Averi+J's+OpEd+Article

media type="file" key="averij-muckraker-2011.mp3"

=**Pseudo-literacy: An Outbreak of Inappropriate Text Lingo Usage**=
 * By Averi J.**

What separates humans from those lower on the food chain? Intelligence? The ability to adapt? Opposable thumbs? Well what about the ability to communicate using….wait for it…WORDS.

The Literacy rate in the United States is reportedly 99%. Go us! Right? I’m not so sure. Today we have a new epidemic on our hands: text lingo. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to condemn the “lol”ers of the world, in fact I admit to enjoying and reciprocating with the occasional “rotfl” “brb” “g2g” “dnmmfawfiaraewsa” when texting a fellow member of this strange age of technology, but everything has its place. You know where this lingo belongs? In text messages.

For goodness sakes abbreviations not describing an organization fighting an actual epidemic are not meant to be spoken. If you say “rotfl” I expect you to Stop, Drop, and Roll Damnit! “Lol”? What am I blind? Deaf?! You are most certainly not laughing out loud if you are saying “lol.” In fact you’re not even courtesy laughing, most likely this spoken phrase is accompanied by a nonchalant hair flip and maybe a sarcastic roll of the eyes. JK?! You know what I’m not jking about? How obnoxious it is to use text lingo in out loud conversations.

Really guys, is it that difficult to use your words, not the meaningless abbreviated ones but actual words? JK has only one syllable less than “Just kidding,” laughing is infinitely more fun than saying “lol” and the word obvious doesn’t need to be abbreviated to “obvi.” Honestly that last abbreviation sounds like a reference to ovulation and I was sincerely confused by the simple conversation that followed the use of it. STOP ABBREVIATING. Text lingo belongs in text messages, real words belong in actual conversation.

So to all of you text-speakers grow some literacy and a sense of pride in what you say. To all of you who continue using this form of pseudo-literacy in face-to-face discussion i h8 U!... but that’s okay because when it’s said like that it doesn’t actually mean anything.