God Damned Young People are Poisoning Their Minds with Too Much Information
The problem with young people today is that they have access to too much information.
Back when I was a lad, the only source of information a young person had was his father or the local newspaper and both were staunchly conservative, prone to bias, and largely focussed on sport.
But these young people today? They have a thousand news channels on the television and likely just as many on the damned interwebs. From Al Jazeera to TASS to the BBC, young people are free to avail themselves of any dangerous journalist with a crackpot worldview and soap box to sling it from.
Anyone with a lick of sense knows that information is like milk. It needs to be filtered, homogenized and carefully packaged before it’s safe for consumption by young people. Ingest it raw and you’re opening yourself up to nothing but brain fever, dysentery or worse.
And it’s not just news. Young people can “google” anything from the designated hitter rule to human rights to ladies girdles and a get a vast spectrum of sordid perspectives on the issue. They’re getting their “facts” from idiot bloggers, compulsive tweeters and any other Joe Assclown with a computer, the half-baked nub of an idea and enough money to purchase a domain name.
It’s one of the reasons that young people are all stupid as Hell. They’re overloading their tiny noggins with an unhealthy mix of conflicting opinions, warped ideologies, asinine lolcats and uncensored citizen news. It’s amazing their damned heads aren’t exploding left and right.
But the worst part is that allowing young people unfettered access to information tricks them into thinking that they actually know things – that’s damned dangerous. It leads to them forming opinions and once they have those it’s a short drive to contradicting elders, questioning authority, recreational drug use, dirty dancing and rampant flag burning.
Mark my words. If we don’t choke off the endless flow of unchecked information soon our county will lose its focus, its purpose and its all encompassing belief in the rightness of its actions. And that, I’m afraid, leads to nothing introspection, questioning, weakness and decline.
They have access to too much information. That’s the problem with young people today.
The Problem with Young People Today Is... 
I am against the Designated Hitter but FOR girdles. I want to know if pitchers can hit, but I don’t really want to know the real waistline of random ladies…
Let the youngsters have their “information” sources…all that wireless stuff HAS to be giving them brain cancer. They open their mouths and show their lack of knowledge…it just makes me look smarter because I still get a newspaper subscription.
Thank you morethananelectrician,
Always good to know where a man stands on baseball and girdles. You were silent on human rights but going to go out on a limb and suggest you’re in favor. If I’m wrong – my apologies.
Not only is it giving them damned brain cancer, it’s information overload. Type “Ginger or Mary Ann” into your damned google and you’ll get over a million returns on your inquiry. Is there really that much meaningful debate to be had on the damned issue?
(And by the way, if type in “Mrs. Howell or Ginger” you get nothing. Damned ageist if you ask me.)
All the best lad. Keep on running.
Don
Mr Mills,
For the record, I saw both Ginger and Mary Ann on TV in the last few years and, quite surprisingly, they are both still lookers. Therefore, I can understand why people still debate over which one they would rather conjugate with.
Both Mr and Mrs Howell died before the Internet caught on, so they might has well never existed according to this modern Information Age. That’s the main reason why Mrs Howell never enters into the equation.
Many thanks Sedate Me.
I appreciate your addressing the Ginger vs. Mary Ann vs. Mrs. Howell issue for me. I hadn’t considered it in that light and suspect you’re absolutely right.
All the best,
Don
I’m all for girdles as well 😉
Duly noted, nursemyra. Many thanks.
Don
A+, If I ever get to have children you are helping me with my teaching perspectives and society rules as well as the disgustingness of the world. I thank you grately, you couldn’t fathem my appreciation.
Many thanks hanilol,
Very nice to hear from you again. I appreciate your kind words. Hopefully, if you do have chilren, you’ll raise them to respect their elders, respect themselves and pull up their damned pants.
All the best,
Don
Disgustingness , what a great word. I just checked to see if there was such a word as I’ve never heard it used in Oz. There are many sites I’d describe as being full of disgustingness and not only the young access them. The readers posts prove this point.
Many thanks hanilol.
:>} Many thanks to you and Mr. Mills, Human nature reflects a nastiness that is full of disgusting. I believe this is mostly the case in the young people that Mr. Mills speaks of because they are blind(ignorant) to their arrogance and prideful habits but we can not deny that there are even horrid parents that enable this. I would teach my children to respect and honor their elders and well as pull up their damned pants. In reflection to these damn young people I admit I was guilty of being somewhat stereotypical because I too am human. But I know I can learn from it and move on by being aware to what is “disgustingness” Peace be.
When I got to “asinine lolcats” it was if my body was hit by a gust of wind. My lower jaw flew up and I swayed back at 90 miles an hour hitting the back of my antique upholstered Italian chair…good thing it’s rock solid as I may have kept going. A visceral lol (the best kind).
Hello Elizabeth,
Always nice to hear from you. I prefer a comfortable recliner with a tasteful checkerboard pattern myself but that does sound like a Hell of a good chair.
All the best and thanks for visiting,
Don
LOLcats are the only thing that stands between me and suicidal despair for the state of the world, many days. On the other hand, “Too Much Information” is exactly how I would characterize Facebook, Myspace and all the other “places” on the Net where Young People post pictures of themselves wasted at parties, so that some day their own kids can Google their names and see what mom and pop looked like after about five Jello shots. (Did I get that right? What exactly is a Jello shot?)
Many thanks sledpress,
You’re asking the wrong man to define Jello shots. Fortunately, however, I can simply google the term and find over 800,000 websites dedicated to teaching me how to make them, how to drink them without vomiting and why I damned well need to have them at my next “fiesta.” (By the way, that’s about the twice the number of results you’ll get if you are looking for information on your friend Ogden Nash. I wish I were surprised by that).
You’re too right about these young people leaving a Hell of a visual legacy for their children. I’m sure they’ll all be very proud.
Many thanks Sledpress. Always good to hear from you.
Don
actually, the too-much-information age began when everyone got cordless phones and could tell you that they were sitting on the john while talking to you.
“. . . our county will lose its focus, its purpose and its all encompassing belief in the rightness of its actions.”
I think it’s too late, Don. Their focus is on Tiger Woods, Jesse James, and fun food for summer cookouts and beach keggers. Some day they’ll notice there’s a war on, or that a recruiter just hijacked their sorry life with video upgrades to “Tour of Duty”, and a trip to where flying bullets are very real. And they hurt.
Big screen televisions and portable gizmos that beep with colorful baubles have kidnapped many of our young and compete with teachers for vital attention. There will be hell to pay . . . and cable stations, internet fees, cell phone contracts, etc. etc. etc.
