Liberal novelist Stephen King regrets asserting that if you don't learn how to read, you'll end up in "the Army, Iraq." The comment, widely seen as a shot at the military, was first publicized six years ago on NewsBusters. In an interview with the Huffington Post, King was asked if he stood by the remarks.
The author lamented, "No. That was just a case of misspeaking and also having one of those brain cramps that you realize that you're no longer living in the world that you grew up in...If I could take one remark back, that would be the one."
King explained that his mentality had been one of thinking of the draft and forced military service for Americans: "And it was a good, great career for some people and for other people it was two years out of their lives where they did their government service."
King's original comment, made in May of 2008, was to a group of high schoolers:
I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got, the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's, it's not as bright. So, that's my little commercial for that.
The NewsBusters story exposing his comment so angered King that he told fans to write NB's Noel Sheppard and say, "Hi, Noel—Stephen King says to shut up and I agree."
Good to see King has finally seen the error of his ways.
A partial transcript of the Huffington Post exchange, which was posted in September, can be found below:
JOSH ZEPPS: You ruffled a few feathers a few years ago when you were quoted as saying that, you know, if you learn to read and you learn to read and you learn to speak, then you'll get a good job or go to university and if not, you might end up in the Army. You might end up in Iraq. Is that a sentiment that you still stand by?
STEPHEN KING: No. That was just a case of misspeaking and also having one of those brain cramps that you realize that you're no longer living in the world that you grew up in. The world that I grew up in, there was a draft that pretty much swept up every one everybody, particularly in Vietnam. And it was a good, great career for some people and for other people it was two years out of their lives where they did their government service. And I do think that everyone owes the government some service, whether it's taxes or whether it's working in the inner cities or whatever and I'm glad that people get to choose now. But if I could take one remark back, that would be the one.
