Why Is My Textbook Talking To Me?

Yeah, you, textbook. Shut up!

But seriously, why are some textbook authors insistent on "talking" to you through the text. I was reading my English textbook this afternoon, and the more I read it, the more angry I got not because I couldn't understand the text, but because it was talking to me.

Here is a paraphrased excerpt from it (Current Issues). I paraphrased it because I am too lazy to copy it word for word. It went something along these lines. "We admit, this list and webbing was printed after editing. We did think of two ideas, two we are ashamed we thought of, to be included, but knew they were stereotypical, and probably unethical. While we are sure you think of ideas along these lines, we hope you edit them out after the brainstorming process, as we did."

To be quite honest, I don't give a damn. In college English classes we are taught to get our point across in as few words as possible. Basically, the whole point of that passage is, "don't be stupid in your writing." Even that is needless to say. I'm going to assume everyone knows what pisses people off. I guess that is a bad assumption though, as these textbook authors didn't know that their incredibly obnoxious style pisses me off.

Textbooks are supposed to present the information to me. I don't want to talk to a piece of paper. I'm not 6 and have imaginary friends and talk to my stuffed animals. I am a college student, and I don't do that kind of stuff anymore. Maybe I'm the only one...?

I'm just looking forward to reading the rest of the 1,000 pages in that text. Oh joy.