Top shelf post as always. The eye of Mister Mills sees all and reports accordingly!
Your brother in good healthy venting,
Danny Boyo.
Many thanks Dan,
Very well said. And you’re entirely too right I’m afraid. It’s rather depressing actually…
All the best, Dan. Thanks for visiting. It’s always a pleasure to have you stop in.
Don
You’re right again, Don! And, you know what else gets me….school online! Did you know that if a person wants a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctor of Something degree these days, they don’t even have to change out of their pj’s! They can just pulled their roller chair up to the nearest computer and do their studying and test right from the computer in their bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, or patio? Now, Don, you are a wise man….can you explain to me how these people can get any good schooling if they don’t even have to get dressed???? Back in my day, we had to actually get dressed, walk a mile or so to catch the school bus and be physically present in a school room complete with a teacher. And, we are smarter than these dang numnuts of today, with their fancy framed diplomas with their names followed by phds, abcs, or whatever. Lazy butts…that’s what all of this “information highway” is producing. They need to get their silly selfs back to the 2-lane blacktop of real education.
That’s what I think, Don. And, I’ll bet a roll of pennies that you will agree with me.
Your faithful friend
TPB
PS I don’t get the lolcats thing.
PSS Joe Assclowns…a fitting name for those dummies.
Many thanks trailerparkbarbie,
You may keep your roll of pennies because I couldn’t agree more.
I’ve never had any faith in correspondence courses and generally assumed that they were really just scams designed for hopeless shut-ins that needed a boost in confidence.
I can’t imagine anyone really learning the intricacies of advanced accounting, automotive engine repair or basic taxidermy at the comfort of their own dinner table. If I’m going trust someone with my taxes, my LeSabre or the deer I hit with it, I’d like them to have worn pants at some point in the last 5 years and have ventured further than the curb to collect their mail.
These damned young people need to get themselves away from their computers and back into a decent, formal educational setting.
All the best,
Don
Trailerparkbarbie; School online – Thats nothing! how bout corporate sponsored education. Sorry, but allow me to get all righteously outraged and dump this woe is world shit on you:
“Dupont, Dow Chemical, Proctor and Gamble, The National Energy Foundation and the Polystyrene Council are among the corporations and industry groups that sponsor environmental curricula. McDonald’s teaches about deforestation, without mentioning the “burger connection” to rain forest destruction”
Good schooling my word!
Whatever happened to unbiased reporting?? Walter Cronkite where are you??
Many thanks Jill,
I was honestly just thinking about Walter Cronkite moments before your comment. I believe it was 1981 when he left CBS and things have been going downhill ever since.
Always nice to hear from you.
Don
Don, sometimes what you write scares the hell out of me, I swear. Let me point out one thing though , when I was roughing it on the farms in Poland I drank milk straight from the cow. Not because I really wanted to but because I moaned and groaned about having no milk for my tea so a peasant farmer kindly milked the cow and gave me some milk. At the time I wasn’t aware of his kind gesture but when I commented that they needn’t have warmed it I was the laughing stock of the hay stacks. I just wanted to point out there was no harm done but I was conjuring up all sorts of scenarios and pointed out to a friend that I hadn’t seen any hospitals close by either.
Also Don if it weren’t for the computer and the knowledge we gain from it we would be none the wiser as to who Mr Don Mills is and wouldn’t that be a tragic loss to all your readers?
You see, I don’t take everything you say too seriously but just know that when I open your blog I’m going to laugh till it hurts . You’re the smartest crabby old fart known to mankind.
Cheers
Many thanks Celtic Queen,
Warmed? I can imagine that did result in a chuckle or two. When I was growing up most folks occasionally took a little milk straight from the source and, as you say, there was no harm done. I’m not sure the young people today could handle it though – they’ve been raised in germ free bubbles and would likely keel over as soon as they sipped it.
I appreciate the kind words, Celtic Queen. It’s always nice to hear from you.
Best regards,
Don
Hey,I’ve ridden a cow Bare back in July, helping my instructor locate loose cattle. Never drank milk froma cow but, don;t lump me in with those pansies.
Actually, if we never had the Internet, 1,000’s of cable channels and the rest of the mountains of useless information the Information Age has brought us, men like Mr Mills might just dominate the TV, radio and newspapers. We wouldn’t HAVE to search out his wisdom, it would be delivered to us.
Mr. Mills, I would first like to commend you. I look forward all week to your blog, and it comes out consistently and regularly every Sunday night. I know a man your age appreciates regularity.
As for too much information, you are correct that information is like milk. It is enough to know when it expires, it is too much to know which teat of the cow it came from.
Thank you bmj2k,
You’re absolutely right, I certainly do appreciate regularity. It gets to be more and more important as you age.
And a fine point about the teat. Sadly, in most cases these days we can’t even be sure that it has come from a cow.
All the best,
Don
Hmm, I fear the horse may already have bolted Mr Mills. I suspect Wikipedia has already been overthrown by misinformed, misguided and poorly sentence structured writing young people.
Thank you frigginloon,
First cows and now horses! I’m going to have to try to complete the barnyard theme and work in something about counting chickens before they’ve hatched.
All the best, loon, and thanks for stopping in.
Don
Sir,
These days, very few young people can tell a horse from a cow. There are thousands of videos on the Internet that prove it, if you know what I mean.
Perhaps if we licensed blogs we could curb this menace. For example, only 50 and up to write. Then any age can read, but it would be appropriately processed. None of that fresh organic stuff. 😉
Many thanks Pamela,
I think this is an excellent idea. I’d prefer we set the threshold at 60 and over but would be willing to accept 50 provided we kept those folks on a short leash until they proved themselves.
All the best.
Don
But who would write my blog? It’s hard enough for me to write without finding somebody old enough to write one on my behalf.
Gee, Don, that’s harsh!
I’m almost 46. I would be quite upset, if I’d have to wait another 4 years to blog.
Instead, I think there should be an IQ Standard. After all, some 50-year-olds are the former 20-year-old assclowns who never grew up.
Fact is there are a lot of low lifes, but that does not mean that there is no good that can come from it all. Things got out of control somewhere between the Flappers and Vietnam. The answer is simple the drug war. And who was there to keep their child from getting involved from that???
