Anyone else see this as a problem??

[VBshooter]

One of the reasons it should be still taught is to let the little dears know THEY can still actually do something themselves without it needing a battery or plug to make it happen/. Living life on the web all the time just ain't healthy...

[Kreutz]

BULLSH!T, Kreutz! those assertions about the printing press and the Second Amendment are downright fatuous and you are bound to know it. As a matter of fact, the invention of the printing press did not in fact kill handwriting; it merely replaced it as the best way to mass-produce the written word. And your 2nd Amendment analogy is just plain silly.

Well, its silly on purpose. As the anti gunners insist the RKBA is somehow frozen in the technology of its day, its likewise silly to expect communications to remain static when they evolve rapidly.

Cursive is dying. It is thus not worth time and effort to learn. Heck, if we're going to waste resources teaching an obsolete writing system, why not learn 17th century English spelling and grammar? I mean, thats when the KJV was written in after all. Clearly bedrock of Western civ stuff.

We will be moft remiff in not purfuing that courfe of action no?

What's that got to do with this discussion?

He was observing no one uses cursive on technological devices....increasingly our sole non-verbal means of word based communication.

[dorminWS]

Kreutz, your 2nd Amendment argument on this could just as easily (and more appropriately) be couched thusly:

“People don't read cursive anymore, and the Constitution and bill of rights are written in cursive, so it is obviously dead just like cursive writing. Turn in all your guns along with your fountain pens. You don't need 'em any more."
OR:
"As we are obliged to embrace advancing technology without question as evidenced by the abandonment of cursive writing in favor of printing in order to accommodate digital communications devices, so must we adapt our Second Amendment rights to reflect the march of technology. Accordingly, all citizens are advised to turn in their obsolete semi-automatic firearms at DHS federal firearms modernization depots and claim heir replacement fully automatic M-4s, stinger missile launchers, and anti-personnel drones."

So it obviously lends no credence to your proposition to wrap it in the Second Amendment. All depends on which way you twist it.

And yes, DiscipleofJMB was obviously making the point that no one uses cursive fonts on technological devices anymore. Ignoring the fact that my current copy of MS Word has several cursive fonts on it and conceding that point arguendo, I repeat my point: SO WHAT? Most of us do not and should not rely exclusively upon technological devices to communicate via the written word; and certainly should not forfeit our ability to communicate without a keyboard unless and until the day comes when we can all just download our minds/personalities/souls? onto a big server in the cloud(s).

I won’t pursue the notion that “nobody speaks Latin anymore, either, so why don’t we abolish THAT and forfeit that huge chunk of the history of Western Civilization?”. If you put absolutely no value on cursive writing, you probably don’t give a damn about Latin, either.

[Kreutz]

Kreutz, your 2nd Amendment argument on this could just as easily (and more appropriately) be couched thusly:

“People don't read cursive anymore, and the Constitution and bill of rights are written in cursive, so it is obviously dead just like cursive writing. Turn in all your guns along with your fountain pens. You don't need 'em any more."
OR:
"As we are obliged to embrace advancing technology without question as evidenced by the abandonment of cursive writing in favor of printing in order to accommodate digital communications devices, so must we adapt our Second Amendment rights to reflect the march of technology. Accordingly, all citizens are advised to turn in their obsolete semi-automatic firearms at DHS federal firearms modernization depots and claim heir replacement fully automatic M-4s, stinger missile launchers, and anti-personnel drones."

So it obviously lends no credence to your proposition to wrap it in the Second Amendment. All depends on which way you twist it.

And yes, DiscipleofJMB was obviously making the point that no one uses cursive fonts on technological devices anymore. Ignoring the fact that my current copy of MS Word has several cursive fonts on it and conceding that point arguendo, I repeat my point: SO WHAT? Most of us do not and should not rely exclusively upon technological devices to communicate via the written word; and certainly should not forfeit our ability to communicate without a keyboard unless and until the day comes when we can all just download our minds/personalities/souls? onto a big server in the cloud(s).

