I have to agree with T-R. Japanese is much easier to read with Kanji. If you run into a kanji you don't know, that's too bad, but I run into words I don't know in English, too. You just look it up. English spelling is just as complicated, in my opinion.
Also, "stop teaching kanji in public schools" is pretty much the same as abolishing kanji.
You read my conversation with T-R and your takeaway is I think teaching kanji to beginners is a bad idea because "I run into a kanji I don't know"? Please.
> English spelling is just as complicated, in my opinion
That's a separate issue, but I agree with you to some extent. Here's a Feynman quote (which I agree with 100%):
If the professors of English will complain to me that the students who come to the universities, after all those years of study, still cannot spell "friend," I say to them that something's the matter with the way you spell friend.
> "stop teaching kanji in public schools" is pretty much the same as abolishing kanji
I don't think so. There are many things that aren't taught in public schools but taught in private classes (calligraphy/ikebana/yoga/etc).
It's good that people who care about these cultures enjoy them in their own time and other people are left alone and not being forced to learn something they think has a low ROI.
If kanji is such a good idea as you claim, it will survive and thrive without government coercion, don't you think?