There are things out there that only I could explain, and that are too risky for a closed minded outlook. Ignore what you hate and live your life. Do what you are purposed to do and do not worry about the generation your children have to raise. Parents fail with their own children and live in eternal blame, when realistically it is divine mercy and patience that is needed. If you unconditionally love your children then trust that everything they will do will be better then what you did to raise them. There is constantly new things going on and being born out in the world that will be missed in teaching children, our job to make it possible for a parent to address concerns. Fact is you shoulc not concern yourself with anyone outside your own children, it is no ones place to correct someone elses child, it is the duty of the parent to be smart in raising a respectable young adult. What was missing from the parents of the sixties? The knowledge of manipulation of drugs in society and the corruption of the internet and televistion. The only thing my generation can do is learn from the mistakes, push on and provide the best sources to learn from. The point of it all? That just because there are things on the internet and television that are detestable does not give a reason to put a communist fix to it…The secret is to teach what is right and ignore and resist what is not right.
You’re high right now, aren’t you?
google will be of no use to me until it can tell me where i left my keys and what i went into the kitchen for. and i have no use for young people until they can tell me either.
Damned sensible comment, Nonnie.
That’s exactly the kind of Google I want too. Some damned young person needs to get to work on that. I’m still looking for my FDR coffee cup.
All the best,
Don
You need more metamucil- that is the problem with crabby old people.
Thank you SEEJ,
Metamucil helps but it isn’t a cure-all, lad. What we really need is some damned respect, a return of common sense and significantly fewer sass-talking young people.
Best regards,
Don
Yeah but you aren’t gonna get any of that, so drink up.
“Ingest it raw and you’re opening yourself up to nothing but brain fever, dysentery or worse. ”
Woe. How could you be more precise, Don? That was very good.
I’m absolutely tired of so much information, from very deep, big ones at Wikipedia, to tiny pathetic sentences at goddamn Twitter (which I left after a month, friends saying that they were watching “House” at TV and having onion soup for dinner, as if someone cared about it… they made me dizzy and bored). Everybody can say anything today, and people are so selfish that they just don’t pay attention except on themselves. So we conclude that most people are living in soliloquoy. Teenagers are especially pitiful and make me afraid. Because they listen to each other “big opinions” and the goddamn smart teens make groups. They exchange and support every little disgusting pseudo-idea and the group make the group strong, and that is the way paved to some kind of fascism. Really, I’m afraid of all this. That is why someday I’m following the great Henry David Thoreau’s example and flee from all this. Have you watched that beautiful French movie “Tous les matins du monde”, based on a book by Pascal Quignard? It’s very beautiful. The main character is the mythic composer Mr. de Sainte Colombe. He played viola da ganba. And he was a recluse. He just fled from all this. All the frivolity and goddamn excess of everything.
Because young people of today will be ther elders of tomorrow…and what a vulgar world it shall be.
Prazer falar e ler você também, Don. 🙂
Grande abraço,
Cecilia
Many thanks Cecilia,
I think you’ve summed it up wonderfully with the notion that most people today are “living in a soliloquy.” You’re absolutely right. And, as you point out, the soliloquies are generally limited to inane musings about their choice of soup, slacks or haircut.
I’ve never seen the movie you mention but it sounds like the type of story I might enjoy. I’ll add to my list and if I can find a VHS copy will be happy to give it a view.
Obrigado para o comentário muito perspicaz, Cecilia
All the best.
Don
Its funny because while young people have too much information, celebrities, it sadly seems, have too little. Just the other day I read that Melanie Griffith had never heard of the Holocaust – now there is a woman in need of some information overload
Many thanks RubyTwoShoes,
She’s no Andy Griffith and that’s for damned sure. Now there was a man with character and smarts. And he never had a lick of plastic surgery.
All the best,
Don
Mr. Mills, while young people may have more options, most young get their news from text messages with weird encrypted crap like, “l8r dOOd!”
Thank you Ahmnodt,
Those damned encrypted messages scare the Hell out of me. I’m always suspicious of young people that talk in code. I don’t know what they’re up to but it likely involves drugs, anarchy and the forced imprisonment of old folks.
It’s very worrisome.
All the best,
Don
Sir, it’s not code.
Sadly, it’s as close to proper English as most young people can get these days.
Thanks again Sedate Me.
It’s not that damned close is it?
All the best,
Don
When I was young, we had unlimited access to knowledge. It was called the public library. If it wasn’t in the library, we were out of luck and just had to make due and wonder.
Kids today don’t wonder so they don’t go in search of knowledge. They are too busy looking for overpriced concert tickets for their favourite group of screaching under-talented musicians. They spend their time posting incoherent thoughts on Twitter or Facebook so they have no desire to learn about the Great Wall of China or lost civilizations of Central America. If they do need to learn anything, they can spend 5 minutes looking it up on Wikipedia, the font of modern day knowledge.
Sorry but I know older people who hop on a plane to see ‘ John Fogarty’ in Tasmania. They also paid in excess of $400.00 to see The Eagles when they were here in Melbourne and the countdown to the concert almost drove me mad. They are 60+ so I think we may need to lighten up a little on this particular topic as I know quite a few who use the net constantly whilst doing research. These can vary from Grads I worked with doing tax, audit and insolvency work. They are constantly browsing the latest info from the Australian Tax Office and many other sources. Mind you we aren’t talking tattooed pierced freaky kids. Or tackle box faces a one poster referred to them as . That has stayed with me ever since. Thank you for that wonderful description.
I agree Facebook and twitter are a bit of a pain as I myself had someone contact me on Facebook. I didn’t know them before that and definitely don’t want to know them now or ever but I’ve reported and blocked them so that won’t happen again. After all your Facebook now can be made as secure as you want it to be. I think it’s a great place to catch up with your overseas friends.
There is a particular element of youngsters who are questionable but let’s not tar them all with the same brush. Not all kids are out there searching for the cheapest tattoo, body piercing or concert ticket they can get.
I have to admit my mum and dad used to go crazy with my twin and I posting Beatles pictures on our bedroom walls. There wasn’t a square inch that didn’t have George Paul John or Ringo looking down at you. My parents were sure that we were ‘possessed’. The only thing they didn’t do to us was bring in an exorcist.
Oh those were the days my friends.
My comment was meant in fun…sort of mirroring the humour in this blog. I don’t really believe the younger generation is a bunch of losers…oh wait a minute…yes I do. See, humour.
Well said Yellowcat,
I’d challenge the assertion that any young person would commit a full 5 minutes to research but your point is bang on.
As Cecilia point out earlier, it seems like people are spending more time immersed in themselves and less time in wonder.
All the best and thanks again for the comment.
Don
I think you’re on to something Don. Why just the other night I was shopping online and looking for a plug adapter and came across three people having a long generous bout of sex. Would that be ‘too much information’ or ‘overshare?’ I am thinking yes to both.
Thank you Fundamental Jelly,
You need to be damned careful about what search terms you use. While I would have thought “plug in adapter” was relatively safe, you really can’t be too careful. Just this week I’ve attempted to google “Buick drive shaft,” “carpet stains” and “disciplining my personal support worker” to disastrous results.
