Whipper-Snappers, Dangerous Chemicals And A Crotchety Old Fart

I suppose I finally turned into that crotchety old fart I used to poke fun at so many years ago. He was a grumpy bastard who complained about how stupid the young whipper-snappers had become over the years. I never understood much of what he griped about but being a Facebook user for several years now, I'm beginning to see his point(s). I hazard a supposition if you are one of my Facebook Friends, you might recognize this Status Update from yesterday. I went on to use a direct quote from the post I read made by someone else. The resulting comments put me in mind of the proverbial “Shit-Storm” everyone always mentions at some point in their lives. Though my post was not intended to be directed at any one person by using the quote, the post was taken personally by its author as a direct and vicious attack on their educational background. This was so far away from the original purpose that the comments which poured in shocked me into a realization. That being, I shouldn't post certain things on Facebook but should just keep on scrolling on down the page. I presume the comments about my character will continue on for many days.

The post was meant to enlighten some of the younger folks awareness of what they type is simply too incorrect to be understood properly by the rest of the folks speaking English in this world today. Most incorrectly used words are proliferated via text messaging and so-called social networks. Both have contributed to making our children lazy about Grammar and Spelling. Math, too, may be listed as another subject payed ill attention. The words, “yore, your, you're” all three seem to be interchangeable containing the same meanings. Others, such as, “then” and “than” share the same or similar contemporary fate.

Another thing that confuses me is why do people re-post things that have long since been debunked and comment on how awful it is that this could be happening this day and time. The additional comments regularly ramble on and on about the shame of it all even after someone posts the fact that the subject is a hoax and even list a hyperlink which exposes the hoax. It just goes to show you the old saying is true. “There's one born every minute.”

After great consideration, I decided to put to the test a common misconception regarding the younger generations typically believing without questioning. That is; “It has to be true if it's on the Internet.” As many of you may already know, this is far from the truth. Un-Truths are proliferated daily by the folks less willing to learn or find out things for themselves. Most people today have become sheep in a global environment populated with too few shepherds. They will most often believe what they are told and most of what is heard and read without trying to verify a single fact. These sheep feel our politicians and news media are infallible, without bias and as honest as eternity is long. I have toyed with the idea of creating a cult to glean wealth from such individuals in the world but haven't been able to bring myself to take advantage of such persons who are obviously sorely in need of so much compassion and guidance. At least I haven't been able to bring myself to do it..... yet!

What I did was post a rather lengthy note to one of my Social Networking sites entitled, “A Simple Experiment In Human Nature". The subject matter was a re-post of a college prank that went viral on the Internet years ago and has surfaced occasionally to strike fear in the hearts of sheep world wide over the years. That subject being, a petition to ban the use, storage and production of Dihydrogen Monoxide in the United States Of America! (H2O for all the non-chemistry sheep). I haven't gone back to check since the posting but I had already gained one 'Like' before I could even get off the page. Here's the hyperlink if you wish to go and check it out.

My Simple Experiment In Human Nature

The experiment is a simple one. Of those who read the post, how many will have already seen the subject matter or heard about it prior to my posting it again? Of those, what percentage will believe it to be true? What percentage will post negative comments and what percentage will believe it to be so because it is posted on the Internet? Finally. How many will actually “get it” and have a good laugh over it?

What I'm attempting to convey with this Blog Post and the experiment mentioned above is indeed simple. We, as a global society, need to get back to questioning everything. How else are we to learn? Where would we be if people such as Newton, Einstein, Hawking, Bell, Washington, Lincoln and so many others had not questioned the things and situations around them? We may begin by learning how to properly communicate with those around us. Get back to what used to be considered basic education in the subjects of Math, Science, Spelling and Grammar. We need to get involved with the education of our children and not depend on others to teach them the basics. Make sure you know what your child is being taught! What your child learns may be taught to them by a teacher that doesn't care that your child can't spell or knows how to effectively count money. Not all teachers passively teach and pass them on to the next grade just to get rid of them. Some teachers actually care but find it difficult to compete with the lack of care some parents seem to display about education at home. Parents these days believe that some of the games their child plays on that expensive game system are really educational ones. Some may be but I feel kids can learn a great deal more and will find it much easier to learn if the imagination is first utilized. Further. Parents are too busy playing with their own toys to see their child being sucked down into the black hole that is literate ineptitude.

I'll come down from my lofty altitude which is the top of my soap box and close with these few words. There are parents who monitor their child's activities and educational progress. There are teachers who make sure no child goes on to the next grade without being prepared. There are politicians who give a rat's ass that our country is going down the tube. There is a large slice of society which is as alarmed about the same things I am worried about. We are not alone! If you are not with us but would like to be, all you have to do is grab a paddle then climb aboard that canoe we so desperately need to navigate along Shit Creek. We'll welcome you without fail! If my words confound you or confuse you, I'll leave you with something I left at the end of one of my posts on a social network site this past week. It plainly reads as follows:

“IF I PISSED YOU OFF WITH THIS POST, than your part of tha prollem!”

Post Script:  Be sure to check back next week when I'll be talking about the joys of fishing!