One person’s standard of living should not subdue the happiness of others. There is nothing wrong with having interests beyond your age if it makes you happy.

Last Thursday, a blogger named Ruth Graham published the article “Against YA: Adults Should Be Embarrassed to Read Children’s Book.” The article essentially denounced adults’ love for young adult novels, while also criticizing popular young authors such as Veronica Roth (“Divergent”) and Stephenie Meyer (“Twilight”) by calling their works “trashy stuff.”

Graham wrote, “Fellow grown-ups, at the risk of sounding snobbish and joyless and old, we are better than this.”

What exactly are we better than, Ruth? Publically displaying our interests proudly?     

Her comments sent the Internet ablaze. Authors took offense to her remarks and a myriad of YA fans on twitter scolded her mercilessly.

The major problem people identified with was that Graham had the unmitigated gall to publish a rant about why adults should be ashamed of their interests because she feels they are too old for them.

Reading challenging work does expand the mind, but reading can also be fun and relaxing. It is unfair to condemn recreational readers for what they choose to enjoy, but things such as music and theater are categorized as fun.

Reading is not always serious. It is totally fine to read a book — regardless of the genre — that serves no purpose beyond providing entertainment.

No one can decide your happiness.

Graham’s article perpetuates a worldwide problem we are trying to put an end to. Her rant is precisely why we see teens and adults worldwide commit heinous crimes against others and themselves.

Yes, Ruth Graham, your article is a form of bullying.

The fact that Graham wants others to conform to her way of thinking and standard of living is asinine. Too often kids are reproached for their interests if it isn’t “popular.” Close-minded individuals such as Graham are a hindrance to social development.

People are sometimes not comfortable with themselves out of the fear of being negatively judged. We have people trying too hard to fit in with an unwritten standard of living instead of embracing their natural liking to things.

We grow as human beings when we are exposed to things outside of our realm of thinking. There is no age group from which we can’t learn. A five-year-old child can teach an individual who is five times older something new if that person listens with an open mind.

Around the WSU campus, you will find thousands of individuals who will not be of the same ethnic background or share the same interests; that doesn’t mean you can’t learn something from starting a conversation with them.  

We can all learn from each other.

A quote that resonates with me comes from a Japanese cartoon that is primarily made for teenagers: “Everyone lives bound by their own knowledge and awareness. They define that as reality; but knowledge and awareness are vague, and perhaps called illusions.”

Graham appears to be a highly intelligent woman. Her bookshelf far exceeds mine, but regardless of what she knows and how old she gets, we can all learn from each other, if we keep an open mind.