It’s a damned scary world out there – make no mistake about that.
All the best,
Don
Just how did you discipline your personal support worker Don? I’m just saying lol. Save me googling it.
Thank you Celtic Queen,
Well I can tell you that I didn’t follow any of the “advice” proffered by the websites that seem to have an unnatural interest in this issue. I was hoping that a stern warning would do the trick but in the end I had to dismiss her. It’s unfortunate because I have no idea where she left the can opener.
Don
Lol she probably hid it on purpose, have you checked your other stuff? You just can’t trust anyone these days. Try the fridge.
@Don
Do you think today’s young kids even know what milk is?
When they’re not abusing alcohol, all they seem to drink are those Red Bull energy drinks and Gatorade.
Except when they’re at raves, where they pay $10 for a bottle of Evian.
Many thanks Friar,
I suspect you’re right. I even see wee babies sucking back that stuff nowadays. It used to be you stuck a pacifier in a baby’s face if he was wailing – now you pop in a bottle of neon blue liquefied sugar.
I’m sure that will work out well for everyone.
All the best,
Don
Then again it is the old people that keep sending me (and everyone else on their email list) the latest information on scams (which always turn out to be false)
Many thanks Bearman,
We old folks are always forwarding on jokes and information and photos and anything else we can think of. It’s all part of a grand conspiracy to clog the internet to the point of utter collapse and free the damned young people from their slavish devotion to chat rooms, twitter and Myplace. It’s a lot of work but it’s for a good cause.
But don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.
All the best,
Don
Can I at least keep reading and keep up my scholary corspondance. Not many people around here know much about The Kemtic Mythos.
I have a much bigger problem with people (young and old alike) who only go to one source for their news. At least if they diversify their intellectual portfolio they will learn how to think for themselves. It was different in your day Don; people were inherently sane and normal. Nowadays half the world is filled with liberal, devil worshiping, drug addicts hell bent on destroying every great country on the face of the earth and the other half are neo-conservative, fundamentalist Christians heaven bent on bringing about the rapture. There is no more ‘gray’ news, well except maybe BBC but nobody watches that. There is only black or white news. So the discerning mind has to mix it’s own shade of gray.
And you were apparently under-informed because I found that young people’s heads are exploding…..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome
Many thanks Scott,
Indeed, people are far less likely to be inherently sane or normal nowadays. In my view, however, that’s just one more good reason to limit their access to information.
I do admit, however, that as one matures there is good value in seeking out different perspectives. As you say so well, diversifying your intellectual portfolio is generally a wise investment.
And thank you for the information on exploding head syndrome. It sounds suspiciously like a headache to me but I do like the name. It makes a statement.
All the best, Scott.
Don
Mr Mills,
When your daily routine consists of waking at eleven with no job to go to and then walking around the corner to get a nice $4 cup of coffee you should be able to fill your head with an endless stream of news from hundreds of various news venues. What else is there to do?
All this news is needed to sustain arguments with people who are working so they can disrupt everyone’s lives with their opinions. Carol’s husband, Matt
Many thanks Matt,
I suppose it would be silly of me to suggest that the other way they could learn things would be to actually engage in society and participate a little more fully.
Too much to ask, I’m sure.
Still, at minimum, you’d think that if they have that much time on their hands they might use it to look into why anyone would be damned fool enough to pay $4 for a cup of coffee.
All the best Matt. Please pass my regards on to the Missus.
Don
So if we’re not able to filter said “news”. what’s the alternative? We may not need one. Today’s youth, while being crammed with all manner of information, real, imagined and totally false, don’t have the required brain cells to assimilate all the information, and will be left drooling idiots, which is what we’re seeing now, walking across senior citizen lawns. Herding them, however, could be a problem as more and more slip into brain overload and start wondering aimlessly across the landscape.
Exactly how, and for what, we employ them as could create a cottage industry where us older, wiser folk can put our vast experience to good use.
Many thanks Jammer,
An intriguing glimpse into the not so distant future.
I have to say I enjoy the notion of herding them up and putting them to some sort of use. I just for the life of me can’t think what that might be. We could stick flashlights in their mouths and use them as desk lamps but they twitch too much and won’t stand still.
All the best Jammer. Always good to have you stop in.
Don
Darn straight these kids have access to too much information. Not all of it is true, either, but since they are young things that are wet behind the ears they have no judgment and are unable to sort the Truth from the Crap. And yet, they think that because it is in Wikipedia, it must be true. Hello? Isn’t this an encyclopedia by committee with no oversight? Sure, there’s a lot of info in there, but you have to have some basis with which to judge the statements in the articles. Otherwise you are likely to read a definitive article about the pushmipullyu that will have you ready to make a safari to deepest Africa to photograph it.
Many thanks healingmagichands.
Very well said. It is judgment and the ability to apply a critical eye to this type glut of information that is key. As everyone knows, if you are really interested in studying the pushmipullyu, a trip to the wilds of South America is order. And seeing as how I’ve just written that – you can most certainly accept it as fact.
All the best and thanks for visiting.
Don
Lady you do realize that some of us young folk have the sense to distinguish BS from reality right? I am well aware that not everything I read on the internet is good information, some of it being satire like this site, some of it being downright propaganda. I’m also aware that some people only watch fox news or msnbc, and I know a hell of a lot more than they do about the way the world works because my views aren’t limited to the opinions of people like Bill O’Reilly. Young people need access to information, because in a few years we will be cleaning up the mess you closed minded old farts left behind for us. Anyway… KEEP IT UP DON YOU ARE HILARIOUS!
I think as long as someone realizes that what they are reading should be taken with a grain of salt it is a good thing, To be honest I’m more a periodical man myself. So as long as someone doesn’t trust the web, it’s a good thing, plus without it, we wouldn’t have this blog.
Thanks kindly lookingforsomethingtofind,
It’s the recognition that is the problem, I fear. And to be honest, I’m not sure that young people are as keenly critical in their insights as they could be. If they were inclined to balance their intake with some decent periodicals, as you do, I’d be less likely to have concerns.
Many thanks. Always good to hear from you.
Don
Don –
Once again, you’ve hit the nail right on the over-informed head. I couldn’t agree with you more, no matter how much random information I had access to.
Back in my day (which I’m assuming is pretty close to yours), we had only one news channel, and for most of the day all it showed was an Indian’s head, which let us know that no news was happening at that moment and that we would be duly updated as events warranted.
