David James

Your friend sounds like they are off their rocker! Surely walking and reading a book at the same time isn't the most sensible thing to do. I've never seen anyone doing it. Exactly. Why would someone try and read a book whilst walking? Plus, I doubt you could really concentrate.

A Clockwork Orange is also a well known film but it doesn't seem to have taken away the notoriety of it. I can only give my opinion from a male perspective and I also think reading A Clockwork Orange would also vary between whether the reader were to be a male or female. I don't think people would necessarily be vocal towards a male reading it in public but I'd say without a doubt it would make people turn their heads and make a rather sharp judgement of you and my guess is that it would more than likely be negative. Some people might even feel intrigued if they were to see someone reading such a book. To be honest, I don't think people would be vocal with you irrespective of what book you were to be reading in public, if such a thing did happen, I think such people would more than likely just be troublemakers and use the book as an excuse to pick a quarrel and potential fight. That's a very leery statement in my opinion. I wonder how many other people feel the same way as you do.

Orange Juice with Bits.

I thought you would have heard of him before I mentioned him. I've read all of his works that are available in English. He influenced a lot when it comes to crowd psychology, Mussolini, Hitler, Goebbels, Lenin, etc, all read his works. I didn't say I personally would think of someone as 'weird' per se but I do think it would be a rather irrational thing to do (in the UK - I don't know about elsewhere) where people have heard of the term 'Lolita' to mean exactly what the word means and the connotations are not widely regarded as positive (I'm talking about the term 'lolita' and not the book). I don't think reading a book about a serial killer equates to the reader condoning what the killer did but to read such material in public would certainly make people question the person "why are they reading that in public?" There's a reason that you never see people read these type of books in public a lot. I've never seen anyone read such material in public before. There are lots of different situations of where reading certain material in a certain area could lead to trouble. Would you read Mein Kampf in a largely Jewish area? It's bizarre to think that people can just read whatever material they want wherever they want. Of course 99.9% of people would just walk past and think whatever in their head but it only takes that one person to make a big fuss and before you know it you could get a lot of unwanted attention your way. I think I've already covered what I mean when it comes to Lolita and reading it in public. It's obvious that with such books gender plays a large role in it. You're a female so it isn't the same as a male reading it due to the nature of the book. Look at the other example Angury gave when she read the book 'paedophiles in society' which she read in private but quite clearly acknowledges that a middle-aged man reading this book in public would turn heads and almost inevitably someone would make a comment. I've found these two reddit pages: https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/2tm7fk/whats_the_most_embarrassing_to_read_in_public/ https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/515odp/would_you_feel_comfortable_reading_lolita_in/

I think we probably live in very different areas. I see the odd person reading here or there such as on a train but a person reading in public is by no means a common sight here and those who choose to stand out like a sore thumb. Personally, I try and take my book with me wherever possible. Splendid. Good luck with your future.

The image I used before is a lot different to: Which is why the front cover also plays a part in how someone would judge you. I find it extremely hard to believe that you truly wouldn't have a problem, especially considering what you revealed, nevertheless I will take your word for it. One user clearly hasn't understood what I've said. I'm not pushing anything really. No-one will have experienced such a situation because no-one will have put themselves in such a position and it's rare to even see anyone reading these days never mind the possible situations I and others have mentioned.

I decided to use serial killers because it's the type of literature that some people have strong emotions about it. It doesn't matter what type of book you will be judged regardless but reading about serial killers would more than likely make a passerby think of you in a negative judgement compared to reading something that is generally regarded as a good novel, etc. Can you honestly not see the point I'm trying to make? You've just contradicted yourself because you said "I don't judge people based on what they read" but in a previous post you said that if you were to see someone reading about serial killers you would think "There's a person who likes a bit of true crime, like me. I wonder if s/he's read x book that I liked better than the one s/he's reading". - that's a judgement. You've just proved my point. I guess it comes down to where you decide to read in public. It doesn't matter really but there are some books out there or even specific genres that will make people think of you 'negatively'. I posted an image in an earlier post of a front cover of Lolita, would it bother you to see someone reading that near a school or where lots of children were about? That's the point I'm trying to make. Your age, gender, dress sense, etc, would also play a part in someone's judgement of you.