I won’t pursue the notion that “nobody speaks Latin anymore, either, so why don’t we abolish THAT and forfeit that huge chunk of the history of Western Civilization?”. If you put absolutely no value on cursive writing, you probably don’t give a damn about Latin, either.

memini lingua latina parvus, nolite solliciti, modus vivendi

Never did get the hang of the grammar so I think thats about right....so many cases.

[ratherfish]

...

[dorminWS]

memini lingua latina parvus, nolite solliciti, modus vivendi

Never did get the hang of the grammar so I think thats about right....so many cases.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Merda bubulum pura.

[SHMIV]

Oh man, now they're taking jabs at each other in Latin. Where's my translater?...

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[ratherfish]

Learned it in 3rd grade (circa 1990 or so?) never used it in real life as no single situation has ever required me to. IMO its effectively obsolete and should not be taught anymore.

Splains a lot!


Seems my GI socks from 1969 make better sense, and you don't have to explain to them the lore, lure and elegance of lever guns!

...or cursive.

[Kreutz]

Merda bubulum pura.

Verum dixi! No BS, I taught myself some Latin in high school* reasoning it would give me some proficiency by default in the Romance tongues.

It did not work quite as well as I had hoped the vocabulary kind of worked, but that was about it. It did make learning medical terminology a snap at least and had some use in law class electives.

* Also a fantastic way to stay a virgin in high school

[dorminWS]

Many is the time I have known the definition of a word in English (and occasionally in Italian, French or Spanish) without resort to a dictionary because I recognized the Latin root (and from context). I took a couple of years of it in High School, and although by then it was too late to preserve my virginity (I've always had trouble with the concept of male virginity - seems sorta vaginafied, but that's an argument for another day), it has served me well with respect to the use of language. Most of it, I confess, is forgotten, but the fragments that surface unbidden at convenient intervals continue to be damned handy. I'll always be glad my pappy made me do it.

[DiscipleofJMB]

I can read and write cursive, and I see several hand-written letters every day. Several, maybe twenty percent, are in cursive. About twenty percent of those are nearly illegible.

When excecuted well, cursive can be elegant and touching. I don't care what ANYONE says, cursive is not as effective at communicating as typing. I get MANY typed notes and letters, and while spelling errors and grammar are rampant, the fonts are readable to anyone who understands English. Spelling and grammatical errors can be corrected simply by using spell check, which many people do not know how to or care to use. I see older co-workers pulling dictionaries out to search for words or check spelling while typing tech notes into the software we use, which is web browser-based. They refuse to use web-search tools that can be accessed by simply clicking on the screen, and letting the search tool suggest words that may have been spelled incorrectly or check definitions. Most of them are also hunt-and-peck typers. I can process my orders many times quicker than they can, increasing my productivity.

I would rather our children learn typing, computer applications, mathematics and science than to waste valuable time perfecting cursive writing. We aren't taught to mill wheat into flour to make bread anymore... as an elective or extracurricular activity, writing and calligraphy are fine with me. Rather than learning to draw characters in fancy ways, I think time learning is better spent on things that will help in the work environment. How in depth does cursive instruction go? A basic understanding of it may be necessary for another ten years or so, but with technology advancing more quickly all the time, we have more to worry about.

I'm about to get weird here... but the singularity is approaching. I don't know what it will bring but I think handwriting skills may be completely obsolete within a few decades.



Si vis pacem para bellum

follow me @DiscipleofJMB

[Kreutz]

Many is the time I have known the definition of a word in English (and occasionally in Italian, French or Spanish) without resort to a dictionary because I recognized the Latin root (and from context). I took a couple of years of it in High School, and although by then it was too late to preserve my virginity (I've always had trouble with the concept of male virginity - seems sorta vaginafied, but that's an argument for another day), it has served me well with respect to the use of language. Most of it, I confess, is forgotten, but the fragments that surface unbidden at convenient intervals continue to be damned handy. I'll always be glad my pappy made me do it.

'twas not voluntary I assure you.