See The Reason

How many people (and I am probably highlighting the younger people here more than any other group), when you call them on a telephone (mobile or landline), respond with a “What?” or “Yeah?” Not a more introductory form, such as, “Hello, this is (insert name), Can I help?” There is an obvious deterioration of these basic skills of formal communication we were taught when young. These very base standards have not only been seriously lowered from its higher standards of twenty years ago, or more realistically, even ten years ago. It has now been lowered so significantly and rapidly, that it has not just reached the end of the flagpole, but has been ripped off, smashed into the ground, walked over and completely pulverised into the earth, until it is barely recognisable as the form of personal standards it once was.

The massive explosion in the ready availability of the various means, methods, tools and facilities for instant communication, including today’s incredibly ready accessibility for all areas of society, age, gender, social standing and race to the much proclaimed ‘social media’ is overwhelming. Social media is also one of the biggest causes of mistrust, hate, cowardice, procrastination, falsehoods and a method to display the mob mentality behaviour. Not forgetting the self-promotion (bordering on narcissism, misrepresentation, and plain bare-faced lies, which occur on it. It is frightening.  The instant communication available today has created a crash in basic communication skills. Yes, language and society must develop to meet the demands. But doesn’t develop usually refer to growth? Not simply a stripping down of courtesy, and respectful standards to the lowest common denominator. Today there is the creation of entire ‘species’ (eg: Trolls, Bears, Snakes and Weevils) of social media users, and a developing language to attempt to justify the fallen values. Not just in the dreadful spelling of the text messages. Was this how we as members of society used to communicate? And now so much more is in the public domain (for ever!) are we just seeing, publicly, what would have happened privately.  The concepts of this poorer form of communication skills now being exhibited, has resulted in major misunderstandings, confusion, public disruption and social breakdowns.

Right now (back from the tangent this just went in) I was holding my breath as my mother waited for the shop-keeper to answer their telephone. I looked at her mouth. I recall her licking her lip as she prepared to speak in her telephone voice. And then she did. “Hello. This is Mrs Dwyer. I’m sorry to bother you. My son just came down to your store a few minutes ago and brought something from you. Could you tell me what it was?” She paused as a response came to her. She looked at me. Hard. “Who served you? A man or a woman?” She asked. “A man” I said. “A man”, she relayed to the person. She waited a moment. Obviously the person on the other end called out to someone as my mother rapidly pulled the phone away from her ear.

Then she repeated what was said to her. “He bought a loaf of bread….(pause) thank you. And it cost seventy cents?” My mother asked That was the clincher question I had hoped she wouldn’t ask.

(Continued tomorrow)