Dear Mr. Denby, if you’re going to write an article asking “Do Teens Read Seriously Anymore” for The New Yorker, then maybe you should pick up an AP Stylebook and not call us “teen-agers.”

It breaks my heart that reading has decreased, too, but writing an article that includes sexist stereotypes and an overwhelming sense of superiority obscures your point and does make you sound like a “crank.”

History does have a habit of repeating itself, and this article, like decades in the past, proves the older generation’s determination in condemning modernization. Yes, teens do consume loads of “scrap,” but when we only read the first few paragraphs of articles, it’s not really a crime. News stories are intended to include the most important details first, and they’ve been that way since your generation. Do the terms “nut-graph” or “inverted pyramid” ring a bell?

Additionally, many journalists use social media, including yourself. If anything, social media helps teens be more informed about news because of the capability of it to spread quickly. E-books are widely used for the primary reason of allowing more access to knowledge and books. Do not condemn knowledge for the sole reason that it is not printed on paper.

This is not the apocalypse. Books are not being burned like in “Fahrenheit 451” (yes, I, a teenager, actually read that).

However obscure, the books you condemned as being empty sources of reading have an importance of their own. I remember reading Harry Potter as a kid, and that series made me love reading. If a piece of writing inspires more reading, how can you call it unimportant? Although you may not have picked up on them, Harry Potter covers some pretty important themes. Racism is addressed when J.K. Rowling condemns those who discriminate against “muggle-borns.” Sexism was addressed when Rowling created strong well-rounded female characters in her books, most notably Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Ginny and Molly Weasley and Tonks. These characters showed that girls don’t have to be “strong”; they can be admirable in kindness, intelligence and loyalty. Anti-intellectualism is criticized simply through Hermione’s existence. Simply put, Rowling’s books are SO much more than magic.

Finally, it is simply wrong to use teenagers not reading “Huckleberry Finn” as an explanation for Donald Trump’s absurdity. As my fellow writer Evan Kalvesmaki brilliantly cited in his tweet: “About ½ (of Trump’s supporters) are between 45 and 64 years of age, with another 34% over 65 years old and less than 2% younger than 30.” (realclearpolitics.com/articles/2015/09/09/who_are_trumps_supporters.html) It seems to the both of us that the problem is your generation. Besides, why are you criticizing teens on an election that a majority of them won’t even be able to vote in?

To conclude, as small-minded as you think we teens are, I believe I speak for most of us when I say that I will not allow you to stereotype millennials so quickly. As I also learned from Harry Potter, “Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth.”