We also had only one newspaper, which was delivered every morning, either under the nearest shrub or directly into the leaf-clogged gutter. I was able to retrieve it most days and make out what I could from the ink that hadn’t run.
We also had two competing radio stations, but we often chose one or the other and then removed the dial from the wireless itself. This kept arguments to a minimum and drinking to the maximum, which is where we all were happiest.
During my stint in the Korean War, I saw firsthand the damage an opposing viewpoint can do. We often found our local military radio station drowned out by 50,000 watts of our opponent’s propoganda broadcasts. While we vastly preferred the silky female tones of Pyongyang Pam and Kaesong Kate to the abrasive tones and condescension of G.I. Joe and other mini-celebrities, we also recognized the danger of taking the words of the fairer sex to heart.
We often wondered who these ladies were and if they would let us buy them a drink if circumstances were different. Some even went so far as to write fanmail and post blind ads in the local paper.
While these went without response from the ladies of the airwaves, they often received a quick reply in the form of a beating, court martial or in extreme cases, woefully unsupervised live fire drills.
Let this be a lesson to all those that think they can see things from another viewpoint and still be good, honest citizens. When Baghdad Betty or Turkmenistan Tallulah is broadcasting, it is better for you to be otherwise occupied, perhaps with a baseball game or a voting drive. No good can come of it otherwise.
Just remember this: when someone says to “respect” someone else’s viewpoints, what they really mean is “humour.”
Thanks for the wonderful words of wisdom, Don. With any luck, today’s youth will take this advice to their early graves.
Sincerely,
C.L. Tanager
You sir seem like the type of person I;d like to drink with.
Don;t worry I’m not making a pass at you,
Even if youa re a handsome old devil.
Many thanks Clifton.
Nice to see you back and in fine form as well.
I’ve always found that, in general, it’s wise to avoid women with alliterative names. They tend to have questionable backgrounds and end up as show people, provocateurs or worse. Baghdad Betty, Keasong Kate, Susan Sarandon, Betty Boop, Lindsay Lohen, …the list is endless and extremely troubling.
I appreciate your visiting, Clifton, and trust you’re keeping well.
All the best,
Don
Dubious past or not, I listened to Susan Sarandon’s radio broad-cast every chance I could. She had a great stereo set that I most certainly enjoyed dialling in, if you know what I mean.
Okay Don, now I’m mad as hell.
Yes there is a lot of unscientific and academic information out there. But that has always been the way of the world. If you recall the yellow journalism controversy around the Spanish American War or Pilipino American conflict, I forget which to be honest, there was a lot of biased journalism with unverified statistics. The famous quote from he time regards to that was from a news paper editor/journalist “You supply the pictures, I’ll supply the war. They provided false documentation and statistics to sensationalize reports as to sell more papers are push their own agendas.
That is inevitable with any form of media, be it the humble town crier to the massive internet.
And yes I admit there is a lot of unscholarly and for lack of a better phrase “Bullshit” Information on the internet. And pornography, free pornography, but let us not dwell too much on the last part.
How ever, the same problem occurs in libraries, there are lots of unverified opinions, as it is not as hard is at used to be to publish a book or even get into the library.
With the internet how ever you can access a libraries worth of work, have scholarly discussions and keep up on your medication delivery and bank account.
So I think what you see is not the problem of too much information, but too little education. So many people, not only of this younger generation lack the cognitive ability to read critically, to sift through information, double check it and see if it is logical.
With the internet I have been able to read countless books on Ancient Egypt and Greece, the former being my minor, the later I do for pleasure. You can get Cesar , Herodotus Platonic dialogues, and many books on political theory.
Yes I question things, you may disapprove of that as is your right. After all we live in a America where two people with completely different opinions can spout them, back them and argue tell they turn blue in the face, and not be arrested for it.
But if I did not question I would not be my self. (how’s that for introspection!) . I also would most likely fall into the trap of petty shallowness and stupidity so many people my age do. You must question to understand a thing, not for the mere novelty of it.
I am a Homosexual Wiccan/Pagan, with Socialist leanings. That may be partly due to access to information. How ever my parents raised me to appropriate the wealth of information to double check and tot think for me self, not to just do something because some one said so. So perhaps I am influenced by my parents Liberal biased (They are both staunch liberal democrats, I took it to the logical extreme.)
I realized I may have raised your gull but my internet was not to do so, but to give you something tot hi9nk about and defend at least part of the new technology.
Also at the risk of sounding too uppity, it’s Ironic to complain about the Internet own blog.
Sincerely yours,
Rose
Many thanks Rose,
An excellent lambasting – I enjoyed that a great deal. I think you’re at your finest when you’re mad as Hell. I’ll have to make more of a concerted effort to ruffle your feathers in future.
I never would have guessed that I’d end up trading comments with a self-identified HWPWSL (Homosexual Wiccan/Pagan, with Socialist Leanings) but I have to say it’s always good fun.
You’ve made your points well, Rose, and I do appreciate your sharing them with me. Keep up the good work.
All the best,
Don
Another random 20-something here to learn from his elders. (Working on the whole get a real job thing, but I’ve steered myself towards academia which I’m told doesn’t count.)
What I’m picking up though is that all the information floating around is like barely safe/indigestible food, and you need the wisdom of the elderly to make sure it’s processed correctly and all the junk gets discarded before it can cause any harm.
New slogan, then – “Age: the Metamucil of the Mind.”
Hard to argue with that.
Many thanks, Iron Donkey, and welcome.
That’s a damned fine slogan. I like it. If I ever decide to wear a ridiculous t-shirt, I may just have found the slogan I’ll plaster across my chest.
Thanks kindly for stopping in to visit. Hope to hear from you again.
Don
Hello Mr. Mills,
Thanks for an accurate diagnosis. The young people today have access to too much information – more than what can fit into their microscopic “noggins” and more than what they can process. They hog the information and then regurgitate it at any and all forums! And if we use the old computer analogy it’s all GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out!)
I remember that you were interested in seeing the Romeo Juliet Caricature (the only colored caricature I’ve done – a genuine mistake – I’ve now put away my color pencils.) I think that you’ll find that they fit better into your blog than mine:)
Warm Regards,
Shafali
Thank you Shafali,
I look forward to Romeo/Juliet and will be over to take a look shortly. I apologize for the delay but my personal support worker and I had a parting of the ways this week and I’ve been busy interviewing replacement candidates.
All the best,
Don
The sad thing is that librairies are closing down due to a lack of funds. If things go the way the young people want, books will be obsolete. George Orwell wasn’t too far off the mark.
Free run of the internet? I say nay. No child unsupervised should be the battle cry. I cringe when I think of the dangers and tons of misinformation out there. So many young people are allowed to surf the internet on computers in their bedrooms with the parents never once checking to see what they are reading.
