I’m currently sans internet access, which is actually very good for me. The internet is far too big of a distraction when I’m trying to write.
I want to give my two cents about the whole building a mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center and the controversy that surrounds that.
As with most issues, I find it very difficult to make up my mind on this one. I see both sides of the argument too clearly, and can’t decide how I feel about it. However, I’ll do my best to convey my thoughts.
Everyone in America remembers the terrible tragedy that was September 11th and we all know who did it: radical Muslims. Extremely radical Muslims that don’t represent the true beliefs of Islam. They are a very small sect of Islam, but a very…vocal one.
It is completely within their legal right to build it, and on that level, I’m not opposed to it in the least bit. This country was founded on the principal of religious freedom and I wouldn’t ever want to deny that right, no matter the religion.
However, I do feel there is a respect that has to be paid towards the World Trade Center and the surrounding area. America, I feel, has by and large forgiven the Islamic religion, because there’s no blame that should be placed on the religion. But America hasn’t forgotten what happened there and likely never will.
Ground Zero is hallowed ground. It’s a place that is such a powerful image of sorrow whenever we see it. Even when discussing it, our voices instantly grow much softer, as if afraid to tarnish the memory of those who died by speaking too loudly.
I feel it’s the responsibility of the people that wish to build this mosque to not build it. I feel they should understand what they’re doing by building it. I have no real issue with them building it, I just don’t think it’s the wisest decision ever.
They’re building the Freedom Tower where the Twin Towers once stood. I am in full support of that and I’ll tell you why.
Ground Zero is no longer a bleeding wound for America. It’s not a place that we think about on a daily basis, like we did in the months following the attack. But it has yet to scab over. It’s just an empty place, devoid of anything except negative symbolism of a terrorist attack. It’s not bleeding but it’s not healing either.
I feel that the building of the Freedom Tower is the scab forming. And once it’s completed and life begins anew there, Ground Zero will have finally turned into a scar. It will not be forgotten, but it won’t be the ugly blight that it is now.
Once that happens, that’s when I’ll throw my full support behind the building of the mosque. Well, perhaps not full support, but I won’t see any reason to protest it.
I think America has an issue with Peal Harbor as well, something that it needs to deal with. I love history and I love World War II, but I have a real issue with the Arizona being left where it is. It’s an incredibly interesting monument to what happened on December 7th, but it’s a needless reminder, one that I feel is detrimental to America. It exists purely to remind people of that terrible attack on America that day. I feel it should be dismantled, and perhaps transported elsewhere.
I hope the people building the mosque know what they’re getting themselves into. Although the majority of Americans seem to have no issue with building it, Muslims know all too well how a few radical people can be far more vocal and destructive then the quiet majority.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Que paso?
I want to speak a little about illegal immigration, because it’s an important issue regarding America today. I think we need some new perspective on it.
I want to start by saying that I don’t advocate illegal immigration in the least bit. I think people should come here legally and all that jazz. In addition to that, however, I don’t advocate the way our government handles legal immigration.
The process of becoming a citizen of this country of ours, which I truly believe is the greatest country in the world, is so difficult and convoluted, and such a long journey, it’s no wonder that people come here illegally! I listen to this radio show, and one of the hosts was originally born in Bolivia. His family moved to America when he was in his early teens, everything was legal and all, but it took him until he turned 18 to become a legal full citizen. And his parents weren’t poor farm workers. His father was an internationally renowned doctor, and his mother graduated from college. It still took years and years for him and his siblings to become citizens. And shit loads of money! I believe he said about $5,000 for each person. 2 parents and 3 children. $25,000 for 5 people to become citizens. I’m not sure if these numbers are normal (or entirely accurate, I’m going off memory), but if they’re even close to accurate, then we need to seriously rethink illegal immigration and becoming a citizen.
