Diminishing Intelligence
Rant
by Almighty Yomaguf
Hey readers. This is Yomaguf. Well actually it's not but I really don't
want to give out my real name on the internet even though those who
searched hard enough could simply find it without any difficulty. Well, in
real life I have a problem, I have trouble expressing myself and saying
what I want to so I'm trying out a different take on the solution. I'm
going to write articles, post them around the web, and see what
feedback I get (if any at all). From that I'll write more and more and
hopefully this will help me phase out my stupid problem. Well, I decided to
devote my first article to things I find stupid as a matter of fact. Most
of them are stupid but I figured that the most effective way of
releasing this anxiety is by writing about things I have trouble getting out.
So for the enjoyment of all, my very first article.
From the things I've seen in my short time alive really makes me grieve
for the future of the human race. I'm generally not an irritated
person, I have the fun made out of me, I lose sporting events, even fail my
exams, just like everyone else. But these occurrences don't generally
make me care. I'm pretty introverted and don't like saying what I'm
thinking as to not hurt anybodies feelings, but recently it's becoming too
much.
I work as a part time shop-assistant in a newsagents/Post Office in
a small area of which I reside also. Many of the people know me and my
family and I get along with everyone just fine. Never get hassled and
occasionally make a mistake like people do. But just recently I've been
getting a lot more disappointed in the future of the species. I feel that
as the human race population grows the intelligence of such remains
constant. Now I consider myself a rather smart person. I have an above
average I.Q (144 if anyone is interested) although I don't feel this makes
me better than people, just smarter.
Now, saying I'm intelligent would be comparing me to the people who I live around. My area doesn't have the best reputation and people certainly find it hard to believe I'm
about to embark to one of the best colleges in the country because of
this. I've been stereotyped as a typical member of this area and OK I'm
absolutely fine with that, if you're that close minded that you think
we all act the same then so be it, I guess you also believe that
everyone from Ireland is as thick as two short planks and that everyone from
Liverpool is a scalawag. That's you, not me and like I mentioned it's
hard to irritate me. So now I'm guessing your thinking what the Hell is
he talking about if he doesn't care!? Does this article really have a
point? Well yes, yes it does.
Let me give a little background information. The area I have lived in
all of my life is known for violence, robbery, vulgar attitudes and
people who aren't the sharpest crayon in the box. And I'm sad to say that
it does describe 90% of the people who live around here. I don't
actually fit into this category (although don't get me wrong I m no wuss, I
have had many conflicts and remained unscathed). I don't speak like
these people. I have a slight accent which I can't help but it doesn't
really make much of an impact. I use correct grammar and pronunciation,
unlike many others from this area. I was taught respect (although being a
16 year old teenager I sometimes disregard that and I blame hormones),
follow the general set of rules and occasionally bend them to work my
way around. I'm always 100% honest and trustworthy and I show the same
attitude towards people that I expect to get back. Sadly that usually
isn't the case. No matter how polite you are to some people they still have no
manners.
When I'm serving a customer I always remember my please and thank you's
and generally that works great. People are generally as friendly to me
as I am to them. But recently I've seen a total lack of this. Blatant
ignorance is usually the case. I have a newspaper slapped in front of me
That's 30 pence please. The money is then slapped on top of the paper while the person
stares elsewhere avoiding looking in my direction.
That's 70 pence change, thank you sir.
The paper is snatched up and the change pulled from my hand as the
customer then leaves as soon as possible, this is the point where I turn
my index and middle finger into a gun shape and pretend to shoot them
as they walk away (not the most mature approach but its better than
actually shooting them).
Then we have the people who question not only mine but the cash
registers adding capabilities.
A 30 pence newspaper and a 35 pence Mars bar is placed in front of me.
Now I can simply do that in my head without a worry knowing that the
price is 65 pence. I till it up and continue with my friendly banter and
take the money, joke about how I need sleep when I accidentally miss
the till when I'm dropping the money in. Then I'll hand over change.
You sure that's right?
Positive, that's 30 pence that's 35 pence that makes 65 pence.
Wait a sec let me count.
After a few seconds they nod and smile at me then leave.
Thank you for trying to insult my adding capability for as I am a
member of this area my mathematic skills are extremely low and you never
know that a machine that is designed to add could also possibly wrong. It's OK for trying to make me look like a fool, I don't mind because once
you have been proven wrong and removed your false accusation against me
short changing you then everything is right in the world. WRONG! Just
because you're an idiot doesn't mean I am and I take your lack of faith
in me being able to perform simple abilities like that irritating.
