Superman Comics and Reading Today: I Can't Give Them Away

For over thirty years I have been a social worker. For most of them I was a school social worker with the last few years working for the committee on special education. Families and children would come to our office waiting for evaluations or placement of children in special education settings.
The families would wait in the lobby of the building. Many sat there with Ipods, video games, cell phones, all kinds of contraptions. What I noticed as well was that few were reading. As a big believer in the value of comic books, I would go to local comic books stores,telling the owners that I was a school social worker in predominantly poor area and could they spare some comics and posters. The stores in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens were very generous and gave me lots of stuff-I was also in the process making my own collection smaller.
I would go to the lobby and tried to engage the children into disengaging from their electronic devices and offered them comics-for nothing. I told them that the comics were for free. I showed them that many of the comics were older than they were..some as old as their parents. More times than not, I was met with blank stares. I said "here-Superman, Batman, Spiderman,Justice League". Nothing. I told them that it would be a fun way to learn and that's how I learned when I was their age. I told them of the great Superman/Batman stuff. Again-nothing. I thought the kids would find it fun that an adult knew so much about comics. Didn't work.
The electronic..the gadgets-the phones-made the comics seem uninteresting. I couldn't believe it. I would look at the parents who would look at me and shrug. I just stood there with what I considered jewels-these treasures of fun and learning. I couldn't give them away. I stood there remembering comics and my childhood. I couldn't give them away.