I got in a discussion with one of my teachers, who was very anti-illegal immigration. I’m sort of ambivalent about it. I think it’s more or less harmless. I know, I know, they mooch our government’s money, I’ll get to that later. Anyway, my teacher was saying “Look at all the European immigration in the early 1900’s. All legal, etc.” I retorted with, “Exactly, look at it. What did they have to do? They got off the boat at Ellis Island, stood in lines for hours and hours, got a physical, and within a day they were a citizen.”
If the process was as complicated back then as it is today, you best believe illegal immigration would have been huge. If you want to end it today, this is what you do. Set up about 15 huge buildings at various points along the Mexican-American border, fill it with bi-lingual people and doctors, and tell people that all they need to do is come to these buildings, get a physical, fill out basic forms, and they’re good. Illegal immigration would no longer be a problem.
Also, let’s point out what people aren’t talking about. People in America would not be bitching nearly as much if this was with Europeans. There is still a huge undercurrent of racism in America. We don’t like to talk about it, but it is a factor in this discussion. We don’t like the idea that Mexican and Latin dudes are coming in. If it were white people, yeah, we would be pissed. But not on this level, I don’t think.
Now, to the whole “they’re stealing our tax dollars.” You know what, I can’t say anything against that. I honestly can’t. Illegal immigration costs billions and billions of dollars for America.
But don’t forget what they do for you. Don’t complain about your tax dollars being spent on them, and then go to the store and buy a bushel of apples for a dollar. Illegal immigration provides a vast amount of cheap labor. And, frankly, they’ll do the jobs that other people won’t. Americans, especially white Americans, have this sense of pride with themselves. We don’t want to do the jobs that aliens do.
I dislike illegal immigration, but I dislike the way our government handles citizenship. Becoming a citizen of this great nation should not be as difficult as it is. Make it easier and the problem fixes itself.
I want to start by saying that I don’t advocate illegal immigration in the least bit. I think people should come here legally and all that jazz. In addition to that, however, I don’t advocate the way our government handles legal immigration.
The process of becoming a citizen of this country of ours, which I truly believe is the greatest country in the world, is so difficult and convoluted, and such a long journey, it’s no wonder that people come here illegally! I listen to this radio show, and one of the hosts was originally born in Bolivia. His family moved to America when he was in his early teens, everything was legal and all, but it took him until he turned 18 to become a legal full citizen. And his parents weren’t poor farm workers. His father was an internationally renowned doctor, and his mother graduated from college. It still took years and years for him and his siblings to become citizens. And shit loads of money! I believe he said about $5,000 for each person. 2 parents and 3 children. $25,000 for 5 people to become citizens. I’m not sure if these numbers are normal (or entirely accurate, I’m going off memory), but if they’re even close to accurate, then we need to seriously rethink illegal immigration and becoming a citizen.
I got in a discussion with one of my teachers, who was very anti-illegal immigration. I’m sort of ambivalent about it. I think it’s more or less harmless. I know, I know, they mooch our government’s money, I’ll get to that later. Anyway, my teacher was saying “Look at all the European immigration in the early 1900’s. All legal, etc.” I retorted with, “Exactly, look at it. What did they have to do? They got off the boat at Ellis Island, stood in lines for hours and hours, got a physical, and within a day they were a citizen.”
If the process was as complicated back then as it is today, you best believe illegal immigration would have been huge. If you want to end it today, this is what you do. Set up about 15 huge buildings at various points along the Mexican-American border, fill it with bi-lingual people and doctors, and tell people that all they need to do is come to these buildings, get a physical, fill out basic forms, and they’re good. Illegal immigration would no longer be a problem.
Also, let’s point out what people aren’t talking about. People in America would not be bitching nearly as much if this was with Europeans. There is still a huge undercurrent of racism in America. We don’t like to talk about it, but it is a factor in this discussion. We don’t like the idea that Mexican and Latin dudes are coming in. If it were white people, yeah, we would be pissed. But not on this level, I don’t think.
Now, to the whole “they’re stealing our tax dollars.” You know what, I can’t say anything against that. I honestly can’t. Illegal immigration costs billions and billions of dollars for America.
