Dumber By The Day...
i wanna speek 2 u guyz about a epidimik dat iz swepin duh nayshun: duh abilitee to rite an/or tipe a compleet n grummaticly koreck sentens...
Ok, I'm done writing in gibberish. But I just wanted to give you guys a visual of the type of nonsense that drives me crazy and contributes to thedumming dumbing down of today's youth. However first let me say this: If you were able to read through that first sentence without so much as a pause, I don't know whether to consider you bilingually-gifted, an idiot savant or simply a prime example for today's blog. (Though to be honest, I'd definitely be leaning towards the ladder latter...I'm jus' sayin'...).
The problem as I believe it to be is the heavy reliance and use of social media and text messaging as a means of communication. Now I'll be the first to admit that it is much easier to reach me by email or text than to get me on the phone, but that has more to do with my constant multi-tasking and hectic schedules than anything else. So that being said, I hope I'm not coming across as anti-technology or anything.
My issue is that the more we rely on these short bursts of communications, the lazier we get grammatically. And the lazier we get grammatically, the more we lose the ability to put together well-thought out and structured sentences and stories. Hell, even as I write this, I have to continuously remind myself not to use "txt mssging" words and phrases. Lol!...Oops...See what I mean?? SMH...Dammit! Sorry about that...
Look, at any rate, here's the thing: it's really not that big of a deal if you can fluidly switch between the two "languages". Where it becomes a big deal is when your verbal foundation is weak. If you don't know the proper form of speaking or writing, then the improper form becomes your "proper" form. If for no other reason than repetition and muscle memory, you will cease to be able to spot your mistakes. Just as you can learn the correct way to spell a word, you can learn to spell a word incorrectly, just as easily. And when you look at that incorrectly spelled word, you won't see a problem with it.
So I said all of that to say this: We should try and limit our children's use of slang, ebonics or whatever else we're calling it nowadays. This includes their social media posts, text messages, etc. I mean think about it, is there really even a reason to wonder why your child can't figure out the proper placement of a period or comma well enough to write a decent book report or essay? Seriously. If they spend all day texting back and forth with their friends, it's a wonder they haven't begun writing "Boss Bitch" or "Real Nigga" right above the day's date on their homework or classwork! You might be laughing at the thought of that but I'm serious as a heart attack. Muscle memory and repetition is a muthaf****, trust me...
And I'm sure we would all like to blame the public school system for any educational shortcomings our kids may possess, but the reality is they can only do but so much. And something as simple as correcting your child's speech and incorrect spelling can go a long way towards helping their learning development. Soon enough, you'll find them correcting themselves without you even having to say a word.
Right now some of you guys are probably saying, "But how can I correct my child if I don't know the sh*t my damn self?" My response to that is simple...GET EDUCATED!!! That doesn't necessarily mean going back to school...(Though that's a great idea too)...It could be something as simple as reading the newspaper, looking up the definitions to the words you don't know or are unsure of and incorporating those words into your vocabulary. Or making a game of it and challenging your mate or kids to see who can catch each other's spoken and written mistakes the most. Or whatever. The point is, there are any number of ways to make it happen if you really want to. You just have to put a plan in action and stick with it.
Because the bottom line is whether you want to admit it or not, something needs to happen. And happen soon. Otherwise we'll just continue to get dumber by the day. And in the end, it won't be anyone's fault but our own.
As always, these are...
...JUST MY OBSERVATIONS
Ok, I'm done writing in gibberish. But I just wanted to give you guys a visual of the type of nonsense that drives me crazy and contributes to the
The problem as I believe it to be is the heavy reliance and use of social media and text messaging as a means of communication. Now I'll be the first to admit that it is much easier to reach me by email or text than to get me on the phone, but that has more to do with my constant multi-tasking and hectic schedules than anything else. So that being said, I hope I'm not coming across as anti-technology or anything.
My issue is that the more we rely on these short bursts of communications, the lazier we get grammatically. And the lazier we get grammatically, the more we lose the ability to put together well-thought out and structured sentences and stories. Hell, even as I write this, I have to continuously remind myself not to use "txt mssging" words and phrases. Lol!...Oops...See what I mean?? SMH...Dammit! Sorry about that...
Look, at any rate, here's the thing: it's really not that big of a deal if you can fluidly switch between the two "languages". Where it becomes a big deal is when your verbal foundation is weak. If you don't know the proper form of speaking or writing, then the improper form becomes your "proper" form. If for no other reason than repetition and muscle memory, you will cease to be able to spot your mistakes. Just as you can learn the correct way to spell a word, you can learn to spell a word incorrectly, just as easily. And when you look at that incorrectly spelled word, you won't see a problem with it.
So I said all of that to say this: We should try and limit our children's use of slang, ebonics or whatever else we're calling it nowadays. This includes their social media posts, text messages, etc. I mean think about it, is there really even a reason to wonder why your child can't figure out the proper placement of a period or comma well enough to write a decent book report or essay? Seriously. If they spend all day texting back and forth with their friends, it's a wonder they haven't begun writing "Boss Bitch" or "Real Nigga" right above the day's date on their homework or classwork! You might be laughing at the thought of that but I'm serious as a heart attack. Muscle memory and repetition is a muthaf****, trust me...
And I'm sure we would all like to blame the public school system for any educational shortcomings our kids may possess, but the reality is they can only do but so much. And something as simple as correcting your child's speech and incorrect spelling can go a long way towards helping their learning development. Soon enough, you'll find them correcting themselves without you even having to say a word.
Right now some of you guys are probably saying, "But how can I correct my child if I don't know the sh*t my damn self?" My response to that is simple...GET EDUCATED!!! That doesn't necessarily mean going back to school...(Though that's a great idea too)...It could be something as simple as reading the newspaper, looking up the definitions to the words you don't know or are unsure of and incorporating those words into your vocabulary. Or making a game of it and challenging your mate or kids to see who can catch each other's spoken and written mistakes the most. Or whatever. The point is, there are any number of ways to make it happen if you really want to. You just have to put a plan in action and stick with it.
Because the bottom line is whether you want to admit it or not, something needs to happen. And happen soon. Otherwise we'll just continue to get dumber by the day. And in the end, it won't be anyone's fault but our own.
As always, these are...
...JUST MY OBSERVATIONS
I agree, technology is leading the youth today on a downward spiral when it comes to proper written and spoken grammar. When I was kid, I learned proper grammar as well as slang. But slang was something that was used with the homies, not in school or while taking care of business.I find myself at times using the proper spelling of words during emails and text because I don't want to get accustom to all the shortcuts. It drive me crazy when grown people say things like happy burfday. You might as well write birthday is only one more letter. I hope that more parents see the importance of this.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, but to be honest, I'm not all that optimistic. I have little faith in today's generation. It's sad but true.
DeleteThe three R's began at home. If remedial education is not learned at home, when the child enters school they began to fall behind. There is a lack of patience, ignorance, and stagnation that rocks the minority community. Remember schools are closing down, there will be less hours to a school day, and staff are being laid-off. There's no wonder why the youth of today is using Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace as a formal source of education. Nevertheless, we are academically handicapping out little ones by promoting less writing activities, introduced to more technology, and using acronyms to express our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
Delete