Illiteracy in Bruderheim

July 19, 2010 by Walter Schneider.

Today I found the following unbelievable tidbit of information on the Internet

Illiteracy

Bruderheim is notable for producing the largest percentage of functional illiterates (*) from a single town in Canada{{Fact|date=September 2009}}. One notable resident, Matthew Kachur, is famous for having completed an undergraduate and a law degree despite his complete inability to speak or write in the English language{{Fact|date=September 2009}}.

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* Functional illiteracy …is a term used to describe reading and writing skills that are inadequate to cope with the demands of everyday life. This is contrasted with illiteracy in the strict sense, meaning the inability to read or write simple sentences in any language. -Characteristics: An illiterate…
(Source: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bruderheim,_Alberta)

There is a serious logical error in that assertion.  Matthew Kachur must certainly have been literate by Absolute Astronomy’s own definition of illiteracy.  After all, it is hardly appropriate to consider anyone not capable of writing and speaking the English language to be illiterate if he has no trouble coping “with the demands of everyday life.”  Someone capable of acquiring a law degree in any language can hardly be considered to be functionally illiterate, especially if that language is not the one he writes and speaks.

There is absolutely no reference to any source of information (let alone a credible and reputable one) on which Absolute Astronomy bases its assertion.  Even though the definition of illiteracy quoted by Absolute Astronomy was obviously copied from a page in Wikipedia (from a now cached version of that page), it is irrefutable evidence proving that Wikipedia is far from a credible source of reliable information. If anything, the quote used by Absolute Astronomy could easily be taken as evidence that they are gullible enough to be easily fooled and to advertise that fact.

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