But don’t forget what they do for you. Don’t complain about your tax dollars being spent on them, and then go to the store and buy a bushel of apples for a dollar. Illegal immigration provides a vast amount of cheap labor. And, frankly, they’ll do the jobs that other people won’t. Americans, especially white Americans, have this sense of pride with themselves. We don’t want to do the jobs that aliens do.
I dislike illegal immigration, but I dislike the way our government handles citizenship. Becoming a citizen of this great nation should not be as difficult as it is. Make it easier and the problem fixes itself.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Picking my own brain - just avoiding the cracks
I believe the time has come for me to write another blog. So here I go!
Hmmm. I wonder what I should write about.
I think I’ll write about something that affects me each and every day: my OCD. My obsessive-compulsive disorder.
I am one of the millions that are in the throes of this disorder. It’s a mild case, thank God, but one that is increasing in severity as we speak.
I guess I’ve had it all my life, but I’ll get into when it really came out in the next few paragraphs. I just figured it was me. Like it was just who I was. And that the stuff I did was common. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that all these random idiosyncrasies and tics and my various habits that made absolutely no sense were not normal. So I looked it up, and low and behold there was a disorder for it.
Now, you might call shenanigans and say that I’m just putting a label on a few tics of mine, but I did have it confirmed by someone who could confirm these things.
In discussing this with someone and figuring it all out, I came to the conclusion that it really came to a head in 4th grade. Which, not so coincidentally, is when my brother started doing drugs and my life on the home front began to slide into a not so fun place. So I just started to do little things that I could control, these small little things that gradually became a bigger part of my life. Now I can’t escape it.
Sometimes I doubt whether I truly have it. I won’t deny that. But that just makes me believe that I do have it all the more. Because that’s a symptom. The constant obsessing over it. And when I go out for a walk? If you didn’t know that I was doing stuff, you probably would never notice. But I never step on cracks (occasionally an errant footstep will fall on one, but it doesn’t kill me) and I’m always counting my steps. Even when I’m in the house. I’m counting, always. Everything gets counted by me. It’s exhausting. And the walking thing really sucks. Because it started out just avoiding cracks and counting steps. Now I’m avoiding pretty much everything that isn’t solid concrete. If there’s gum that’s been there for years, I won’t step on it. If there’s some sort of stain or something, I won’t step on it. Although it turns into a case by case basis at times. Like if the sprinklers just ran and there’s no way to avoid the water, I’ll just make sure my foot is entirely surrounded by water. So I can’t step on half concrete/half water. It’s got to be all of one.
And that’s just walking. Christ, there are millions of other little things that just constantly dominate my brain.
Music—just sounds really; it can be like talk radio or something—helps, but not as much as it used to. Especially since I’ve come up with little OCD’s about my iPod and how I listen to it and so on. Nothing escapes my brain. I’ve got to come up with something for everything it would seem.
I must admit to there being some advantages. But, trust me, I’d give up these advantages in a heartbeat if it meant that brain could finally relax for a second. Since I count everything, I’m pretty damn good at math. Other than that though, I can’t really think of when it’s a plus.
I get really offended by people in regards to it sometimes. I like to joke around about it. Truly I do. It’s like any problem: turn it into comedy. There’s not a whole lot of opportunities for OCD jokes, but on occasion, I’ll say them or my friends will, and we’ll all laugh. I’ve got no problem with that. It’s when I mention that I have OCD to someone and they immediately claim they do as well. And then they proceed to tell me some random tic of theirs and expect me to sympathize with them or something. I honestly get a little offended by that. You don’t have OCD. Just because you like to arrange all your clothes by color or because you have to have doors closed and can’t stand them when they’re cracked, doesn’t mean you have it. It’s very frustrating to try and explain this to someone because they start to get defensive and blah blah.
I understand that there’s a certain attraction to OCD. It’s kind of one of those cool things that make you seem really smart or something. And I get that. Because there’s a small part of me that likes having it. A very small part. The same small part of me that likes that I wear glasses (now contacts). It makes you feel special. Unique. That’s it. It makes you seem unique. But I’d give this shit up so quickly for peace and quiet. Because the negatives so far out weight the uniqueness of it.
