this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2026
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Self-professed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate believes reading is for people with “slow brains,” according to a recent resurfaced clip of him on X. In the video, Tate is seen bragging that his brain is too advanced for reading and that he’d rather be in constant chaos.

“I’m too smart to read. I know you’re sitting there going ‘smart people read’... no. I need action. I need constant chaos in my life to feel content. I need to be driving a supercar and f—ing fighting, f—ing a bunch of hoes and champagne… going crazy.”

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[–] spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works 285 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Functionally illiterate moron insists he's "Too smart to read."

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 204 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Functionally illiterate moron, sex trafficker and rapist insists he's "Too smart to read."

[–] msage@programming.dev 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

What does it say about the society that he is so much better off than me?

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 hours ago

He was born rich and wealth taxes don’t effectively exist.

[–] Asfalttikyntaja@sopuli.xyz 13 points 2 days ago

Is there any proof that he can read?

[–] TidBit@mander.xyz 43 points 2 days ago (4 children)

21% of the U.S. is illiterate, with 54% topping out at a 6th grade reading level. Meaning 75% of the U.S. reads at a middle school level, at best... So this clown trying to convince people he's in the 25% of folks able to read above a 6th grade level is legitimately hilarious!

[–] grue@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

And this grifting fuck knows that, because that 75% is exactly who he is trying to tap into by appealing to their ignorance.

[–] rayyy@piefed.social 3 points 1 day ago

Keep in mind that these people vote for reality show actors - we are screwed.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

21% of the US adults or are children included in that? I'd love to see where you're getting these stats too.

[–] TidBit@mander.xyz 24 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

That's just for adults, for children the data ranks the States against one another rather than giving an average illiteracy percentage like with adults. Here's a top tier link on the topic: https://www.thinkimpact.com/literacy-statistics

Original source: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/do-adults-have-the-skills-they-need-to-thrive-in-a-changing-world_b263dc5d-en/full-report.html

Another review of the source material for good measure: https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/research/literacy-statistics

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Interesting how the percentage increases near cities.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

It's all just blue. Terrible color choice to demonstrate any sort of regional differences. It looks like the USA is covered in denim.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

MIddle school level is a very generous on the current generation in grade school. MATH is equally as bad english, 9-10th grade level at best as a hs graduate. alot of the problems with english and math in k-12 it is never enforced to learn, they expect you to know those skills at those level some how when you reach particular grade.

[–] karashta@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don't use algebra, calculus etc. in my daily life, but I sure speak and read English every single day regardless of what I am doing. 

Not sure why you'd expect everyone to know high level math when we don't use it.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Algebra is far from high-level math.

[–] karashta@piefed.social -1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I was listing types of math I was forced to learn that I never really use

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

You should really try using algebra, it's quite handy.

[–] karashta@piefed.social -1 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

It's quite handy... When you have a need for it. Which I do not in my daily life. 

I'm not an anti-math Luddite or something. I just don't often have a need to solve for an unknown term in a math problem in my life in the day to day.

Just because my life doesn't require it every day doesn't mean I wouldn't know when to use it.

[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 0 points 7 hours ago

You never budget for a grocery store trip? You never walk into a store with $10 and think about how many cokes or whatever you can buy?

Just because someone’s not handing you an algebra worksheet, doesn’t mean you aren’t doing algebra.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 0 points 13 hours ago

Price comparisons while grocery shopping would be a basic everyday use.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

54% topping out at a 6th grade reading level.

I've seen this stat floated a thousand times, from the same single source.

I've yet to have anyone lay out what 8th grade reading level statement 54% of the population can't understand.

[–] curbstickle@anarchist.nexus 27 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Prose literacy: Can you read a newspaper article and understand the main points?

Document literacy: Can you fill out a job application or interpret a map?

Quantitative literacy: Can you balance a checkbook or understand a chart with multiple data points?

Someone reading at a 6th-grade level can handle most day-to-day reading tasks. They can read their prescription bottles, follow basic instructions, and understand straightforward news articles.

What they struggle with is synthesizing complex information from multiple sources, drawing inferences from technical documents, or navigating websites with multiple layers of information.

[–] Cypher@aussie.zone 8 points 1 day ago

It’s worth noting that the editorial standards set for most news outlets are at the 6th grade reading level.

Any higher and news outlets start to severely limit their potential audience.

[–] TidBit@mander.xyz 12 points 2 days ago

Checking out readability formulas, like the Flesch‑Kincaid grade level formula, should help to clear things up a bit. But in general, a 6th grade reading level is where concrete language, moderate sentence length, and single step reasoning all align. Adding abstract vocab, multiple embedded clauses, or deep cultural references push text above a 6th grade level.