national handwriting day

FRITZ JUENGLING juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US
Fri Jan 12 19:08:14 UTC 2007


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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