Young people who are old enough to be away from parental supervision should have already been taught that not everything you read or hear out there in the world is true or false. Never accept a single source as the complete truth.
For example…I am appalled when I hear some young thing say that there never was a holocaust. My father, a chaplain, was there at the liberation of the death camps giving what food and comfort he could to the survivors. He saw the horror of the ovens and the mass graves.
Information overload is not so much the problem as is misinformation overload.
Very well stated doggonedmysteries,
Misinformation overload is indeed the problem. As I said, any Joe Assclown with a computer and few dollars can write whatever nonsense pops into his pin head and pass himself off as a damned “expert” in his field. It’s worrying.
All the best, doggonedmysteries, and thanks for stopping in.
Don
Heh heh. Are you speaking from personal experience here? 😀
Dear Donfather,
I feel your annoyance. I’ve been pondering whether it’s appropriate to teach young kids how to go old-school and pull a Vinnie van Gough. This will make for a far more polite and sustainable society.
Remembering the wars – all of them,
Frankelstache
Nice to hear from you Frankelstache,
It’s always appropriate to teach young people to go “old school.” Unfortunately, for most that means 1987 and a return to “Hammer Time” (whatever the hell that is).
All the best, lad. I hope that you (and your wee dog) are well.
Don
Don,
There isn’t much I can add that hasn’t already been said by you or your discerning commenters, for that matter.
If only we could buy a home homogenizing kit, one that could take all this unfiltered information, mix in mass amounts of harvested milk (thus creating a constant), then strain the information through small holes.
I think you’ll agree that it would make all the difference.
Pasteurized post as always, Don.
Bschooled
Many thanks Bschooled,
I’d be delighted to agree but I’m a tad confused. I was with you on the home homogenizing kit but you lost me somewhere between harvested milk and straining information through small holes. Regardless, I like anything that has a censorship feel and trust your instincts – so count me in.
All the best,
Don
Nicely composed rant Mr. Mills, as always. I’d like to say, in jest, well it may have been a ” half-baked nub of an idea”, but it was MY half-baked nub of an idea. But it’s not that funny when I say it. You say it better.
Most of what is generously called “information” is really nothing more than noise, which is randomized data. The cacophony of so many flapping jaws and keystrokes. I beg to differ on one point. Regarding the “rawness”- I prefer my information to be in that state, rather than having it filtered or pasteurized through a “journalist” and his opining machine. That way my immune system gets some exercise, which is pretty darned important.
Thank you kindly, David.
I entirely agree with your “half-baked nub of an idea” and agree that “noise” is a perfect way to describe the truckload of nonsense floating around out there under the guise of information.
As for preferring your information raw, the difference is that you have the ability to separate opinion from fact from noise from outright malarkey. In my view, young people aren’t particularly strong in that area.
All the best David and thanks for visiting.
Don
Hello Sir!
It’s been so long since I last visited. I am all tied up with academics for now. I am waiting for the summer holidays to begin as soon as the exams end.
Anyways, coming to the topic at hand, I really like this topic. What we see on news too is no longer worthy of being called news. It’s to a great degree biased propaganda transmission and young people seem to be damn naive when it comes to that. They will just believe anything that is being told. The media is full of hypocrites and liars and breeds on the ignorance and naiveness of most people that buy what is being said. And add to that another sad fact that the media and cinema in general have set unreal standards of beauty by depicting photoshopped and unhealthy ‘size zero’ women and setting an unreal bar of beauty for the masses. What we are slowly forgetting is that simplicity IS beauty. Very bad how the media alone is responsible for so much of tomfoolery.
Good to hear from you Ravikant,
Glad to hear you’ve been busy with your studies, lad. It’s much more important that you hit the books than stop by to visit with me but I do appreciate your dropping in to say hello.
I’ve long believed that news programs have lost any interest in actually reporting news and facts. They seem to be primarily focused on titillation, sensationalizing and ratings nowadays. I suppose that’s what happens when you have 400 damned channels all competing for people’s attention and assuming the lowest common denominator is the way to get it.
All the best, Ravikant, and good luck with the exams.
Don
“…from idiot bloggers, compulsive tweeters and any other Joe Assclown with a computer.”
don, i resemble that remark! now i just feel cheap!
My goodness Lynn,
I wouldn’t have thought you fell into any of those categories at all.
I don’t know about your Twitter habits but you’re certainly not who I had in mind when I referenced “idiot bloggers” and are about as far from being a “Joe Assclown” as possible.
All the best and thanks for visiting with me.
Don
I’ve discovered what you seem to be:
http://tinyurl.com/old-crank
Thank you laughlaugh,
Seems about right.
But I hate damned t-shirts with silly words on them.
All the best,
Don
If you say young people have access to “too much information”, then how are they “stupid” as you say? Like anyone else, they will use their judgment to decide on what perspective to take things in. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that includes the young.
Yes, there is plenty of information out there for today’s people to get ahold of, but nobody has the time to read every single search result on Google. What about your own blog? It’s obviously biased against young people. Not all bloggers, tweeters, and other netizens are “idiots” – if I did encounter websites written by such people, I would disregard them.
Internet or not, anyone – young and old – can access lies, which are dangerous for the reason that once you believe in a lie so much, it seems like the truth. However, information is also beneficial, like in terms of education. Believe it or not, young people DO “know things”, which isn’t necessarily the negative thing you view it as. After all, it will help them more than being ignorant.
If you can sort out information by whether it’s credible and believable, and whether it’s the truth, it will be simpler to figure out where the good information can be found.
Many thanks Hijuyo.
Sorry for the delay in responding and the brevity of the response but I’ve fallen a little behind with my commments. I appreciate your stopping in.
All the best,
Don
You are SO RIGHT! Kids should be seen and not heard, and especially they shouldn’t be learning about what goes on around them. How is a parent to keep them safe and naive? What if they learn more than me, then how will THAT look???
Lindsey Petersen
http://5kidswdisabilities.wordpress.com
You want to address every issue…not keep the truth from them. TEACH RIGHT and WRONG. Young children learn best. Older young people still have hope. They will come accross the answer, and if not then they didn’t learn anything. Young people blame the older generation and vise versa, When in reality…it is the damn world that keeps throwing curve balls. http://hanilol.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/addressedissue/
Thank you 5 kids,
I appreciate your visiting. I took a quick look at your blog and have to say I’m quite impressed by your committment and your outlook on life.
I appreciate your visiting and apologize for not responding earlier.
