Discuss.
Illiterate by far. No more reading your posts
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At first I thought this question was a no-brainer, that I’d rather have legs. But after thinking about it a little, the question becomes much more interesting to me.
If the case is that you can still learn to be literate, the obvious choice is to have legs. But if it means you have no possibility to every read or write, I’m now thinking I’d rather have no legs.
I learn best from reading and writing things down, and I think I communicate better in text, too. I love learning new skills and that would be hard for me without using text. It’s very sexy to have legs and I’d miss mine a lot, but I chose to be literate… I think.
Podcasts to the rescue. I always knew they were good for something (the illiterate)
Assuming you were completely illiterate it would VASTLY limit your interaction with the current world and ability to work than having no legs.
I am not even sure it is a contest here. Having no legs would absolutely limit my physical mobility but there are accommodations and workarounds for that. I can 100% do my current desk job with no legs, play online games etc.
Being completely illiterate would heavily isolate you and your ability to grow and learn. You would have to be verbally / visually be taught everything yet somehow not ever learn how to read or write?
I think the impact would be lessened with things like Alexa and Siri capable of translating speech to text.
You clearly haven’t tried to use them for any significant task, the error rate gets bad. Hell I just use Siri for my shopping list and have to figure out some of the random garbage it inserts.
At the very least READING works well but speech to text is very hit and miss. You also can’t use it everywhere.
As far as communication goes it would be similar to being blind but not knowing braille or Tactile signing and being 100% dependant on technical aids.
The ChatGPT app uses the speech-to-text model Whisper, and it’s always spot on in English. Whisper is open source. I don’t understand why it’s not widespread, but hopefully it will be or similarly capable software will be soon.
Illiterate. I can learn to read again.
And legs can grow back, so both options are fine.
Uhh we’re all humans here, right?
Unless you are old
Probably don’t have good eye sight so can’t read anyways. That is what audio books are for.
I’d rather have no legs.
Yes, I could learn how to read/write. But so many of my passions require high aptitude in those regards, so it’d take way too long to getbup to speed.
On the other hand, prosthetics and bionics are taking leaps and bounds. There likely would be little I’d have to give up physically, if I had access to that tech.
prosthetics and bionics are taking leaps and bounds
Heh
Okay, here’s my fucking soap box. Didn’t mean to write all of this, but here it is.
Some of y’all have no idea what it’s like to go through life in a wheelchair… Or to deal with the American medical system as someone with disabilities. You’re disabled, so you can’t work. Now you have to spend years proving you can’t work, while not working, and not getting disability. So, y’know, enjoy living in your car without a wheelchair, because you can’t afford one… If you’re lucky enough to have a car.
My mom has been disabled since birth. She’s 62 now. She got her first power chair 7 years ago.
I’m not saying being illiterate would be any better, that would also be a disability in our society (because disability is, despite what many people think, as much a social construct as an actual reality, and illiteracy shows this better than a lot of things). But this kind of question is, frankly, pretty offensive to any one who’s had to go through a world that is built in a way that is hostile to their body. Being wheelchair bound means less options for apartments (because, for the majority of disabled people, you’re a renter, you can’t afford to own a home). You’re stuck with the choice of not being able to rent an apartment because there’s no elevator (even a lot of ground floors have too many steps for a ramp), or renting a second story or above apartment with an elevator, and just accepting that you will likely die in a fire with no way to escape.
There’s so much to this y’all aren’t considering. Needing another human when you need to transfer to a shower, or the toilet. Having to call and ask employees at stores to come outside to you instead of going in if you’re unable to transfer to a chair yourself, or get to your wheelchair. Being unable to drive because you can’t afford the conversion kit. Being unable to leave your home without help.
This world is designed for one particular body type. You can’t just slot into it with a different type and go along like you would have before. You should be able to, but you can’t.
