A Rare Commodity

First of all, I feel as though you were either trying to be witty with your exceptionally brief post or just it's unintentionally ironic...

Reducing some witty idea to 140 characters or less can be extremely funny or even a talent. It's not texting, it's just that you aren't texting witty people. Also, I imagine that there are no fewer witty people than there used to be (however, I lack even the personal experience necessary to really make that statement), but that maybe you're just noticing dumb folk more often.

Explain your hypothosis...

Great post. Didn't you text me this though... :)

HA stupider

Koala ... since my daughter insists on torturing me by texting & I feel compelled to reply, I resort to the use of acronyms out of pure frustration! lol



Rainsong ... In addition to not texting, I also refuse to twitter! My daughter's phone actually "tweets" at her when there's been an update of something or other. Very annoying. However, when it comes to physics, theoretical or otherwise, I can only say, .... WTF !?!?!

I was reading this and while scrolling my finger slipped off of the scroll wheel and onto the left mouse button as I passed the "dislike" link. I didn't really dislike the comment, and there's no undo option :-(



I prefer to spell things out, but if time is a factor, I slip in the occasional acronym. My brother and sisters are all older than me, so I avoid using text speak because I'm not sure how much of it they know.

Thanks for the comment Rallalicious. Even the few times I do manage to text ... I just can't make myself use those abreviations. The idea that people actually say LOL out loud is just scary. My nephew's wife teaches jr. high. She has had students turn in papers written in text speak!

When I text anything I type it out longhand. Yes it probably takes me 10 times as long as the average 14 year old, but I have time to construct complete sentences, my life is really not that hectic.



I have also had the unfortunate experience of being in a Ventrilo chat room (voice chat for those that are not familiar) and hearing people actually say LOL - pronounced lawl. I think I actually shivered.

I try not to text for several reasons, but one of them is because I can't stand 'net speak. A part of me died inside when an acquaintance (a 24 year old MAN) sent me this last week: "r u riding wit me n sammy."



Really? Really!?

It is soooo difficult to find an engaging & intelligent conversation - especially online. I can so relate to many of the comments here. We are sooo dumbed down - this started getting worse in the 30's.



Kids today have no idea how to do research using... oh my God...BOOKS & Encyclopedias. And calculators? Good heavens! My math teachers must be flinching. What would people do w/o spellcheck?? I used to win spelling bees & love to write.



I remember always having a dictionary & thesaurus out & find the big words to use in my papers to be different. I don't think I've increased my vocabulary in years & years. This must be a lost art as slang finds its way into dictionaries & words go into extinction.

true

I'm in total agreement.



I'm working on my fifth comedy script at the moment. My local drama group requires it by the end of November so I should really be cracking on with it - but EP distracts! Anyone who truly writes will have empathy I'm sure.

BSF

****Aftermath threws open the door and is bowled over by the fresh air of this group*****



What a delight to stumble upon this group, refreshing, thoughtful, entertaining is an understatement, a dash of good hope. ~ The tears from laughter are streaming down my cheeks! Thank you.



**AM smiles, takes a seat and continues to watch and listen.

Oh yeah...where does all this rank on your wit and intelligence scale, SeriouslyGirl????

oh geez, now I have to go back to Whacko's list to decipher your comment Betty!

No Grrrring, it scares me.

You guys are too much. : )

carry on....

Whacko!!!

Byte me.

Whacko, what you just wrote....well it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now I know there is hope for the literary world. I had no idea there was such a massive dictionary to draw from. (smiling)

You are so right Frito. The written word that makes us feel is spoken from the heart.

And to think I almost didn't see this post. University degrees don't do it...the best writers have heart and natural intelligence.

Why Betty...thank you for calling me a little minx...it makes me feel all giggly and stuff (smiling). I am the proud first member of "Apologizers Anonymous". So I will stop making these foolish errors in judgement. I will only bestow my words of apology on those truly deserving when I have actually committed an offense.



When I first wrote this I'd been thinking how prevalent and accepted this new terminology had become. Yes, I am guilty of using it at times myself. My fear is if we allow it to continue creeping in to our language what happens if it overtakes it? Who will write the great books of the next generation?



I still have faith though. As long as we continue to fight the battle, there is always hope.

Well, I miss a few days and look what goes on here....

Seriously, you guys are almost beginning to talk over my head now lol.



Thanks to all of you for your comments. This has turned in to a far more interesting conversation than I ever dreamed my few words would get started.

They technology at one's disposal does have a direct relationship on one's ability to think. For example, language itself enables thought - imagine how limited you be if all your communication was non-verbal. (A world of mimes - Lilt! Ack!)



However, I don't think it is texting itself that is dumbing down our interactions. To me it is the proliferation of communication devices itself. Communication has become so trivial that people put absolutely no thought into it at all.



I write emails the way an 18th century man would have written a letter - as if every word costs me a dollar and I am writing in ink. It's the amount of care and thought you put into it that determines the quality - not the technology itself.

Erudite - educated

Discourse - conversation



Let's get something clear. Most people in history never communicated in writing to any great extent - ever. The idea of writing and sharing deep thoughts about "meaningful" subjects was limited to the tiny elite few who got higher education and were generally gifted in that way.



The great burst of literacy that began in the late 19th century in western Europe and climaxed after WWII was not the norm - it was a special case driven by unique factors.



The "Great Unwashed" as most of us were called by that elite, have only recently had the means readily to hand to communicate ideas other than by spoken language.



When people were going to work in a factory and the height of their literary ambitions was the daily newspaper - most of which were poorly written - they were not under pressure to learn how to write scintillating prose.



EP is not a representative sample of the population. It is a written environment and, as such, it attracts, rewards, and holds those few of us who are comfortable communicating in writing.



The rest are either relegated to the fringe - or leave.

I think erudite discourse requires penicillin.

Blue people? Who let the Smurfs in?

That is funny. No, one can never be too sure of anything here though....

Well, I hadn't called you that yet Betty but I can't promise I won't make that mistake in the future...some days I just can't read correctly!

Ok, I'm really giggling now!



RE...for the longest time that's how I read the name...I don't know when I finally figured out it really read "betty"