Is everything making me stoopid(er)?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 06:04AM Some days it takes all the courage on can muster just to drive into crime-ridden Mankato, MN: From this morning's paper:
Mooning suspect remains at large
"Heavyset?" That doesn't exactly narrow down the set of suspects around here.
The Free Press,
MANKATO
—
A pepper-spray-wielding woman who sprayed a bar bouncer after mooning police officers early Tuesday remains at large.
Police were called to Choppers on South Front Street about 1 a.m. to report that a woman was causing problems in the bar.
The woman reportedly stepped outside the
bar, dropped her pants, and displayed her buttocks to officers passing
by in a squad car. The officers apparently didn’t notice.
When the bouncer chastised the woman for
her behavior and attempted to remove her from the premises, she took a
pepper spray container from her purse and sprayed the bouncer’s face
and the bar area. Then she took off running.
The only description given of the woman is that she is heavyset.
Has anyone else noticed that newspapers are getting thinner - in width, in length, and especially in depth? News magazines like Time and Newsweek are getting thinner on editorial content. NPR and CNN are now catering to our sub 5 minute attention spans. Most movies seem to run about 90 minutes instead of two hours and critics complain when they run "long." I am not holding my breath hoping for a political debate where participants could actually treat issues in depth.
Nicholas Carr in The Atlantic asks "Is Google Making Us Stoopid?" Motoko Rich asks in the NYT's article "Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading," if reading on the Internet is the cause of poor reading test scores. I've worried about my change in reading habits for some time.
If the snippitization of information was made popular by Internet sites, it has certainly gotten a good deal of help from the regular media.
OK, here it comes. You KNOW I couldn't resist...
Reader Comments (8)
You are too much!! I'm sitting in a session at SC ETV's Technology Summer Training and laughed out loud - busted! Got to refocus
Nope, it's just you people in Mankato. :-)
Seriously, though, my big complaint is the way that the news media takes a minor event and beats the hell out of it as if it was the most important story of the day/week/month.
A good example of that is the 12 part, front page series the Washington Post did this month on a local murder mystery from ten years ago that would make a mildly interesting screenplay for Law and Order or CSI.
Ah Brenda--same workshop,different room, same action, same response--just wondering if Doug is the object of focus in the pix?
Great point! I've even heard some people argue that Sesame Street has also helped shorten our attention spans (none of the segments are over four-five minutes long). I wonder though if the media "made" us this way, or are they just capitalizing on our best thinking moments? Maybe this is just another "chicken-and-egg" discussion?
I've also noticed a change in my reading habits. I don't read much fiction anymore...even longer non-fiction books are a chore to get through.
Great insight.
Turn that evidence over to the police!! That picture should give them a clear description of that violent offender.
@ Hi Brenda,
Always nice to know one has caused a little disturbance in the Force!
Doug
@Hi Tim,
At least the story about the mooner was not on the front page above the fold.
The media also seems to be inordinately focused on celebrity and entertainment "news." Even Newsweek looks a lot more like People than it once did.
All the best,
Doug
@ Hi Cathy,
I am sure you and other readers will be disappointed to learn that it was my body double in the photo. I have the words "LIBRARIANS ROOL!" tattooed across my derriere. I thought this might come in handy if I ever encounter a particularly hostile audience at a tech keynote. I could just drop trou, and end the session. It's the mark of a professional to always be prepared.
Doug
@ Hi Rob,
I agree. Our attention span has been slipping for sometime. Somebody wrote that the Lincoln-Douglas debates STARTED with 3 hour opening arguments from each candidate. I suspect most of us today would be checking our email long before hearing both sides completely.
All the best,
Doug
Hilarious! Could you provide the url for the post on making that kind of poster? that kind of artwork? (not speaking about the moon)
Always fun to peruse your site.
Hi Paul,
Making these "inspirational" posters is pretty simple. Here's the link:
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php
Have fun!
Doug