Don
Hmmm.:) Well just gotta say, you struck a chord with the whole Dirty Dancing thing. First off, technology or no technology, young people are going to do what they want regardless if they have information or not… they’ll just learn it from the other kids at school, who learned it from their parents, which is how I learned.
As a KID of 9 years old, I was appalled at the site of the elderly in my local community learning how to Dirty Dance with each other on the 10 O’ clock news. It was an outrage! At 9 years old I had an image burned in my mind forever of what its like when my grandparents are alone! (And I didn’t need the internet to see it.) My question is, where did they get the information (or rather their elderly teacher) to learn how to do something so risque? Forget about the young people having technology to do these things, what if the elderly get ahold of it and start a trend of bumping and grinding like their grandchildren?
Many thanks creativelyput,
As noted above, I apologize for not responding earlier. It’s been a long week of bumping and grinding lessons down at the seniors centre. I better stop, I may have said too much…
I appreciate your stopping in. I hope that some day you’ll be able to rid yourself of the image of elderly “dirty dancing.” Really, it’s damned inappropriate at any age.
Best regards,
Don
Dear Mr. Mills,
Really what can I add that hasn’t already been said. I have no opinion about the designated hitter rule but I’m really against girdles.
I have personally seen enough situations that make the news and they (newscasters) are not even close to getting it right. I no longer believe most of what I see on TV and much of what I read in “legitimate” newspapers, journals, magazines and websites.
Example:
Newscasters:
TV shot showing what looks like a large crowd in front of city hall protesting with an exciting story to back up the pictures.
Reality:
I work for and near city hall, and there were a total of 15 people shouting with signs. Had the camera panned a little to the right or the left the TV viewer would have seen exactly how many people were at the protest and not thought “wow, there’s hundreds of people there.”
Sometimes I think I get the best news from Jon Steward and Stephen Colbert! I always prefer a good laugh with my news.
Kind regards,
Dr. King
ooops, that’s Jon Stewart. Don’t want to get his name wrong. He’s the only one I trust to report news accurately.
Many thanks Carol.
Appreciate your weighing in on the girdle issue. I agree with you about the news. Seems like most networks are intent on creating it if they are unable to locate it. A healthy amount of scepticism serves you well.
All the best,
Don
I have always told my young son tommy (6), that the only thing he needed to survive an attack from a wild heard of sloths, is a good 16 hour a day job in a coal mine and to stay away from reading news papers.
While some people may disagree with my parenting style, it should be noted ,that none of my family members have ever been attacked by a wild heard of sloths !
good to see you Don ..~Dave
Many thanks David,
You’ll get know arguement from me on the parenting style (although a 16-hour day job does seem rather slack).
Good to see you as well, lad. I hope you’re keeping well.
All the best,
Don
dang amazing info bro.
One day my backyard apple tree is gonna explode and I’ll be left with nothing but my own thoughts. Eek.
Jesus tells us “It will be as the days of Lot; they eat, they drink, they marry and are in marriage, but have no knowledge. What are you eating, drinking and who is you lover?
YOU Don are an ol’ Coot and I love you for it!!! Thank’s for making me laugh.
My youth was in the 60’s and 70″s and I was one of them (hippie/freak) my early up-bring was to be well behaved, and I was, but I still did my own thing.
The older generation thought… hell I don’t know what they thought, but they didn’t like my long hair,ear ring, the way I dressed, etc.
I look at the young folks of today and really they are no different than any of the other generations that I have seen.
But of course in all generations there is good and bad, and I think my generation or the one after may be the worst.
Look at the generation that is in power today.
Quite frankly I’m 20 and couldn’t agree more, I feel as if every teen and under is to a degree a conspiracy theorist, simply because we dont know what truth is and what it isn’t. we get fed theories and jump thinking its truth, And you can’t neccesarily be mad at us, we are a direct result of elderly in america and the fads and truths of today; stemmed from those of yesterday. so you venting on how we are so damned frustrating can all be rooted backed to the time and ways that we were raised. SO I SAY TO THE ELDERLY IN AMERICA, stop acting like because your old you have it figured out, this country was built on new ideas, and I have one, instead of being the biggest hypocrites ever(because you were a youth as well) Start helping, anyone can gripe and moan, get your old but up and go teach those damn hooligans how to be an upstanding respectful man, or teach those hoochie mama girls that you can look good, and still leave something for imagination, Instead of just complaining and venting, give advice and forgiveness, because I need the Wisdom of the Old, and the old need the heart and passion and ignorance of the youth. I in no way intend to start an argument, and in the arguments place open a very mutual passage of useful information
“because I need the Wisdom of the Old, and the old need the heart and passion and ignorance of the youth.”
I’m very old, older than Adam, and I have been given much wisdom and it’s not the wisdom of the earth, but it’s wisdom to live and know the earth.
I find the young are of the earth and I’m very patient with them knowing that you cannot put a old head on young shoulders and this goes for the old also.
If you ever want a little unearthly wisdom to use in this world; study the teachings of Jesus.
Feel free to email me at zeezelot@live.com
I suppose you’d rather have a generation of idiots who can’t think for themselves and will just fall in line and follow orders and never question anything the way that you and your geriatric buddies did in your shitty unenlightened time where everything seemed to “mean something” and things were “still real”. Truth is, your generation was a bunch of helpless tit-suckers who had no knowledge of anything other than to go “work for America” and do what the “good doctor” or the “preacher man” at the church taught you. Shame on you you anti-intellectual old fuck, i’m sure there’s a church pew with your name on it where you can sit for the rest of your miserable days and hear what you want to hear. I cannot wait for your generation to die off so that we can begin to make some progress in this world.
Sincerely – A realistic thinkin’ neo-philosophy preachin’ son-of-a-bitch that you’d hate to actually have to acknowledge.
Many thanks radio85,
An interesting comment and I appreciate your sharing it with me.
Actually, I don’t need to wish for a generation of idiots who can’t think for themselves and will just fall in line and follow orders and never question anything because I’m pretty damned sure that’s what we have. Seems to me you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting some gormless peckerhead with a corporate logo splashed across his t-shirt playing Angry Birds on his Iphone4 while lining up with a thousand more gormless peckerheads to buy their new Iphone5 so they can download the trailer for the latest Twilight movie. You half expect them to let out with the “bahs” when they open their mouths.
And I may be an anti-intellectual old f*ck but I’ll let you in on one thing lad – most people you meet who claim to be intellectuals are actually little more than egotistical, screed-shrieking morons who know everything about everything without ever having done anything.
All the best and thanks for taking the time to write.
