Communication

I don’t know why, but something has happened to our society where the ability to effectively communicate has been lost. More than that, it has been shunned. People now take pride in their illiteracy. I often hear things like “well that’s just the way I speak” or “you know what I mean”. The worst is “I type the way I speak”. The last one implies that not only can they no longer proofread, but they are also idiots in real life, too.

We as humans have the ability to convey thoughts. We are able to pass on knowledge. We are able to express emotion through words. Yet that has become “uncool” or “unpopular”. Now I’m not talking about typos or mistakes. I’m talking about the deliberate abasement of language.

This morning I told someone at work some things that they might need to know about their shift. Half an hour later they came back down to the Front Desk and resumed the conversation we were having – mid thought. Instead of “We were talking about (topic) earlier…”, I got “that’s why I…”

When I asked what they were talking about, they felt like I was being rude to them for asking for clarification when I “knew what (they) were talking about”. Instead of using one sentence to re-establish our conversation, I had to endure a 5 minute debate about it being acceptable to be vague and incoherent. I use the term “debate” loosely, as they wouldn’t listen to my reasoning and insisted on it “not mattering”. That’s not the point. We have a duty to our species to use our abilities. What’s the point in having higher brain functions if we don’t use them? I could easily grunt and point. I don’t. I try to establish my logic as clearly as I can. If needed I will elaborate. It’s not that hard. It may take a few extra seconds, but it negates the chances of misunderstanding.

The problem with being stupid, is that you don’t know you’re stupid. Far from it, actually. I don’t know why, but it seems that the more stupid someone is, the smarter they think they are. I can almost understand laziness. I can’t comprehend this convoluted sense of entitlement that enables people to act indignant about their incompetence.

We evolved the concept of speech. Use it. If you don’t use it, you are being subhuman. A primate. Unworthy of your natural talents. Not only that, but you are wasting my time.