Hhm, never seen that before and cannot quite see the point.

I have no idea what the input method would be for creating a message using them but it would have to take way longer than simply typing.

And the typed message would be much less cryptic.

I guess the thinking is that if it was good enough for the ancient Egyptians then it should be good enough for the modern illiterates.

Are “we” being somewhat judgemental here? I know very well, though, how tempting it is to put down things that others like and I don’t.

Are “we” being somewhat judgemental here? I know very well, though, how tempting it is to put down things that others like and I don’t.

Kind of like disliking video and preferring the spoken word. Reading ability has declined in the last 50 years and so people find it easier to see a pictorial version. For myself, I usually immediately close a link if I see it has a video instead of a written article.

Reading ability has declined in the last 50 years and so people find it easier to see a pictorial version.

I rather expect that reading ability has in fact increased overall in the last 50 years. There is currently an enormous propaganda effort in the US aimed at public schools and public school teachers with the aim of privatizing schools and paying teachers less. Much of it rests upon the fact that US students do not test as well as students in other countries. But that was the case 50 years ago, as well. Meanwhile, there is evidence that poor tests scores in the US are associated with poverty, and furthermore, that the scores of poorer students have improved markedly in the past 20 years. That is a success story that gets buried by the propaganda.

I disagree. The majority of the college students I try to teach cannot write a good sentence, do not understand if I write anything with a slightly sophisticated grammar or vocabulary, and complain when I write on the board in cursive because they cannot read it. As for there ability to compose a good e-mail, let's not talk about that.

I disagree. The majority of the college students I try to teach cannot write a good sentence, do not understand if I write anything with a slightly sophisticated grammar or vocabulary, and complain when I write on the board in cursive because they cannot read it. As for there ability to compose a good e-mail, let's not talk about that.

Third, my experience is quite similar to DrStraw's concerning college students, as well as the high school students from a private school who took a college math course I was "tricked" into teaching. But we are conflating vastly different eras if we compare students from many decades ago. Instead of seeing the top 20-25 percent of high school students--often limited to those who were in advanced placement classes or the so-called college placement track--we are getting students from the bottom quintile.

.... As for there ability to compose a good e-mail, let's not talk about that.

I rather expect that reading ability has in fact increased overall in the last 50 years. There is currently an enormous propaganda effort in the US aimed at public schools and public school teachers with the aim of privatizing schools and paying teachers less. Much of it rests upon the fact that US students do not test as well as students in other countries. But that was the case 50 years ago, as well. Meanwhile, there is evidence that poor tests scores in the US are associated with poverty, and furthermore, that the scores of poorer students have improved markedly in the past 20 years. That is a success story that gets buried by the propaganda.

Third, my experience is quite similar to DrStraw's concerning college students, as well as the high school students from a private school who took a college math course I was "tricked" into teaching. But we are conflating vastly different eras if we compare students from many decades ago. Instead of seeing the top 20-25 percent of high school students--often limited to those who were in advanced placement classes or the so-called college placement track--we are getting students from the bottom quintile.

Bottom quintile? Really?

The younger generations (I'm no longer sure whether I fall in their ranks or not) are much more illiterate, uncivil and uncultured than their elders. Where they shine is in not believing self-serving myths about how their generation is the best. But give them time. Eventually they'll be old and will start posting crap on the forums.

The younger generations (I'm no longer sure whether I fall in their ranks or not) are much more illiterate, uncivil and uncultured than their elders. Where they shine is in not believing self-serving myths about how their generation is the best. But give them time. Eventually they'll be old and will start posting crap on the forums.

I used to think that the criticisms of the young by the old were unfounded. After all, the ancient Romans made the same sorts of complaints. But now that I have observed how the world has gone downhill in a few short years, I am convinced that there once was a Golden Age, and things have gone downhill ever since.

The only difficulty being that no two successive generations have ever been able to agree on just when the Golden Age was?