“The link between broad-based literacy and the rise of democracy is well known: People who can read and write for themselves have, historically, also been good at choosing and advocating for themselves. What happens when the process goes into reverse? When people lack the patience to absorb arguments more than a few pages or sentences long? When they lack the ability to contradict those arguments because they’ve never honed, through daily practice, the most essential skill for clear thinking?
“We’re already getting a taste of what this world looks like in President Trump’s social media posts and the sway they clearly exert over tens of millions of Americans. But that’s a reflection of where the country was a decade ago, in the pre-A.I. age. How much farther down the road are we now, with our even more diminished capacity to read, write and think?
“The next time you’re tempted to just adopt an automated response for a text message or an email, don’t. Type out a response that’s your own. Think of it as an act of free will. Or a vote against Trump. What takes you a few additional seconds is an act of resistance against an ever-dumber world.”
Ann seemed to think that last shot was meant to be funny. No it wasn’t. Stephens assumes everyone reading the Times hates the President, loves open borders, wants whites and men discriminated against in the workplace, will be happy to let Iran develop nuclear weapons to vaporize Israel and will be thrilled when the totalitarian Left take over the government. It’s the same obnoxious attitude my Facebook friends have: surely nobody with any brains or decency would disagree with all the rants and ad hominem insults.
It is all part of the subtle and not so subtle strategy the Mad Left uses to suppress views they can’t tolerate, and to send the insulting message that all the smart and good people agree with them. [Voting for a dolt like Kamala Harris is “an act of resistance against an ever-dumber world”? An intellectual writes something that idiotic, and we’re supposed to be impressed?)
I am quite sick of it. What I can or will do about it is another matter.
I agree with your points.
I did find it humorous that, in an essay at least in part dedicated to extolling the virtue of clarity and concision in writing, you found yourself digressing repeatedly.
I’m a big fan of irony.
Ah, but Grasshopper, when one knowingly “digresses” for context and effect, as in this case, that is a sign of experienced writing and delineates style.
Ha! If the irony was intentional, then you just gave a master class in writing.
But even if it was just serendipitous I enjoyed it.
The decline of the written word is tied to the decline of reading, the ascendancy of phones, chats, e-text, twitter, instagram, etc.
As with everything in life for which a tool or shortcut has been developed, it is crucial that humans actually master the skill before using the assist. Unfortunately, when we need it most, excellent education is difficult to find.
AND
AI is so very probably radical left leaning …..
Yes, I agree. Many people use a calculator and have difficulty doing maths problems in their head or on paper. A few weeks ago, I was at my weekly quiz and at the end was the tiebreak question which the answer is always a number,and rather than make a guess, we thought it better to work it out. This involved some long division, but rather than this being done by our teammate who is almost finished her masters degree in mathematics, she wanted me to do it. It seems given a computer or calculator mathematicians are able to solve all sorts of problems, but take away their tech and they are stuck.