Please Don't Call Me

Though Chapter 8: Writing on Screen in Baron's A Better Pencil had may great things to say, the point that caught the most of my attention would have to be when he wrote about Rudy Giuliana, a 2008 presidential candidate. This politician answered his wife's phone call-- while he was giving a speech to the NRA. Might sound strange, but Baron writes that "what was most amusing about the incident was just how ordinary it seemed to everyone in the audience" (137). Giuliana was not ridiculed by anyone in the audience and Baron does not state if he was criticized by the public.

This got me thinking about texting, which is probably the most common digital writing in the world. Everywhere you go, there is someone texting or reading a text. Walking on campus there are few students gazing at the changing leaves on the trees; they're staring at their phones. While I do not text as much as most of my peers, I believe, I do have my nose in my phone quite a lot. Sometimes it is legitimate for me to read a text and text back while I'm walking or with friends, but others times I'm just fiddling.

Older generations, though many members have joined the texting revolution, worry about millennials and generations after them. They refer to instances such as these:

 

 

 

 

 These are rather funny, especially since all of us are guilty of them and it is mainly our pride that is hurt when we do these things. Even so, people have been hit when crossing the street when it wasn't safe because they weren't paying attention, and that isn't funny. I'm not going to preach that you shouldn't try to cross the street while texting, because we've all heard every warning from our parents or other concerned elders. As much as we youth want to roll our eyes at them, there are definitely issues.

What I really want to talk about is the word Baron used: "ordinary". It is not ordinary to actually call a friend now. It is ordinary for somebody to be texting in class, to answer a text while speaking with friends, texting at work, and I have even heard of people texting while in interviews.

 

I mean, just take a look in our class. We all have our laptops or phones or both out while our professor is speaking. What's even crazier is that he doesn't care. Even during presentations we're scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram--I do it too. And it's ordinary and almost not even seen as disrespectful as it was a few years ago because it's the norm. I might feel some guilt over paying more attention to Facebook instead of what my professor says, but then I look around the room and see everyone else doing the same, so I just shrug and continue.

 

I'm not calling out anyone or trying to demonize our generation and the generations after us, I am merely trying to bring attention to something. I am stating my opinion. Which is that maybe we should put our phones away a little more often; maybe we should step into a corner to answer a text instead of marching down a hallway full of students with our minds on the words we're typing. There is nothing wrong with texting, but when you do it while driving (yes, I am bringing that up), running, or even crossing the street, you are putting not just yourself at risk, but others too. Besides, if your eyes are trained on a screen, you may miss something or someone who will change your life. Take a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Hgvw-CMUQ it's short and sweet.

 

Sources: Baron, Dennis E. "Writing On Screen." A Better Pencil Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Print. 

 

I made the gifs from these:

CBS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXYY_ep5Nh0

 

From DigitalDelivery+: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8-W6o8Eu7c