2 Type rite is Gud

One of the biggest pet peeves I've encountered is bad typing.  This is something that annoys me to no end.  This is more than just a trend that shows up in countless comment sections of social media posts.  This shows up everywhere.

The biggest issue is, it is deliberate.  I can mind the minor accidental misspelling or the occasionally missed punctuation marks.  However, this is becoming a permanent fixture.

But why is it being done?

Typically, when I read a post that is full of misspellings, missed punctuation, and nonsensical words, I find myself questioning the integrity of the person posting.  Memes have become a staple of sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc.  They annoy me as well, but I have to accept them.

Twitter is kind of an exception on this, and may earn a free pass for bad spelling.  When you are given a character limit, you have to try to make every character count.  So, using "u" for "you" or "4" instead of "for" tends to be more acceptable.  However, on a site like Facebook, where there isn't a character limit, it is kind of annoying.

Half of the time, I have to translate this shorthand typing into something that I can process as intelligible thought.  Even then, the lack of proper grammar makes me question whether their thoughts can be considered "intelligible thought."

Employers do use Facebook and other social media sites to learn more about potential employees.  Employers want to learn more about who they have working for them.  If the person gives this great resume to their employer, and them employer canvasses their Facebook, they might find details that might make them second guess hiring that person.

We are now in the technological age.  One of the things that happens less and less is hand-written notes.  It is much easier to type and edit your thoughts through a keyboard then it is to grab a paper and pencil and actually just write out your note.  I tend to type faster than I write, so I would agree with this wholeheartedly.  However, I tend to try to type things out grammatically correct, and try to use proper punctuation.  As I write less than I used to, the only way to really tell people about me, is to type it out.  Doing so in an intelligible manner becomes more important for me.

The worst offenders of this are memes themselves.  Memes can become very popular and widespread in a short amount of time.  Memes that have improper grammar and horrible spelling send a message to other people encouraging the use of broken language.  Eventually things like spelling and grammar will become obsolete in the next generation.  This is a problem especially when communication is so important.  It is important for the recipient to understand and fully comprehend the context of the message the sender is trying to convey.  Memes turn this problem into a widespread epidemic that must be cured.

So, for the sake of the future of communication, please try to type intelligently.  Show the world just how smart you are.  Show the world the knowledge that you possess.

What are your thoughts?  Where do you think the future of communication is headed?  Do you think that broken language will eventually translate to broken speech too?  Let me know in the comments [in an intelligent manner].  :)

Learning by Example, the Dumbing Down of Today.

Sunday morning, I happened to read an interesting article.

Target is recalling Easter toys due to a serious ingestion hazard.

This got me to thinking.  Back when I was a kid, we had those little glow sponge toys.  They started off like little pills and you'd throw them water and in about 30 seconds to a minute, it'd turn into this sponge dinosaur.  I used to love those things.  One thing I knew though: not to ingest them.  Why?

I was at an age where I knew better.

Yes, on each package, there is a list of ages of people who can play with a particular toy.  Usually this has to do with the fact that:

1. The toy is too complex for a little kid to understand.  This can mean that it would only really be fun for someone of an appropriate age to play with.
2. Choking hazard or some other hazard.  This would be a toy that in the hands of a little kid could pose a serious choking hazard.  This would include things like toy cars (where the wheels can come off), or in this case, these toys that are being recalled.

So, apparently, either people aren't reading the age limits on them and buying them for people too young to have them, or people aren't properly supervising their kids around these toys.  Anyone who was a kid in this day and age has seen this type of toy before.  We all pretty much understand what they do.  Wouldn't it make sense to teach kids, "This is NOT to be eaten."  When did we lose common sense???

Ok.  This doesn't seem that big of a deal.  One toy got recalled because of a serious ingestion hazard.  I get it.  But just think of the ramifications.  I may be "over-estimating" the severity of things, but bear with me.

As a kid, I was the idiot who grabbed a bottle of VO-5, put a huge amount on my small hands, and washed my hair with it.  Considering that I didn't need that much shampoo, and I will say that I was balling but 10 seconds later because soap got in my eyes.   But I will tell you one thing:

I learned my lesson.

 Toys we had back in the day are now being affected because they have been deemed "dangerous."  I've done things that people in today's over-protective environment would say is "dangerous."  And look at me, 34 years old, and still alive.

But people can't ignore common sense when it comes to things.  Apparently, this is the day and age of the lawsuit.  "MY KID SWALLOWED YOUR PRODUCT AND HAD TO HAVE SURGERY!! I AM GOING TO SUE YOU!!!"  And the response becomes: The product becomes recalled.

What's next?  Recall VO-5 because a kid's eyes had to be flushed because he used shampoo intended for adults??  Might as well ban anything that has watch batteries, because guess what?  They can be opened up and those batteries can be ingested by a little kid.  To me, the simplest solution is to watch your kid, and keep small objects like that put away.  If you buy a toy like the Easter toys that are being recalled, make sure you are giving them to a kid who knows what they are and what they do.  If the kid doesn't understand, then don't buy them!! Plain and simple.  Not too hard to figure out!!