Please don't put words into my mouth. I never said we all make the same assumptions about people. Please quote me where I said that. You could have easily have googled "Ian Brady" and have understood the point I was making. A good example. That's why I also said that people would certainly judge someone reading a philosophical book as opposed to a romance novel. Anything that looks like it requires some sort of in depth thought, such as the one you mentioned, will make people categorise you into a certain box. You should feel chuffed that most people would have thought of you as an intellectual. On a side note, did your exam go well? Indeed. I also mentioned this about someone's physical appearance and political orientated books. I highly doubt someone wearing a Che Guevara and reading a Marxist book if asked about their political beliefs would say they were actually a conservative and only reading such a book for 'study'. Judgements are made from every single angle. You always hear people naively say you should never judge someone based on their looks etc but it's simply human nature and those who spout such nonsense are probably guilty of presenting them in such a way that they know fine well they are going to be judged but instead wants everyone to just treat them as a "normal" human being. Here is a brilliant example of what I mean: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/body-art-tattoo-man-dyed-eyes-ink-equal-treatment-people-modifications-king-of-ink-land-king-body-a7582936.html He's nothing more than an attention seeking *insert here*, no-one will ever take him serious and he will never get a decent job because of his ridiculous so-called 'body modifications' (more like mutilation really). He's from a different planet and quite clearly is a few sandwiches short of a picnic. The idiot has even gone as far as changing his name to 'King of Ink Land King Body Art', I bet that sounds nice being called out in the job centre and no-one will know who the name is referring to, right? You misunderstood what I meant. I couldn't have been more clearer, Angury certainly knew what I meant straight away.

No. I think you've misinterpreted what I have said. Other users don't seem to have had any problem comprehending what I said and meant. I never said that someone shouldn't or can't read about serial killers in public but that they should be conscious that doing such a thing could give unwanted attention from the public. Google Ian Brady, I'm sure you'll know why I mentioned him in my post. Exactly! Humans judge on everything, including everything you've mentioned and way beyond. To somehow think like frankie that books and the reader are exempt from any judgement is ridiculous. If you haven't already Angury, I recommend you to read Gustave Le Bon's works, especially his most known work The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. I also think when it comes to someone choosing to read a book in public will also make people judge their personality too with phrases such as "intelligent", "nerd", "geek", "loner", "anti-social", "weird", etc, you get my drift. Absolutely. I'm sure many parents would actually report a man reading Lolita near a school or a children environment. Speaking of judgement, who is to decide what is "right"? I don't understand why too many people bury their heads in the sand and somehow deny the existence of such an obvious thing of the mind. Prejudices are always going to be there. If anything, anyone who has done even a little bit of research of the left-wing mob who call themselves "antifa" will know that they are some of the most intolerant people of society and yet they speak about wanting a progressive society free from any prejudice and only tolerance etc but if you have a different point of view from them you are suddenly a "Nazi" or a "racist", oh, the irony.

It comes down to conscious vs subconscious judgement. Everyone does either of them and it's up to the person to decide which way they want to judge someone, hence why some people are vocal and some people are discreet. I've also read a lot about serial killers, true crime, etc, but I can't recall ever seeing someone reading a book about such things in public and I personally wouldn't as well. Such books could put you into a danger situation. I'm not talking any hyperbole here as well, the best 'experiment' of reading this material in public is for you to read a book about Ian Brady, Myra Hindley and The Moors Murders in public given all the public news it's all had again because Ian Brady died a little while ago and tell me how you get on.

The politically correct mob who claim her works are racist, sexist, etc, need to put things into perspective and realise when she wrote her books. Thankfully, the attempts at changing words in her books etc have failed big time by feedback and some publishers have went back to publishing the originals. Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl (and others, of course) in the UK contributed so much to getting younger children into reading from a very young age.

