Einstein said there were only two things which were infinite--the universe and human stupidity, and he wasn't sure about the universe. According to the above linked article, the blame for this lies within technology.
Our kids are stupid. Evil demons inside the technology contraptions have done this to them. Somebody call the Ghostbusters.
Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter "literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for a can that requires a can opener, and her shoulders slump and she goes for something else."When I was a child, I had only ever used a conventional can opener. One year we went on vacation. We bought some corned beef hash. My dad handed me a P-38 can opener and asked me to open the can. I didn't know how to use it. Rather than allow me to stare blankly and starve to death, he did the unthinkable--he showed me how to use it!Teenagers are so accustomed to either throwing their clothes on the floor or hanging them on hooks that Maushart says her "kids actually struggle with the mechanics of a clothes hanger."
Many kids never learn to do ordinary household tasks. They have no chores. Take-out and drive-through meals have replaced home cooking. And busy families who can afford it often outsource house-cleaning and lawn care.
"It's so all laid out for them," said Maushart, author of the forthcoming book "The Winter of Our Disconnect," about her efforts to wean her family from its dependence on technology. "Having so much comfort and ease is what has led to this situation — the Velcro sneakers, the Pull-Ups generation. You can pee in your pants and we'll take care of it for you!"
True story.
OMG, Tron! A can! How will we ever open it???
Where are we as a society when we really believe technological advances are a bad thing? What has happened to us that we blame technology for bad parenting and the obvious consequences which follow?
Velcro was made to make things easier. One of its many uses is to keep shoes on your feet. It's easier to strap your shoes on with velcro than it is to tie your shoes with laces. This is called an advancement.
Ignorance is not stupidity. Ignorance is the lack of knowledge. Therefore, the child is ignorant because he hasn't been taught. The parent is stupid. Stupidity is the lack of quickness or keenness of mind to understand ordinary concepts. It also means you lack the power to teach these ordinary (simple) concepts or rules to others. There's a cure for ignorance; it is called Education. There is no cure for stupidity; as a wise sage once said, it is forever, and some say it should hurt.
There is a little thing, that apparently is widely unheard of, called Learned Behavior. The idea is, that certain behavior is learned. More importantly, there is certain behavior which has to be learned. If you always have had velcro shoes, or your parents have always tied your shoes for you, you're not going to know how to tie your shoes.
It generally takes five to ten minutes of your precious time to teach your child how to tie their shoes...assuming they have laced shoes. You may, in some cases, have to show them more than once, but eventually, they'll figure it out. Sure, this may take up your shopping time, perhaps even your drinking and partying time, but in the end it will pay off. Trust me.
When I was a child, technology had changed. There was really no need for me to know how a well pump worked; we had a house with modern running water. I didn't really need to know about an outhouse, or the application of corn cobs in such situations. Yet, I knew because my parents did and they relayed it to me.
So, you might come to the conclusion that you're dealing with a bunch of bad parents. This is closer to the real cause; however, what we're really dealing with are stupid people who are so overwhelmed with the latest technological advances and consumed with nostalgia, that they are blaming the new hotness for the old and busted.
Technological advances are a good thing. I can't wait to reach the future generation where all they know is that you defecate into the porcelain bowl and the glowy red laser disintegrates it. Trust me, I won't be whining about how I remember when you had to flush or use paper, and how the kids today are morons because they don't know how to wipe.
Today we are in a special moment. We are in that moment when it's out with the old and in with the new. We should not only appreciate and revel in this moment, we should rejoice in it. Instead, we're condemning it and blaming it on our inability to conform.
That is completely shameless, and dare I say: STUPID!