Which is all say, just, consider what it’s like for people with disabilities, and do what you can to make it better. Agitate, vote, shame and name, and if you’re ever in a position to change things, do it. There are so many small changes we could make that would make the world better for those with disabilities. Accessible places are usable by everyone, “normal” places are only useable by one body type. There is no reason for it to be this way. Ramps, roll in showers, heightened toilets, grab bars, hand rails at three different heights, elevators with emergency generators and fire walls on exterior walls with a fire exit on the back. These are things that could be standard and would make the world accessible to all.
I know you called it a soap box, but I appreciate the perspective. Someone else in this thread suggested the question was offensive, but when I asked why in earnest, they just blew up with accusation after accusation. Your explanation gets the point across pretty well.
I do believe that OP’s question was asked in a context that wasn’t intended to be offensive, but instead asking the audience what challenge they feel they’d be better equipped to face. But I do get (and agree with) what you’re saying, that a larger discussion about the implications of these topics deserves to be had.
I don’t think any offense or malice was intended with the question, it’s honestly more the people saying how much easier it would be to do one or the other, or how their life wouldn’t change because they have a desk job… That’s a matter of people needing education on a topic, y’know?
Thanks for your detailed answer, I really liked it. Apologies if this question was offensive to you, I had this discussion recently and it made me think a lot about how much time I spend using my literacy skills vs getting around. Then it got me thinking about how accessible lots of buildings where I live are. A friend of mine had a family member come to visit in a wheelchair recently and pointed out that lots of places that tourists usually visit are exempt from accessibility requirements because they’re situated in older buildings. One of my biggest shames in one of my previous jobs was being told I had to turn down a group of students coming to take a course in the school I was working in because we couldn’t accommodate one of their classmates in a wheelchair. Like, my gut tells me that’s straight up illegal 🫤 but maybe where I live it’s not. I left that job not long after so I don’t know if there were any repercussions.
There’s a big push to revitalise the city I live in at the moment regarding opening up public spaces and making them more attractive to citizens and this is something that I haven’t seen discussed openly in relation to that yet so I will keep an eye out for it!
Illiterate because I can learn how to read. Can’t learn how to regrow legs.
Would you, in your situation currently, survive financially if you woke up tomorrow without the ability to read or write?
Survive? I don’t know. I definitely wouldn’t be doing well. I’m sure I could figure it out though.
Probably not but at least I could get out of bed and walk down the stairs
Fair
I’ll take no legs. I already don’t use them anyway, but I read all day long.
You have a personal caretaker who takes you everywhere on a wheelchair?
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Depends what country I’m in.
A developing country with poor education and lots of agricultural/manual labour jobs? Illiterate.
A developed nation with good education and knowledge work jobs that can be done even without legs? No legs.
A developed nation is also likely to be more wheelchair accessible, which is how I’m assuming I would get around.
A developed nation with good education would make it pretty easy to learn how to read.
For the purposes of the argument, you are you. You are in your current situation. You wake up tomorrow morning with either a lack of legs or a lack of reading ability. Which is preferable?
Depends, how much money do I have and where do I live?
No legs. I would dedicate my life to develop cool prosthesis
Illiterate. I could always get the audio book.
I cannot discuss on the basis that I gave up my literacy for legs. 🦵 🦵
Seriously though… I think I would rather be illiterate. I could learn how to read, and in the meantime there are assistive screen reader apps and apps that let you scan something to read it aloud.
While there are bionic legs and I would love the chance to have tall robot legs 🦿🦿, I haven’t done enough research on the long term effects of walking around with two fully bionic legs, or how much leftover leg is required to attach a bionic leg, etc.
Self-reply because it occurred to me… if I had to be illiterate and could never learn to read or write again, I’m absolutely choosing the no legs option. My above answer is entirely predicated on the fact that I’m very good at picking up other languages and other alphabet systems, and therefore could re-learn fairly quickly… but if that’s not an option then I’m going legless and saving money on dress pants. Shorts for life 🩳
Learning to read would be easier than getting new legs, so I guess that be the better choice
