Bits & Pieces

Observations on a rainy day

Stuff I just had to sweep out

While surfing the Improve Your Writing club threads, I've noticed several members who are really very funny in their comments. They aren't mean or sarcastic (not intentionally anyway... I don't think) but it gives the whole experience one of being closer to the others on the thread and sometimes generates enough curiosity to visit their pages and even sample the work.

The there are also some who just can't be anything but serious and almost stuffy. A little fun doesn't disrupt the meeting; common sense doesn't let it get out of hand, although I've seen some that have gone on for ever, fawning over anothers remark.

Something else I've noticed about the young girls on this site (teens), when you read their profiles, for whatever reason, they seem to be extremely profane with comments about themselves or visitors who might message them or spam their work. There is also an awful lot that quite openly claim some mental or physical impairment. Doesn't appear to be a lot of self respect among some of them. The young guys are just as bad with language and grunge talk but I guess at my age I just don't expect it form the girls; certainly different from my era... publically anyway.

I've also noticed that there is a huge loss of practical knowledge for the most part. Some of the threads are asking questions about things I learned in grade school and they are answered by those who do know, as if it's perfectly normal. A few that I see regularly are quite well informed and in some cases, as I mentioned, their replies are informative but laced with humour that, judging from responses, sailed right over the member's head.

Lastly, for now, the decline of the English language is appalling. While every generation had its slang, now, with all conversation in text etc. it has all but disappeared replaced by contractions, symbols and coded initials for saving space. As a result there are a number of strings asking for help with grammar. Gee, you think?