Everyone judges though. Some people do it more openly than others. Some do it on a conscious level as opposed to the subconscious mindset etc. I don't it's necessarily always a bad thing, making assumptions (even if they later turned out to be false) could possibly save you from certain situations and so on. How many people have you ever seen books about serial killers? Let's be serious. The infamous serial killer Ian Brady died recently, read a book about The Moors Murders in public and see the responses you will get from people. Can you honestly say that if you were to see someone reading Lolita with this front cover edition it would not make you feel somewhat slightly uncomfortable? If anything, people would ignore the book title and focus on the photo instead. I stand by my point, there are certain books out there that will inevitably make the public scorn you. I've said that I agree with you that people should be able to read whatever book they want to in private or public but to ignore the reality that a large section of the public will make judgements based simply on the title and front cover is ridiculous. We think very much alike. There are certain books on my bookshelves that I wouldn't read in public. It's good to see you take pride in your dress sense as well, the same can't be said for a lot of people. People who like to throw about that they don't care what others think of them are not fooling anyone or themselves, everyone cares but just simply put some do more than others. First impressions and physical appearance do matter in the real world. Everyone is bias. Even when we decide to read biographies about someone or a historian's works about a period of time, the author will always have a certain degree of bias, but again just some do more than others. Which is why I fundamentally agree that people should read enough from both points of view before making any impulsive or illogical opinions and beliefs. Are you happy to know that I read my copy of The God Delusion in my house?

I agree with you, I don't care what people think of me at all. All I'm pointing out is that there are certain books which might attract trouble if you attempt to read them in certain areas. And like you said, if you are right into a book then you're not going to be wise to your surroundings. Everyone occasionally looks up. If I hear something unusual then I'd also look up and around me. It all depends on the context and circumstances but generally speaking yes. I don't see why someone would read such literature in public and claim they were only 'studying'. I'd say if anything that reading such material would be making a bold statement more than anything else. It's the exact same as how everyone gets judged on their dress sense/fashion, many people purposely dress a certain way to make a bold statement and lap up the attention seeking judgements made by the public. Someone would have to be totally inept to think that different books would all be judged the same by the public. I'm sorry to hear what you went through, I was just using it as an example of another book that is considered provocative by many people. Have you seen some of the front covers of this book on the different editions on Amazon? There is no doubt reading such material would make some people think of you in a negative light irrespective of anything else. It's the same as reading about serial killers, etc, anything that is considered outside of what society defines as "normal" would put you open for possible confrontation. I also enjoy seeing people reading books in public because it really is such a rare sight.

That's fair enough. Yeah, I know what you mean, I used the example of the novel The Fifty Shades of Grey in a previous post as an example of a book that would certainly raise a few eyebrows but would probably be a lot more negative than positive. But if people were to see someone reading a classic novel e.g Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, etc, then I think they would be judged positively. Likewise, I think it's a great thing. Hahahahahaha! That's a great story. I think books are definitely a way to start a conversation and I'd say it establishes common ground too. I think some people view reading as a form of a person being somewhat anti-social as well because obviously it's a solitude hobby/interest and you can appear aloof or reserved to some people. I think it depends on how you present yourself. I've mistaken nothing, I think that it's incredibly important to read both for and against your beliefs, both to possibly enhance your beliefs but also to challenge them (see my responses to Athena e.g "I think it's important to not simply accept your Status quo of beliefs but instead both enhance and challenge them"). But there is a difference between reading such material in your home compared to in public. I highly doubt someone who supports left-wing politics would be seen dead reading Mein Kampf because they wouldn't want to be judged as a Nazi, the exact same way someone who supports right-wing politics would not be seen dead reading The Communist Manifesto because they wouldn't want to be judged as a communist. People are free to read whatever they want wherever they want to but they should also be aware with the reality that passersby will judge you on the book you decide to read in public. Another example without using politics or religion is would you feel comfortable seeing someone reading Lolita in public? I'm sure parents familiar with the book wouldn't be too exactly pleased. Certain books are bound to have strong emotional responses to them.