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I have to agree with David on this. I have a friend who graduated HS in
1969 - I did in 1974. The difference in the depth and quality of our
respective "public education" is astounding - her's being more the
complete. By the time I hit HS, hard requirements for reading, writing
and math had been replaced by "soft" requirements like "help the student
understand why they feel a certain way". Dress codes and rules of
conduct were completely erased (this was in northern Virginia - Vienna).
Teachers dressed like hippies (it was that time) and wanted their
students to call them by their first names. What baloney. This was,
IMHO, the beginning of the lowering of the *effective* literacy level of
the American people.
Yes, the majority of people can "read and write" the language. But what
is it that they're reading? More and more it's slang (and poor slang,
at that), street-level talk that would have been appropriate only in
back rooms, bars or locker rooms not too long ago.
So is this a matter of informality or the "dumbing-down" of America? I
have to say that though I understand Google's attempt at a breezy,
chatty tone in keeping with their image (that was what started this
whole thread), it bothers me that, even as marketing writing, we are
becoming more accepting of "bad" English (see 3. Why'd you add chat to
Gmail?) in the name of trying to "reach" the common man. How "common"
must we become?
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+cturner=redflex -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+cturner=redflex -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Dubin, David
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 3:02 PM
To: 'jim guarino'; Gene Kim-Eng; Dubin, David; Collin T
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Formality is going bye-bye?
I can see the validity behind Jim's hypothesis and I would add a caveat
to
it. Although the percentage of literate has grown in America, it has
grown
for three reasons. First, there are more Americans than there were years
ago
who live in urban areas, which have more schools, and therefore more
opportunity to complete basic educational needs such as reading and
writing.
Second, there are far fewer Americans who drop out of school in the 5th
through 8th grade as previously was the case because they had to work to
help out on the farm/ranch/grove or to help provide family income.
Finally, the difficulty of the "standard" reading levels has been
diluted
based on the ideas of social promotion and no child is should have to
lose.
For example, when I graduated high school in the early 1960s, Moby Dick
was
required reading at the 9th or 10th grade level. Today, it is a hard
read
for many college juniors due to the level of the language and the number
of
polysyllabic words.
Yes, I believe that Americans are more literate than a generation or two
ago, but I do not believe that Americans are better educated, more
knowledgeable, or more erudite than before. In fact, I think that quite
the
opposite has taken place. But that is just my own perception.
David B. Dubin, PHR
Senior Curriculum Developer
Sage Software
727-579-1111 x 3356
david -dot- dubin -at- sage -dot- com
Your business in mind.
-----Original Message-----
From: jim guarino [mailto:jag9330 -at- earthlink -dot- net]
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 4:29 PM
To: Gene Kim-Eng; Dubin,David; Collin T
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Formality is going bye-bye?
Here's a hypothesis. Feel free to tear it up, re-construct it, dismiss
it. I
think that America is more literate than ever before, but it is also
more
intellectually lazy than ever before. The % of population that is
sub-literate may be shrinking, but the % that acts as if it were
sub-literate is increasing. It's a lot easier to watch and read tabloids
than it is to take on a challenging topic.
Jim Guarino
-----Original Message-----
>From: Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
>Sent: Feb 7, 2006 1:08 PM
>To: "Dubin, David" <David -dot- Dubin -at- sage -dot- com>, Collin T
<tutivillus -at- gmail -dot- com>
>Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>Subject: Re: Formality is going bye-bye?
>
>If you look at various forms of "communication" over the decades
>and centuries, "formality" has traditionally been one of the dividers
>between the educated elite and the "unwashed multitudes." Just
>scan any of the yellow press or scandal rag newspapers of the
>late past to the supermarket tabloids of today you'll see that the
>only thing that has changed over time is that the barely literate
>have gained access to increasingly sophisticated means of
>receiving pablum. Ten years ago, most net users were college
>educated or members of households headed by someone who
>was. Today the average net user is a lot less educated, but
>it's not because society as a whole is, but because the user base
>is broader. As dumb as you may think American society is
>today, reading scores over time demonstrate that as a society
>America has never been any smarter than it is now.
>
>Gene Kim-Eng
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Dubin, David" <David -dot- Dubin -at- sage -dot- com>
>To: "Collin T" <tutivillus -at- gmail -dot- com>
>Cc: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 9:20 AM
>Subject: RE: Formality is going bye-bye?
>
>
>Here is one man's (very jaded) opinion. (Bringing out soap box)
>
>It seems to me that there is a "dumbing down" of communications at
every
>level of American society.
>
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