I don’t know what point I’m trying to get across here. I guess the point I’m trying to make is have a little respect for this disorder. Because trust me it is a disorder. It really interrupts my life.
My mom gave me a little mini bottle of hand sanitizer in my Christmas stocking or something. And I decided that I’d take it with me to school. I had to stop after like three weeks because I was using it so much. If I touched my desk, I’d have to sanitize. If I shook hands, I’d have to sanitize. I decided I’d rather just fight it then keep giving in like that.
I’m not a mysophobe (germaphobe) per se, but I do get occasional attacks of it. For example, I’m cleaning my bathroom floor a few weeks ago, and I started to clean around the toilet. As I started to think about what exactly I was cleaning, I really started to freak out. I had to movie to a different side of the bathroom and clean over there.
This disorder can be so debilitating. And I only have a mild form of it. But it is getting worse. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had to go on meds within the next five years.
What I’m asking is to please have a little respect for the disorder. Understand how it can be such a huge part of someone’s life in a negative way. And joking about it is fine, just don’t be a huge dick about it.
So this is my little confessional about it. I’d like to say it was cathartic, but it wasn’t. I still have it and that will probably never change. But maybe I’ve offered an understanding of it.
Hmmm. I wonder what I should write about.
I think I’ll write about something that affects me each and every day: my OCD. My obsessive-compulsive disorder.
I am one of the millions that are in the throes of this disorder. It’s a mild case, thank God, but one that is increasing in severity as we speak.
I guess I’ve had it all my life, but I’ll get into when it really came out in the next few paragraphs. I just figured it was me. Like it was just who I was. And that the stuff I did was common. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that all these random idiosyncrasies and tics and my various habits that made absolutely no sense were not normal. So I looked it up, and low and behold there was a disorder for it.
Now, you might call shenanigans and say that I’m just putting a label on a few tics of mine, but I did have it confirmed by someone who could confirm these things.
In discussing this with someone and figuring it all out, I came to the conclusion that it really came to a head in 4th grade. Which, not so coincidentally, is when my brother started doing drugs and my life on the home front began to slide into a not so fun place. So I just started to do little things that I could control, these small little things that gradually became a bigger part of my life. Now I can’t escape it.
Sometimes I doubt whether I truly have it. I won’t deny that. But that just makes me believe that I do have it all the more. Because that’s a symptom. The constant obsessing over it. And when I go out for a walk? If you didn’t know that I was doing stuff, you probably would never notice. But I never step on cracks (occasionally an errant footstep will fall on one, but it doesn’t kill me) and I’m always counting my steps. Even when I’m in the house. I’m counting, always. Everything gets counted by me. It’s exhausting. And the walking thing really sucks. Because it started out just avoiding cracks and counting steps. Now I’m avoiding pretty much everything that isn’t solid concrete. If there’s gum that’s been there for years, I won’t step on it. If there’s some sort of stain or something, I won’t step on it. Although it turns into a case by case basis at times. Like if the sprinklers just ran and there’s no way to avoid the water, I’ll just make sure my foot is entirely surrounded by water. So I can’t step on half concrete/half water. It’s got to be all of one.
And that’s just walking. Christ, there are millions of other little things that just constantly dominate my brain.
Music—just sounds really; it can be like talk radio or something—helps, but not as much as it used to. Especially since I’ve come up with little OCD’s about my iPod and how I listen to it and so on. Nothing escapes my brain. I’ve got to come up with something for everything it would seem.
I must admit to there being some advantages. But, trust me, I’d give up these advantages in a heartbeat if it meant that brain could finally relax for a second. Since I count everything, I’m pretty damn good at math. Other than that though, I can’t really think of when it’s a plus.
