[Y’all know I’ve been busy with some shit. Here’s a video of my day.]
Idiocracy is like a mirror. What you are has a lot to do with what you see in it. So too with society. Observe this sign I noticed a week ago.
Shit happens. Bakeries catch fire. I get it.
This sign is earnest and truthful. Vastly more informative than any news program!
On the other hand, it looks like it was scrawled by a monkey. Nobody expects Shakespeare on a hastily posted sign, but I’d be pretty embarrassed to post something like this. I’d at least try for decent penmanship. I’d also try hard to not misspell anything. Then again that would be “inconvince”.
Here’s a different example.
It was at a much snootier locale, a coffee shop (the natural habitat of woke overeducated unemployable trustafarians). You’d expect improved penmanship and grammar. (It feels like you need at least a few year’s graduate school to be a barista.) As expected, the sign is well written, informative, and concise. Well done.
On the other hand, did we as a society overindulge in grammar education when we really need plumbers? (BTW: I’ve done a lot of “homeowner plumbing”. It’s not rocket science, but it is a skill one must develop. I can do some plumbing but not all plumbing.)
Are all bets off when the plumbing fails onto an electrical system? Maybe. Maybe not? I’ve had similar “homeowner scale” issues. It wasn’t the end of the world. I just killed the power at the breaker, and then (in an abundance of caution) I shut down the whole damn building. (Better safe than sorry.) I fixed the plumbing as well as I could, cleaned up the mess, and then figured out what circuits were safe to energize and which ones needed a pro (those circuits stayed dead until a pro arrived!). I’m not great at “repairing shit”, but I can do a lot more than nothing. (If I was truly skilled I’d charge $100 an hour like a real pro.)
Here’s a third sign I found.
Proper spelling (if you assume “4” and “for” are equivalent), concise and to the point, easy to read. I’d give it an A- but I’m dropping it to a B because “4” ain’t “for”. (Yes, I used “ain’t”; it’s my blog and I can abuse the language with full knowledge of what I’m doing.)
A second pen (possibly a second person) added details. I’ll take it!
A quick notice about a breakdown in the system followed after the fact by true information (presumably) explaining what went wrong. I’ll crank my score back up to an A-.
I wish news media could provide true data as follow up to unexpected events. It’s not that hard. CNN are you listening?
Let’s not go overboard with my little observations. Three signs about closed businesses doesn’t mean the end of the world. Unexpected events happen. That’s life. A sign taped on a door is better than a locked door with no explanation. I think of it as civilization clutching at the edge rather than fallen into the abyss.
What about the lack of electricians and plumbers? Is that the sign of a doom loop? Probably not. There’s been a shortage of skilled labor since labor got skilled.
As for literacy? Even the first sign, which looks like it was scrawled on a wall, conveys what needs conveying. It implies that any consumer (like me) could read the sign. I optimistically think it shows we’ve got near 100% literacy. That much of our literacy is at the 4th grade level isn’t the best news; but you already knew you lived in Idiocracy.
I’ve always noticed that you are very careful about your location. I was pretty sure you were somewhere in —————————.
The sign from ———– suggests otherwise.
Just wanted to make sure you were aware…
Aww shit! What a colossal OPSEC fuck up! My old dog would be pissed off. Maybe being ill has me off my game?
I deleted the offense and shall continue as if nothing happened. Ironically, I don’t live anywhere near there but it’s unwise to be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs (even incorrect ones). I figure the world doesn’t need to know my location or name. Such information wouldn’t change my writing or thoughts but it would make me break out in hives. Lest we forget, only a few years ago President 81 Million votes tossed a thousand political prisoners in the slammer just to prove a point. It wasn’t Tiananmen Square but it was a step in that direction. We’re only one election away from that low point. Without some basic level of anonymity I’d have to take up another hobby; bowling perhaps? (I’ve never gone bowling. I’m just sayin’.)
Thanks for the head’s up! Good catch! If you sleuth out further details please don’t “out me”. I promise I’m not a Russian spy, a Chinese bot, or a member of your HOA; beyond that I’ll provide no further details.
Don’t feel bad about criticizing poor use of language. I for one have concluded that most “news” outlets are no longer able to find competent wordsmiths of any caliber.
Daily, no matter what channel or station, the chyron line on the screen will contain one egregious spelling error if not multiples. So bad to the point I conclude they are using voice recognition software or using English as a third language employees.
What causes shudders is that just maybe, the workers are in fact “summa cum laude” graduates of top universities or colleges, and this is what passes the requirements for graduation. Sigh!
Well said.
Finding three signs on different doors explaining why they are closed is a sign in itself. Entropy takes it’s toll when regular maintenance is neglected, like a field growng in with willows and aspen if it isn’t brush-hogged.
We live in interesting times, and there is only us to fix it. That which can not be fixed shall be cannibalized like an albino in the savannah.
What tells me civilization is in trouble is the number of cars which are sold without a spare tire, given a can of Fix-A-Flat and air compressor. No one thought ‘What if the tire blows out and is a complete wash-out?’ Not even a donut emergency tire – WTF ?
Then I remember people actually choose to buy the car anyway. I hope they did take the time to get a full size tire and have the tools to replace it themselves. I wonder how many people have ANY experience replacing a tire on their own ?
I did not know that. I thought cars were required to come with at least a donut. I always have a full sized spare of course, but I’m nowhere near the kind of person that buys a car NEW.