Don
Ok so maybe you provoked an angry response from me. but if there’s one thing i cannot stand it’s anti-intellectualism!! i went to a christian school for the first few years of my education, and now looking back i am appalled at the misinformation that they were teaching us!! it’s absolutely demonic to withhold information from young people, particularly information that will solidify their world-views and spiritual orientation thus leading them to be fulfilled happy adults later in life. Anyways, onto my main point, I believe that this age that we live in, with our access to almost unlimited information at our fingertips, is only a part of our evolution into a fully enlightened, peaceful, and hopefully more compassionate civilization where any man anywhere is well learned in the ways of science and understands the fundamental workings of the world around him, and even the sheer beauty of nature. Please do not be so quick to dismiss this age of information as something negative! It may seem that humans are becoming “lazy” and “dependent” on technology, but this is perhaps only a small step on a path to something wonderful. 🙂 anyway. now you probably think that i suffer from Bipolar disorder or something, but next time you hear a kid say “can we look that up on google” don’t be so quick to chuckle and damn the seemingly excessive technologies, because I, for one, believe that access to information is possibly the most important thing that we as humans have at this point in time. Particularly with our failing education system.. But i’ll save that for another discussion. Anyway, have a good one and do try to open your mind to what the young people are doing with technology these days. It’s not all satanic, hell if anything it keeps them from getting bored and huffing paint from the garage. lol.
Don
I laughed a lot when I read this piece :).
I *teach* people in the health sciences stream – students, faculty and practitioners that when they go online, they need to
a) Go ONLY to resource where there is transparency in the “About Us” section
b) Learn how to evaluate such a resource for authenticity
c) Search a resource “correctly” using certain techniques available, to cut down junk and also to find needles in haystacks (I teach these techniques too)
d) Finally evaluate each piece they read, again with well known techniques
It took me a long time to convince even faculty and policy makers that Google / Search engines were NOT the way to go and that we needed to apply all that we learned in our Non-Electronic methods of using libraries and information resources here too.
I am glad to say that now I am a “sought after faculty” in Research methodology courses.
And I am not yet 60, so I hope you will make an exception and accept me!!
Don sounds a bit totalitarian. Censorship? Whatever yo. Totally not cool.
I would have suggested we make far more use of our libraries but for the record I have to say ‘don’t’.
When one thinks of a library, the word ‘loud’ does not easily spring to mind.
They are, after all, traditionally quiet places where you may occasionally hear the soft unsheathing of a book from a shelf or the gentle padding of an elderly person seeking a copy of ‘Origami making through the ages’ from amongst the stacks.
You would, of course, be totally wrong.
Because libraries are no longer the haunt of the soft-spoken people seeking contemplation; instead they are now ‘hubs’, open to an assorted collection of ‘users’ (not my terms) that gravitate to theses previously cherished places to, basically, make as much noise as possible.
I found this out recently when visiting my local library (only open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays AND closed for long lunches). Having found a quiet corner and a book I sighed with quiet satisfaction and turned the first page when the silence exploded.
‘TWELVE LITTLE MONKEYS IN A CHRISTMAS TREE, ONE CAME DOWN AND SAID TO ME…!’
I peered tremulously around a small stack of shelves that separated me from the junior section.
‘WHADYA WANT FOR CHRISTMAS, PUT UNDER OUR TREE…?’
The twelve little monkeys in question were sat disinterestedly alongside on upon the laps of the twelve little monkeys mothers. Toddlers sat or squirmed, apparently desperate to get out of the arms of their parents. A few others had made it as far as under a table and were quietly chewing a rubberised volume of similar chants.
‘I WANT A (INSERT – PENCIL CASE, ROCKING HORSE AND / OR CHOICE OF GIFT)…!’
One toddler, obviously a great deal cannier than her brethren, was by now making a spirited attempt to climb the shelves marked ‘Adventures for tiny tots’ and I wondered how long it would take for her mum to notice.
‘SO THE MONKEY SAID…LEAVE A NOTE FOR SANTA AND THEN WE’LL SEE!!’
I went back to my book and tried to find my place again, thankful that the song appeared to be over.
I was wrong.
‘ELEVEN LITTLE MONKEY IN A CHRISTMAS TREE…!’
I closed my eyes wearily as I realised that there were another ten little monkeys to go after this one. In my mind’s eye I evilly imagined a new version that I could stand up and sing to the disengaged audience.
‘ELEVEN LITTLE MONKEYS IN A CHRISTMAS TREE, THEY ALL EXPLODED AND SET ME FREE! THE END!’
I don’t know about you, but I thought libraries were for reading stuff in and not for sing-songs about primates. Five monkeys later, I had given up trying to read the same passage ten times and tried to take my mind off it by looking at a paper. The worst thing about it was that the toddlers, for whom the get-together had been arranged, were not the slightest bit interested in joining in, leaving only the mums to belt out the lines. Which, incidentally, they did with gusto.
‘THREE LITTLE MONKEYS…!’
I looked around the small number of other readers in the library, an elderly man and a student and wondered if they too were in any way affected, but alas no. Both were studiously buried in reading, the younger guy on a laptop and the gent nose deep in the ‘Times’.
An interminable time later, the last little monkey had finally said its lines, followed by a huge cheer (again from the mums) and I made a tentative grab for my book.
‘I know,’ said one of the event organisers, ‘what about ten little apples, bobbing out at sea?’
Dear God, please no, I thought. But it was too late; the song began…
‘TEN LITTLE APPLES, BOBBING OUT AT SEA…!’
And so on…
Afterwards we had renditions of ‘SEVEN LITTLE PIGLETS’, ‘FIVE LITTLE ELEPHANTS’ and a finale of ‘TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY LITTLE HEDGEHOGS’; well I probably exaggerate here but it certainly was in the double digits – at least.
But here is my point; if you wish to indulge your taste in music and inspire young imaginations by means of songs about hedgehogs, monkeys or any other mammal, why do it in a library? Why not a village hall or a park or at someone’s house or in fact anywhere except a place designed for people to sit and quietly read a book? And what does this tell our youngsters about the role of libraries?
I say this because I recently visited a university at which my wife in enrolled and met her in the library, but it might very well have been a bus station or shopping mall. The noise was quite astounding: from mobile ‘phones ringing to excited conversation and people playing games on computers as well as droves of youngsters keen to extol the virtues of their latest Galaxy smart-phone purchase. Quite honestly, if I had chosen to stand up and start reciting ‘TWELVE LITTLE MONKEYS IN A CHRISTMAS TREE…’ I don’t think anyone would have even looked up.
And that is quite sad, because there are few places to escape everything that assails us in the modern world.
Libraries, it seems, are now the last places to go.