I get really offended by people in regards to it sometimes. I like to joke around about it. Truly I do. It’s like any problem: turn it into comedy. There’s not a whole lot of opportunities for OCD jokes, but on occasion, I’ll say them or my friends will, and we’ll all laugh. I’ve got no problem with that. It’s when I mention that I have OCD to someone and they immediately claim they do as well. And then they proceed to tell me some random tic of theirs and expect me to sympathize with them or something. I honestly get a little offended by that. You don’t have OCD. Just because you like to arrange all your clothes by color or because you have to have doors closed and can’t stand them when they’re cracked, doesn’t mean you have it. It’s very frustrating to try and explain this to someone because they start to get defensive and blah blah.
I understand that there’s a certain attraction to OCD. It’s kind of one of those cool things that make you seem really smart or something. And I get that. Because there’s a small part of me that likes having it. A very small part. The same small part of me that likes that I wear glasses (now contacts). It makes you feel special. Unique. That’s it. It makes you seem unique. But I’d give this shit up so quickly for peace and quiet. Because the negatives so far out weight the uniqueness of it.
I don’t know what point I’m trying to get across here. I guess the point I’m trying to make is have a little respect for this disorder. Because trust me it is a disorder. It really interrupts my life.
My mom gave me a little mini bottle of hand sanitizer in my Christmas stocking or something. And I decided that I’d take it with me to school. I had to stop after like three weeks because I was using it so much. If I touched my desk, I’d have to sanitize. If I shook hands, I’d have to sanitize. I decided I’d rather just fight it then keep giving in like that.
I’m not a mysophobe (germaphobe) per se, but I do get occasional attacks of it. For example, I’m cleaning my bathroom floor a few weeks ago, and I started to clean around the toilet. As I started to think about what exactly I was cleaning, I really started to freak out. I had to movie to a different side of the bathroom and clean over there.
This disorder can be so debilitating. And I only have a mild form of it. But it is getting worse. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had to go on meds within the next five years.
What I’m asking is to please have a little respect for the disorder. Understand how it can be such a huge part of someone’s life in a negative way. And joking about it is fine, just don’t be a huge dick about it.
So this is my little confessional about it. I’d like to say it was cathartic, but it wasn’t. I still have it and that will probably never change. But maybe I’ve offered an understanding of it.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Catharticism thy name is me.
Life hasn’t been going the way I planned lately. I’ve been sick virtually all summer. I went to the doctor, they gave me antibiotics, I feel a lot better--but I’m still not 100%. This is summer! I shouldn’t have walking pneumonia!
And don’t get me started on college. Well, actually, I will get started because I want to vent. My complete and total disregard for high school and grades and such has finally caught up to me to a degree.
My plan is to go to junior college for two years or possibly shorter and then transfer to the University of California, Santa Cruz. My favorite place in the world and it has one of the best college radio stations in the country, so it’s all good. That plan is still the same. I just didn’t know where I wanted to go to junior college. There’s a community college right down the road from UCSC, and you can actually make a deal where you go to that junior college, but you live in the dorms of UCSC. Or I can live at home and go to the JC right down the road. I really, really, really wanted to go the JC in Santa Cruz, live in the dorms, etc. I just researched it, and I found out I needed to get a certain GPA in high school in order to do that deal, and I didn’t get that GPA. Alas, that’s a dream that can’t be fulfilled.
Regardless, it’s not the worst thing in the world and I don’t have much of a problem with going to this JC down the road. Except, why is it so immensely difficult and convoluted to sign up for a transfer and some classes? Maybe it’s a sign of this generation, but I so much prefer doing things over the internet. It’s easier because you can do it on your own time and you don’t have to deal with other people that you don’t want to deal with. But, there are so many steps and they’re all disjointed and it’s just so fucking (pardon the language) difficult. This is when I wish I could still talk to my high school counselor. That woman would’ve helped me with this shit.
*sigh* Life’s just not working out like I had hoped right now.
And don’t get me started on college. Well, actually, I will get started because I want to vent. My complete and total disregard for high school and grades and such has finally caught up to me to a degree.
