The Stupid Generation

We’ve all been in one, some aptly-named generation.  Whether it’s the “greatest,” the “babyboomers,” the “gen-x” or some other, supposedly it describes the significance of an era where a set of people grew up.

I’m not going to talk about mine.  But I am going to predict a future one:  The Stupid Generation.  It may or may not have already started.

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What is the Stupid Generation you ask?  Well for starters we’ll call them the SG’s for now.  That in itself is an example of how they live their lives, reducing words to initials or acronyms.

You see I think we’re not too far away from the SG era.  People have been, for some time now, texting and tweeting “mini-words” and initials.  We’ve started reducing our respect for the English language, the context, pretext, the text we read and text we send.  (Let’s not even look at emoticons here 👀👀!  Whatever happened to memorandums?  Yes, they turned into shortened versions called memos, but what happened to them? (IDK)

Soon we won’t even be typing these words; many already use voice command on the phones and computers.  And then there is Alexa, the lady who rules households everywhere!  Wow, such faith and trust in a machine that talks.  Woo hoo!

The Stupid Generation will also come around because we have been negligent with numbers.  Yes, our old pals 0-9 have been disrespected.  We no longer take the time to memorize them in the forms of identifying phones and addresses, or even to calculate our relationships with them.  Just transfer info from one electronic device to another.  Let “it” figure out all that stuff.  Easy as pi.  Why use your brain?

Why indeed.  You notice the predictive text popping up when you type?  It’s like your device is trying to send its own message, not yours.  And at times it does do it.  Just look at Twitter tweeters frequently correcting themselves.  Really they’re apologizing for their machine who apparently does have a mind of its own, and wants the world to know it! (LOL)

I do like using modern-day technology, but there does seem to be an element missing.  Sure the ones who invent these contraptions are using their brains.  Yet it seems that the consumer of such goods lets their personal practice of brain activity slip away.

image by Dystopos on flikr.com

You know the term “smart phone” is aptly named.  Maybe we can start giving out academic awards and scholarships to phones and computers.  Alexa can be our host!  Why should people strive for learning when they can let their technology do it for them?  It doesn’t matter because IT matters!

Now, this is sounding like something someone in a Stupid Generation would say.  Uh oh.  Does SOS still mean help?   😮  😬    Theresa M

image by geralt on pixabay