The Dumbest Generation

Our library outgrew its old location. The new one has a much more attractive patrons.

I dunno, the young dudes I work with seem to be hip to things like barbecue grills, etc. I do recall teaching a lawyer (a good ten or so years older than me) how to use a standard-issue coffee pot.

That's sad. It probably came with more instructions than the last computer I bought. I know my toaster did.

we got a new phone 3 months ago, we keep the "instructions" beside the phone because we need them to answer the phone. answering voice-mail is way beyond us.

Snort,making her take home ec, but I see your point.

I got my home ec in girl scouts, which, looking back, not all the girls in the class at St. Nick's could or did participate in.. now I wonder about the cost. Even then, I wanted to be a doctor, unusual as a goal at the time. I probably wanted to learn how to make popovers more.

So agree.

Last time I was in Evanston, my childhood friend took me to the new library. Very airy. I loved the one of my youth there. A year or two ago, I tried to find an online photo of it, but no dice.

As it happened, I tripped going down a step, or something (hey, that's me). Very airy as I did that.

I have librarian pals, so I sort of follow the changes.

She also took me to our old church. She was enthusiastic. Well, you all know me, but I have sentiment for my church history. The traditional old church turned into a circle thing.

I prefer to remember my cousin, living with us for a year, fainting in a traditional pew with the heat. It was winter, we had coats with faux fur linings...

I seem to link libraries and churches.

I could go on and on about this..

I taught a young architect how not to clean a wok, that I had leant him. (He scoured/excoriated it before bringing it back..)

Diane and I had a mystery moment not long ago. I had a temporary phone outage as you may remember. You probably mentioned it to Diane, but in the meantime (hours of aggravation with Quest), it was restored. She called me on my cell phone, a chore, as I assume she had to look it up. I never answer my cell, it's always wrong numbers, even if I beat the fast pulsing rings to the phone.

Diane managed to leave a message.

This was new to me. I'd recently learned to access voice mail, which I'd programmed (huh) in, years before. I tried it and found Diane talking.
I responded, and she ignored me.
I responded again, and she ignored me.
I responded again, and she ignored me.
And so on.
Took me about 5x to get it was a recording.

Dolts R Us, or maybe just me.

Reading through this thread, it's amazing to me that those under 30 are considered the dumbest generation, considering the trouble people seem to have handling simple tasks - when they involve a computer or some sort of electronics, at least.

Cycloptichorn

The thing is I remember so many rooms and so many libraries of many types filled with books in library order, and bookstores up the kazoo in idiosynchronous order.

I hate to see all this melt.

It was a universe to me.

Yeah, but... but... I mean... (sigh) Okay.

I wonder if when shoelaces came into vogue if there were a bunch of people tut-tutting about how the younger generation no longer knew how to button shoes.

I don't think this is the dumbest generation by any stretch of the imagination.

A woman in BC wrote a book to teach kids the basics. How to boil an egg, do laundry, pay bills and so on. She did it because her son went to university and got scurvy. He didn't realize you have to eat veggies and fruit or at least take vitamins.
I think this generation is losing out on a lot of basic stuff. It doesn't mean they are dumb. I've read articles stating kids can't read a clock and wrist watches are becoming passe, or that handwriting is becoming a lost art. Maybe, maybe not. I've been in jewelry stores and I've seen countless beautiful time pieces but then again, my iphone has a clock and so much more.
I worry about my kids not being interested in the garden. My dad taught me to turn dirt, how to plant a seed. What if they ever need those skills?

HILARIOUS! My recent story, goddammit: For some ******* reason I cannot apprehend, my ******* phone dials people randomly. I mean, I know I have a hand in this, but I cannot figure out how to stop it. In this friggin day and time, I am forced to answer ******* questions from hated, hated entities on the phone by pressing numbers:

Press 1 if you speak english
Press 2 if you think you speak english...
Press 3 if you are an english speaking lesbian

So, I have to press all kinds of numbers while I'm already on the effing phone, and whenever this happens...(I'm laughing right now)...the ******* phone invariably calls my son's girlfriend, Beth, at work. I know this is somehow connected to speed dial, but why Beth?? Every time.

It's HUMILIATING!!!

I don't know what to do, so I deleted her from my phone. She and my son are upset. Well, SHE'S upset; my son was laughing his ass off about it.

He called today, "Mom. (Laughter in his voice) I have to tell you that Beth has a message from you in her voicemail..."

"Oh hell," says me, knowing I didn't call her and hoping to HELL the message was PG rated, scanning my memory of any button-pushing I'd done on the phone recently...

He said, "You sounded a bit frustrated, and were patiently giving your name and phone number, and then you said, thank you...and after two beats, you yelled, "OH MY GOD!" We passed the phone around at dinner last night. Awesome. You could almost SEE the horror cross your face in those two seconds...

Dammit.

Oh, you little bastard!

Just remember, one day you will be the one to whom that comment is addressed to.

Yes, that will happen.

No, really, it will.

When it does, think of lash and me.

I was just remembering my own stupidity when I was a bit younger. Part of the under 30 crowd. I made my first turkey. I cooked it without taking the bag that is shoved up the butt of the turkey. I had no idea there was a bag there. My mom had a great laugh at my expense. But then again, why the h*ll would I expect to find a bag of giblets shoved up the turkey's butt?

Indeed, Linkat. Why would you?
Each generation must discover such things for themselves!

I don't necessarily think they're dumb, but I do find myself wondering about things like concentration levels, how much information about what's going on around them is actually registering. The constant mobile phone conversations, text messaging, non-stop iPod listening, fiddling about with games on their mobiles ....
I'm wondering whether some of the students I've worked with have developed an incredible ability to concentrate on many, many things at the same time, or whether they're missing half of what's going on around them, deliberately filtering out out what doesn't interest or appeal to them.