”
“Sorriiee! I can barely read Urdu.”
“Neither can I! No ways!”

Example Four
An intellectual with a new friend:
“Come, let’s sit and chat about something.”
“What?”
“Hmm…what do you say about the current political situation in our country? I mean what do you think about…”
“Oh, pleeaase, get a life! I have a better idea for spending the time. Lets go for window shopping at Park Towers and you must see the new jewellery store there and we’ll also go to Court after that and…”

Example Five
At a party, after two people were introduced:
First: “I live in Defence. Where do you live?”
Second: “I live in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.”
First: “What? Don’t mind but that’s a terrible place and you look the elite, you know, burger-sort.”
Second: “I used to live in Defence when I was young.”
First: “Oh, that’s why!”
The second one thinks, “So, does the shifting turn the burger into a bun kebab?’