Can't We All Just Get Along?

Welcome to 2019, and the wild frontier known as the internet and social media. In this day and age we can capture everything, and post it to social media so we can all collectively unpack it. And boy do we unpack it, posts are either glorified and praised, or they are shunned and scolded. From the smallest events going viral, to big huge moments being overlooked, there is a lot of “noise” on the internet. There is a lot of SHOUTING and name-calling going on, and it’s getting us nowhere. We are stomping on the feelings of the young ones, while disrespecting those that came before us. We need a referee, a fair and just group who has the patience to listen to the needs of the young ones, and can translate to the elders in a way not to offend and give them heart attacks.

So, how do you put your turn signal on, wait for a spot to open, and then veer onto the off-ramp of the information superhighway, and get yourself together? Go old-school. I have found hands-down the best way to make an impact is good old pen and paper. For those of you in the younger category that feel more comfortable to type as you write, I suggest you type up your letter, print it out out, then hand write it, stuff it in an envelope, and put a stamp on it. If however you have the handwriting of a serial killer or a doctor, you might want to just go with the print-out.

Handwriting in the age of technology is awful. I have to ask everyone to decipher their chicken scratch. I remember my fourth grade teacher always harped on me, in front of the class no less, that I had the worst handwriting. I was so embarrassed when I had to go up to the chalkboard and try to write in *gasp* cursive! So, that summer I made it my goal to have the best penmanship I could. Fast forward to fifth grade, and I got straight “A’s” in my penmanship. I even made my fifth grade teacher show my fourth grade teacher that in fact, I could have excellent penmanship. I also attribute my OCD to the fact that my fourth grade teacher used to take my desk out into the hallway, and dump it out, and make me put everything back in “neatly,” so that I didn’t waste his and the class's time shuffling through my belongings for my pencil. I’m pretty sure if my fourth grade teacher was still teaching, he’d be disciplined or dismissed for being rude, bossy, and overstepping his boundaries, and boy did I hate him, I gritted my teeth everyday of fourth grade.

Looking back on this, I found that even though at the time, I hated every minute of it, he taught me some extremely valuable lessons. I was so dang grateful, that at one point I tried to google search him to send him a “Thank You” card, but sadly had found that he had passed away. So, if you’re out there Mr. Q, thanks a million for giving me some class and decorum.

So, now that I’ve given you a reason for why I’m doing my columns, it’s because I think that we as a society lack class, taste, and proper manners when using the internet. I’m taking my Gen X neutrality, and using it to the best of my ability to make peace between the Boomers, and the Millenials before we all end up imploding.

We can get through this together, I promise. It’ll be fun, you’ll learn a lot, and hopefully laugh a lot. Mostly the laughing part.

Love ya bunches everyone!

-Katie