My plan is to go to junior college for two years or possibly shorter and then transfer to the University of California, Santa Cruz. My favorite place in the world and it has one of the best college radio stations in the country, so it’s all good. That plan is still the same. I just didn’t know where I wanted to go to junior college. There’s a community college right down the road from UCSC, and you can actually make a deal where you go to that junior college, but you live in the dorms of UCSC. Or I can live at home and go to the JC right down the road. I really, really, really wanted to go the JC in Santa Cruz, live in the dorms, etc. I just researched it, and I found out I needed to get a certain GPA in high school in order to do that deal, and I didn’t get that GPA. Alas, that’s a dream that can’t be fulfilled.
Regardless, it’s not the worst thing in the world and I don’t have much of a problem with going to this JC down the road. Except, why is it so immensely difficult and convoluted to sign up for a transfer and some classes? Maybe it’s a sign of this generation, but I so much prefer doing things over the internet. It’s easier because you can do it on your own time and you don’t have to deal with other people that you don’t want to deal with. But, there are so many steps and they’re all disjointed and it’s just so fucking (pardon the language) difficult. This is when I wish I could still talk to my high school counselor. That woman would’ve helped me with this shit.
*sigh* Life’s just not working out like I had hoped right now.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Healthiness here I come...well, not quite.
I have been a hypocrite. I need to establish that. I always used to get pissed at my mom for not going to the doctor when she was ill or not going for ten years, and I would always tell her “I go for every little thing, better safe then sorry.”
Well, I haven’t been keeping up to that lately. I’ve been sick more or less for a few weeks now. Ever since right around graduation time I’ve been not quite right. I’ve had a cough for a week, and I think maybe longer then that. I’ve got so much phlegm, it’s not even funny. Although I don’t know why phlegm would ever be funny anyway.
I’ve been sort of running a fever off and on. I just haven’t been well. Yet, I’ve neglected going to the doctor. And why? Best case scenario, they tell me I have a cold, drink tea and eat lots of soup, and I’ll be fine. And I really doubt it’d be anything worse then that. Maybe the flu or bronchitis even. But still curable and easily treated.
I haven’t had much of an appetite lately, and on the rare occasion I feel hungry, I’ve been eating junk food. Which isn’t terribly outside the ordinary for me, but not smart when I’m healthy, and especially so when I’m sick.
I need to start taking care of myself. I exercise but that’s about the limit of my healthiness. Maybe completely revamping my diet would be a bit drastic right now, but I need to start somewhere and I think that somewhere is the doctor’s office.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
An Ode
I consider myself to be very blessed. This could be any number of things, but today I’m talking specifically about people in my life. I’ve been blessed to have some great people enter into my life.
One of those people is a certain Nanci McCaleb Bushner. Nanci was actually the driving force behind me writing this blog.
Nanci’s truly a great friend and a wonderful person. She has got an absolutely fantastic brain. She challenges my mind and doesn’t settle for my bullshit—and trust me, there can be a lot of bullshit with me.
We make an odd matching. I suppose most strangers who see us think of us as mother and child, but that’s not really what it is. It’s far more informal. One of my biggest complaints with people by and large, is when they treat me like I’m my age. It’s rude and very condescending, and it’s an issue I’ve been dealing with my entire life. Trust me Mr./Mrs. Adult, I can keep up in a conversation with you, I’m not the cliche-d view of the teenager (basically, a zombie). I’ve been able to keep up in conversations for a long time now, but no adults seem to think that I can. They think that I’m either too stupid, too unaware, too uninterested, or they think that I simply won’t have anything to contribute to the discussion. I have a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude for adults that treat me like an equal. Nanci has always, always, always treated me like I’m an equal, and for that, I’ll always be appreciative.
We’ve covered virtually every topic known to man. From the Doors and the Beatles to God and our beliefs. We agree on most everything, and on the rare occasion we disagree, one of us will either change the other’s opinion, or understand it enough to value it.
