4 My GF Hope 2 TTYL. ROFLMAO!

WAYNE’S WORDS
Volume 1 Number 9
4 My GF Hope 2 TTYL. ROFLMAO!

OK. I wasn’t going to broach this subject, but I just cannot hold out any longer.

I am indeed a lover of technology. I am also a lover of science fiction which is where you so often see into our technological future. I recall great sci-fi shows from my childhood depicting characters communicating with each other from anywhere using a transceiver that clipped onto their belts (Kirk to Enterprise!). Suddenly! Boom! Cellular phones that are smaller than my hand are ubiquitous.

I also remember reading books when I was younger that would describe volumes of literature and music contained in one little hand-held device and then, seemingly, in a blink of an eye… Hello iPod et al. Oh the wondrous things that science fiction foresaw: TVs as flat as the wall, moving sidewalks, on-board computers with live maps of the planet you traveled, lasers that cut through things. Now, I know we cannot yet beam across the planet nor do we have flying cars (dammit!), but so much of that early science fiction predicted the technological wonders that we have today.

There is one technological phenomenon that I do not recall the great science fiction writers predicting and it is the bane of my existence. Text Messaging!

I cannot believe this stuff. Text-messaging is everywhere! Mostly used by the younger crowd, especially on the female side of the aisle, it is stripping away our ability to effectively communicate verbally. There is just no need to talk anymore. I asked “a friend” why she didn’t call the recipient of her text and she responded by telling me that she really didn’t want to talk to her. Uh…what? I took the conversation further by asking the subject of her text (to the person to whom she did not want to talk). She told me she was just wondering how her friend’s day went. Uh…Double-what?!?! My girlfriend even has a friend who seems to never answer her phone if someone calls her. If you text her, however, she sends a reply text within 3.2 seconds. Uh…Triple-what?!?! Is it that much of a bother to verbalize and truly interact with other people? I guess it is.

Texting is also destroying the written word. As I have said before, I am not the best at grammar, spelling and sentence structure, but still I try. With texting there is no try, there is only do not. We have all seen the commercials wherein the mother is ripping the kid a new one for her texting habits and the little girl answers only in abbreviations. Argh! I would love to tell that kid NPFTM (no phone for three months), maybe she would understand it if presented that way. In addition, words now have numbers in th3m for no apparent reason. What the hell? Why would it be easier to put a 3 in a word than an E? When did the word “later” acquire the “letter” 8?!?! Maybe it is just supposed to be cute. Who knows?

The worst part about the texting population is WHERE they do it. I get texts that say “I’m just driving right now.” No you are not you are texting right now! You are looking at the little window on your mobile device rather than looking out the BIG window of your vehicle. “I am in a meeting and we are discussing the company’s P&L. What are you up to?” Really?! Shouldn’t you be paying attention to that meeting? To that class? To that debate? To that sermon? What are you doing? Stop texting!!! At least stop during those other events in your life to which you should really be paying attention. I once discovered a girl texting…while I was making out with her. (ed. note. Don’t worry, it was a couple years ago, honey.) We were in the throes of passion (or at least I was) and she was texting someone. Don’t even get me started on people texting each other while less than 3 feet apart!

I understand that texting does have its place and that it can be a useful tool. I also understand that for some reason people can say things in print or text that they are uncomfortable saying out loud. It’s just that it has gotten to the point that people are so rude about it. They probably aren’t even aware that they are being rude – they probably just think they are multi-tasking. Well, more times than not multi-tasking just ends up being multi-ignoring!

Until Next Time,
Wayne

PS Thanks to my girlfriend and my son (who are both wonderful) I now have unlimited text on MY phone. I had to do it. I was getting charged up the wazoo for the incoming text messages I was receiving. I am now learning to type a text response in less than 20 minutes and I am using the texts wisely. At least I am trying to. If you can’t beat ‘em, text ‘em. But at least do it on your own terms.