I feel like anti-intelectualism has won. People can be given free audiobooks, the physical book, etc but they refuse to read because they view reading theory as bad or some bullshit. I have a friend and she thinks “its posh” to read theory. It seems like everyone has fallen for the propaganda that the only people who read theory are rich white college students. It fucking pisses me off.
You can’t force a person to do anything, but what you can do is use your position to influence them to start reading. I openly read theory at work, with a book in one hand and my cigarette or coffee in another. Most of the authors that we know of, nobody else does, so it’s not gonna raise suspicion. But when someone asks what i’m reading about, i use very plain language, especially if it’s something sensitive. “It’s fucked up” resonates better than a theoretical breakdown for a lot of people, and you can work from there on.
ngl there’s been a couple of times I’ve open carried a socialist zine on the train, not even to read it but as a prop to let others read the headline.