She has got three beautiful sons, all of whom I know in some way or another, and all of them unique (and as my mom said, “very handsome”) in their own way.
I suppose the best way to sum up Nanci is this: Nanci has not necessarily had the easiest life, but she certainly has made the best of it.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
To This End
I have heard two people express concerns, deep concerns, over the state of communication today. I just read a blog devoted to the subject of that person’s concern, so it finally pushed me to write this. I’ve been meaning to write my opinions on this for a while, and that was sort of a catalyst for it.
I want to open this blog with a mission statement: communication today is no better or worse then it’s ever been. Our methods of communication have changed to a degree, but I’d argue that there’s a lot more face to face conversation and a lot more phone conversation then ever before.
First, however, let’s look at the negatives of the new types of communication (or, at least, the perceived negatives): face to face conversation has been relegated to 160 characters via text or a message on Facebook. Text messaging has deadened our emotions and has lowered our ability to properly communicate.
I think I can offer something of a unique perspective on this because I’m a teenager who’s right in the thick of electronic communication, but I’m smart and aware enough to realize the positives and negatives of it.
I recently got my cell phone taken away by the school, and it is absolutely crippling not having it with me. A significant portion of my social life is gone. That being said, texting is not replacing talking, merely adding to it. If anything, in my opinion, we’re almost too social. There are some people I talk to on Facebook or over texting exclusively. These are people that I would never dream of calling, nor would I ever talk to them outside of electronic communication. If e-comm (I’m getting tired of typing that crap over and over) didn’t exist, I wouldn’t talk to these people outside school, period.
What did people do before texting and before email and before internet and such? Call other people I would assume. And spend time with them, physically, face to face. We still do that. While that may not be our main method of communication, the amount of time devoted to that has not necessarily diminished. I still love talking to people face to face, and I know that my fellow teenagers feel the same way. You might see us text during the conversation, but that rarely distracts significantly from it.
So don’t worry N (you know who you are, N) and like minded people. We’re doing fine. As long as you don’t let it replace anything, there’s no harm in e-comm. And, really don’t worry about us teenagers. We’re not letting it replace anything.
Believe it or not, but teenagers are fairly smart and aware. We may not act it, and some of us don’t know it, but we would never let texting replace face to face.
:) will never replace
I want to open this blog with a mission statement: communication today is no better or worse then it’s ever been. Our methods of communication have changed to a degree, but I’d argue that there’s a lot more face to face conversation and a lot more phone conversation then ever before.
First, however, let’s look at the negatives of the new types of communication (or, at least, the perceived negatives): face to face conversation has been relegated to 160 characters via text or a message on Facebook. Text messaging has deadened our emotions and has lowered our ability to properly communicate.
I think I can offer something of a unique perspective on this because I’m a teenager who’s right in the thick of electronic communication, but I’m smart and aware enough to realize the positives and negatives of it.
I recently got my cell phone taken away by the school, and it is absolutely crippling not having it with me. A significant portion of my social life is gone. That being said, texting is not replacing talking, merely adding to it. If anything, in my opinion, we’re almost too social. There are some people I talk to on Facebook or over texting exclusively. These are people that I would never dream of calling, nor would I ever talk to them outside of electronic communication. If e-comm (I’m getting tired of typing that crap over and over) didn’t exist, I wouldn’t talk to these people outside school, period.
What did people do before texting and before email and before internet and such? Call other people I would assume. And spend time with them, physically, face to face. We still do that. While that may not be our main method of communication, the amount of time devoted to that has not necessarily diminished. I still love talking to people face to face, and I know that my fellow teenagers feel the same way. You might see us text during the conversation, but that rarely distracts significantly from it.
So don’t worry N (you know who you are, N) and like minded people. We’re doing fine. As long as you don’t let it replace anything, there’s no harm in e-comm. And, really don’t worry about us teenagers. We’re not letting it replace anything.
Believe it or not, but teenagers are fairly smart and aware. We may not act it, and some of us don’t know it, but we would never let texting replace face to face.
:) will never replace
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