national handwriting day

David Borowitz borowitz at STANFORD.EDU
Fri Jan 12 20:17:39 UTC 2007 

Sorry if that sounded too much like a personal attack.
The following quote can be interpreted in several ways, I suppose, but
sounded a bit critical to me:
"I really wonder what these kids think about and how they deal with the
world around them.  I guess they just ignore a lot of things."
I guess I mistook real curiosity on your part for sarcasm--such are the
perils of email. It seems likely at this point that I'm being overly
defensive of my generation and lashing out mostly at people who make far
more sweeping and critical statements than you did. (For what it's worth,
I'm a college student who can read an analog clock, tie my shoes, and write
in cursive. My only problem with cursive is that I take Russian, so
sometimes my cursive comes out in Cyrillic even when I don't mean it to :)

Good point about online banking, of course. Identity theft is no fun for
anyone, nor are late fees, and so on. But some of the risk inherent in these
complex technological systems can be ameliorated with education, such as by
learning how to identify potential phishing sites. Probably we both need to
do some research, but I'd guess that a large portion of identity thefts that
result from online banking (as opposed to, say, dumpster diving) are from
people willingly giving away their account information to someone who is not
their bank. Also, good computer hygiene (i.e. Firefox) can drastically cut
down on malware ("the second you click on that first webpage, you've got a
virus"), etc.

On 1/12/07, FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at salkeiz.k12.or.us> wrote:
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
> Subject:      Re: national handwriting day
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I never criticised anybody, I just find it odd--just as some kids might
> find it odd that gramma can't send an email.  As I wrote before, people
> learn what they need to.  However, there are some good reasons NOT to do
> online banking, for example--identity theft comes to mind. My wife deals
> in banking every day--she has learned that online banking carries other
> risks besides identity theft. Bad timing of even automatic withdrawals
> and deposits have cost people she works with a ton of money.  When you
> buy a computer, you're buying something that will be obsolete in a few
> years and the second you click on that first webpage, you've got a
> virus.  I
>
> >>> borowitz at STANFORD.EDU 1/12/2007 10:39 AM >>>
> Consider the flip side of the coin: we all know (often older) people
> who
> cannot be bothered to learn to use online banking, not open emails
> with
> viruses, program a DVR, or (god forbid) use email. If you want to
> criticize
> people for not learning simple, practical skills for everyday life,
> don't
> exclude older generations just because you're a part of them. At least
> bad
> handwriting and poor shoe-tying don't cause billions of dollars of
> damage
> when people can't be bothered to learn them. Bad computer hygiene does.
> (
>
> http://news.com.com/Experts+estimate+damages+in+the+billions+for+bug/2100-1001_3-240112.html
>
> )
>
> Tangentially, I would like to point out that National Handwriting Day
> is
> sponsored--nay, invented--by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers
> Association. Obviously they have a bias here, but I certainly don't
> feel
> obligated to buy their hype.
>
> On 1/12/07, FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at salkeiz.k12.or.us> wrote:
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
> > Subject:      Re: national handwriting day
> >
> >
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > People really learn what they need.  After all, I don't know how to
> > throw a speer, shoot an arrow, or drive a team of oxen--things that
> > would have been common knowledge to my ancestors. Obviously, many
> people
> > don't need to write cursive.  Fine.  Maybe they don't need to be able
> to
> > tie their shoes, but not being able to tell time?  That does
> > seem a bit much.  I just wonder what other 'common knowledge' is not
> > common knowledge.  Maybe I should start my own (Dr.) Jay-walking
> > sketch.
> > Fritz J
> > >>> spiderrmonkey at HOTMAIL.COM 1/12/2007 9:09 AM >>>
> > Wow, not being able to tell the time from a clock? That is bad. But
> I
> > still
> > see cursive writing as (much!) less important than that. Then again,
> > maybe
> > we should start burning all non-digital clocks now before they
> become
> > too
> > obsolete.
> > Scot
> >
> >
> > >From: FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
> > >Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > >Subject: Re: national handwriting day
> > >Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:50:58 -0800
> > >
> > >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >-----------------------
> > >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > >Poster:       FRITZ JUENGLING <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
> > >Subject:      Re: national handwriting day
> >
> >
>
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > >>> spiderrmonkey at HOTMAIL.COM 1/12/2007 8:02 AM >>>
> > >Although I understand your pain, I (someone who once learned
> cursive)
> > >find
> > >cursive to be unnecessary. Printing works just as well, it just
> isn't
> > >as
> > >"fancy" or "pretty." But that's just my controversial take on the
> > >matter.
> > >
> > >Scot
> > >
> > >I guess I put this in the same category with teenagers not knowing
> > how
> > >to tie their shoes or tell time on a traditional clock.  These
> things
> > >just seem like common knowledge to me, but they're not.  I had a
> girl
> > >only a few weeks ago when we were learning time just sit and look
> at
> > me
> > >when I asked her the time.  She couldn't say anything.  She's
> bright
> > and
> > >I had done a good job of teaching the concept. Finally, she just
> > blurted
> > >out that she couldn't tell time on a traditional clock.  Since she
> > >couldn't do it in English, she wasn't able to do it in German.  I
> > really
> > >wonder what these kids think about and how they deal with the world
> > >around them.  I guess they just ignore a lot of things.
> > >Fritz
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > >From: Dennis Baron <debaron at UIUC.EDU>
> > > > >Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > > >Subject: national handwriting day
> > > > >Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:51:34 -0600
> > > > >
> > > > >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > >-----------------------
> > > > >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > >Poster:       Dennis Baron <debaron at UIUC.EDU>
> > > > >Subject:      national handwriting day
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >
> > > > >It's time to celebrate National Handwriting Day, and you can
> read
> > >all
> > > >=20=
> > > > >
> > > > >about it on
> > > > >the Web of Language:
> > > > >
> > > > >"January 23 is National Handwriting Day.  WIMA, the Writing
> > >Implement
> > > >=20=
> > > > >
> > > > >Manufacturers Association, which has sponsored the event for
> > thirty
> > > >=20
> > > > >years, wants you to take a break from =93the rigorous world of
> > =20
> > > > >electronic communication=94 and write =93a good, old-fashioned
> > >letter,
> > > >=20=
> > > > >
> > > > >complete with your penned signature,=94 just like John Hancock.
> > In
> > > >=20
> > > > >fact WIMA picked Jan. 23 for National Handwriting Day to
> coincide
> > >=20
> > > > >with Hancock=92s birthday.  Actually John Hancock, author of
> the
> > >=20
> > > > >largest and most famous American signature, was born not on
> Jan.
> > 23
> > > >=20
> > > > >but on Jan. 12.  But that's not the point.  ... "  find out
> what
> > >the
> > > >=20
> > > > >point is, and lots more about National Handwriting Day. at
> > > > >
> > > > >the Web of Language
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >Dennis Baron
> > > > >Professor of English and Linguistics
> > > > >Department of English
> > > > >University of Illinois
> > > > >608 S. Wright St.
> > > > >Urbana, IL 61801
> > > > >
> > > > >office: 217-244-0568
> > > > >fax: 217-333-4321
> > > > >
> > > > >www.uiuc.edu/goto/debaron
> > > > >
> > > > >read the Web of Language:
> > > > >www.uiuc.edu/goto/weboflanguage
> > > > >
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> --
> It is better to be quotable than to be honest.
>     -Tom Stoppard
>
> Borowitz
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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--
It is better to be quotable than to be honest.
    -Tom Stoppard

Borowitz

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