Just My Thoughts September 23, 2006

Hey folks,

Happy Saturday to you. Today I want to talk about the negative side of what has become the norm in society. A modern convenience that is so relied upon it has a great deal of negative effects. Possibly even long lasting.

What am I talking about? Computers. I want to start by saying this. I love my computer. Me and my computer are best of friends. As a matter of fact. I used to spend WAY too much time on it. I had to painfully make a choice to walk away from some of the places I participated in on a daily bases, to make time for my family and other obligations that have greater priority.

Computers are great. Before, when little Johnny or Susy came home with homework from school, you would have to go to the Library or book store to research the information that they needed to complete their assignment. Now, with a click of the mouse, BAM, they have all they need. They can actually travel the world from the comforts of their livingroom.

Computers are great. Now you can write your report, article, paper, whatever, make changes, make copies, whatever. In other words, you can be even that much more productive. You can store all kinds of information on your computer. No need for file cabinets anymore.

Computers are great. You can do all your Holiday shopping without ever leaving your house. Pay bills. Track all kinds of information. Some have even found love. Yes, computers are great. However, there are some VERY negative effects as well.

One, we no longer NEED to go out. We can meet all kinds of people right from our house. We do not have to shop, we can do that as well. I remember a while ago, some guy stayed in his house for over a year. Never leaving. Living off the internet. It can be done. But really, what kind of life is that?

Then you have our younger generations. You know, the ones that grew up with computers. Never knew what it was like without them. I remember seeing those commercials with the little foreign girl, talking about the "super Highway is coming". Our kids have no clue. THAT is one of the biggest Problems.

Nowadays, we will leave aside the obvious dangers of predators, pornography, and just bad things in general, our kids and their kids, really do NOT have a clue.

What I mean is simple. I remember being in school and if we were caught using a calculator in Math class, I would have been suspended. Now they are told to use the computer. When I was in school we had spelling tests. Now, they have spell check. I remember being taught how to write legibly. Now they just type and print.

It happened to me again just this week. I was driving down the road and suddenly got the need for coffee. {I know, big surprise} I pulled into and mini mart type thing, caring the name of one I trust to have good coffee. I went in and got a cup. I went to the register and handed the girl working a $10.00. The following is as close to exact as I can remember.

G - "Hello"
Me-"Hey, how are you today?"
G- "Not so good. Like, the whole computer system is down. We can’t sell gas. People are getting mad. It’s really not good."
Me- "I’m sorry to hear that. I guess someone is working on it. Right? Don’t let it stress you out. It happens."
G- "Yeah I guess. That’s $1.49." Pointing to my coffee.
Me-"Yeah OK, here you go."

Break,,,, At this point she changed. Right in front of me she stopped EVERYTHING. Stared into space. It was almost as if someone hit an off switch. Then she said,,

G- "I’m sorry Sir. Give me a sec. Like I said, the computers are down."
Me-"I understand. Take your time." Standing looking at her in absolute amazement.
G- "Ok here you go. She handed me a $5.00, 4 $1.00s, and .41 cents
Me- "No I’m sorry, I gave you a $10.00, You said $1.49. That means I get back $8.51."
G- "Yeah?"
ME-"You gave me back $9.41
G- "What?"

Break,,,, OK folks, now my coffee pit stop has become about 15 minutes. Now I’m getting even more amazed at the fact, not her fault, she has been rendered completely helpless because of the computer being down. She TRULY was unable to count back change. Even when I did it for her.

G- "I’m really sorry Sir." Took the money back and gave me back THE SAME EXACT THING SHE DID BEFORE.
Me-"OK, here. This is for the coffee. When your computers come back up, just put it in then. OK?" Handing her another $1.00. I didn’t want to confuse her further with change. I left.

This is just another in a long list of examples of how some of our modern conveniences actually contribute to the dumbing down of America.

Now I understand there are many who argue that the computer needs to be used in the proper context. As a tool, the computer can increase knowledge farther than we even know now. I understand this. But if we are going to use them in proper context, then let’s do that. Let’s teach our children the basics, and teach them how to survive without them, before we teach them how to use them. Let’s put things back into perspective.
Peter