/lit/ - Literature

Nothing pisses me off more than this.
NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING.

So, why do people hold literature in such a high regard?
Yes, it's been around the longest and holds the most expansive log of information and experience available.
But does this make other media worse, just because they are much, MUCH younger?
I always hear things like 'better read books' or 'go read a book'...
But... why?
Don't get me wrong, I also read, but why isn't every medium considered equal?
Books, movies, TV series, animation, games... Hell, even anime or sometimes music.
These are just a set of tools and every medium has something the other lacks, its own strength. (Now whether this is always utilized or not is another point completely). But why is literature considered inherently better than ANY of this just because it's a written word? Why aren't all mediums respected equally? There are good movies, there are bad books and vice versa.
But if a person says he 'only watches movies' or 'only plays games' it comes off as diminishing. And if a person says 'eh I mostly just read books' he is automatically considered an intellectual and respected. Shouldn't he be just as shunned because he is only fixed on one aspect of culture, while ignoring everything else?

I am not an american by the way, so I am not really sure the situation is like that here, but I am pretty sure it's encountered very often. So, what's the deal?

Did you ever read a "self help" book that "spoke" to you?

It counts if you were an impressionable teenager.

Did you disregard all the helpful real life tips it gave solely because this board told you to?