OK, you probably think this is totally about me griping about the people
I have annoying me at work but no, there are many others.
One of such is a young girl from South. She has just turned 14 and lost her
virginity at 13. That to me seems too young but that's just my opinion. Her
boyfriend she had sex with was the same age as me. So obviously her
main reasons were so he wouldn't lose interest. But she had a lovely
personality so he'd be stupid to have gotten rid of her as it is.
Stupid people who want to be older than what they
are really bug me. These girls that act mature and serious are just
wishing they are adults but I never understood why. Who really wants to be
old, I certainly don't, I'm happy being young and acting it, I don't
want to be middle aged before I've left my teens. But Hell, you want to
act like you're an adult go ahead, I just wonder if you will act like a
senior citizen when your 27?
Next victim on my hit list. Internet lingo. Net-Speak. Chat text. how
r u? wot r u up2? y? Now most of my friends use this and its not
that it bugs me when they use it but when they use it to an extent you
can't understand a thing. You can only foreshorten things to a certain
degree before it becomes nonsense. As long as it is understandable then
sure use it. I honestly don't mind. Now you're probably thinking well
if he doesn't mind why go on about it. Well it saddens me that people
with the greatest talents in English lessons are reduced to this
language. People with an I.Q far above average and have perfect spelling become
someone different. I get called a geek and posh when I chat to people
on Instant Messenger because I use full English. I do because I can. I
know a lot of really intelligent people who could easily spend the extra
seconds to make themselves look as intelligent as they actually are for
in my eyes (and this is just my opinion) Net-Speak makes you out as not
as intelligent. Why must people with such a great mind be judged as
someone not smart because they don't spell the words fully in their
messages? I would never judge someone by their typing because it's who they
are. I personally find it takes me less time to type correctly as when I
don't I have to think about how I can foreshorten the word and in turn
I could have typed out half of a sentence by the time I'm finished. I
know this seems silly that I complain about how people speak on the
internet but I think it's respectful to speak to someone correctly.
Net-speak is like saying you're not worth my time and effort to talk to in a
distinguished manner. This was more of a moan than my complaints on
the idiocy of people.
OK I have another gripe about the internet and people on it. I
mentioned earlier that I was a member of a few teen sites. Well on these sites
you write up a profile including a little information about yourself
and what you like. Some of them you can add an image. You can message
other people to make new friends. In my opinion these are nothing more
than a dating site but no-one seems to mind. Well anyway I talk to people
on them and its how I met most of my internet friends. The problem I
have with them is when my inbox gets flooded with private messages from
young girls (and the occasional lad) asking me if I would like to chat.
ok, yeh sure, I'll chat. So I message back, yeh of course. Then I can
instantaneously guarantee that my reply will include "So what are you
into?" Now I have a profile page that's how you know I'm here. Are these
people honestly too lazy to go further than looking at a picture I have
up to read the rest of my page which gives all that information?
Whenever messages like this appear I usually don't bother replying as I've
lost interest in talking to them. Every so often when I know what my
reply will be I say simply "Yeh, as long you have an intelligent topic to
talk about." and in this case I usually don't get a reply. And if I do it's the same as my other response. So basically it's very rare I make any
internet friends. I just really find it hard to believe that the only
person on these sites that want to talk about serious things instead of
each others hobbies is me! I'm not looking for a new girlfriend I'm
really happy with the one I'm with so if your only intention of messaging
me is to try and talk me out of my relationship to go out with you when
you live in the total opposite side of the country, your 3 years
younger than me and you have no proof you're as great as you make out then
don't bother. Please just leave me in peace. I don't want to talk to you.
So this ends my ranting and raving at things that annoy me. I hope that
anyone who reads this will maybe think twice about what they do or don't do. I know I'm such a fussy pest and that you probably all hate me
but if I honestly cared would I make this available for you all to read?
This is my first attempt at writing articles for fun and also an
exercise suggested to me so that when I sit there holding everything I want
to say in get out in one way or another. I hope you enjoyed reading this
and if you want to comment please feel free to eMail me at: Yomaguf@hotmail.com.
Regards
The Almighty Yomaguf
Diminishing Intelligence© COPYRIGHT 2004 Almighty Yomaguf.
Reproduction prohibited without permission from the author.
08/27/04
