More (not so) fun facts:
54% of American adults read below a 6th grade level.
21% read below a 5th grade level, which is considered functionally illiterate.
High immigration numbers don’t fully explain it either, as first gen immigrants only make up about 1/3 of those with low literacy.
I think one way we see this play out frequently is watching people debate issues unproductively with obviously zero theory of mind for their opposition due to one or both parties involved having poor communication skills.
you mean how like every time someone ‘argues’ with you on lemmy they call you names like zionist? or tells you how stupid and ignorant you are because they are ‘very well informed’ and you are just a stupid moron who is head is full of lies and propaganda?
In fairness there’s way more shameless propagandists on lemmy than anywhere else I’ve been shy of conservative reddit. But it’s close.