By Bruce La Rue
At the risk of sounding like the grumpy old curmudgeon, a title that my family often assigns to me, I am compelled to launch a counterattack against what I see as one of the greatest non-violent threats to our culture and society. It began innocently enough, as many scourges probably do. Socialism is a benevolent concept until human nature takes over. Alcohol has many useful applications, but the irresponsible behavior of some who partake of it has led to a negative perception.
So let it be with texting. I doubt the inventors of text messaging envisioned what it would become once in the clutches of human nature, just as the Wright brothers almost certainly never envisioned anything like the 9/11 attacks. I would wager that Einstein was pondering power plants, not Hiroshima, when he was breaking the nuclear mustangs. Of course, texting has not resulted in a comparable number of deaths … yet.
The most obviously egregious misuse of a communication device has to be texting while driving. Some dangers in life cannot be avoided, but this one can. Texting while driving is inherently stupid because it is inherently reckless. Even a drunk driver (also stupid) will keep his eyes on the road, ineffective as it might be. Even if a driver is not impaired, yet has alcohol on his breath when he has a vehicular skirmish with a texting driver, guess who is the bad guy.
Another concern is the effect of texting on more traditional modes of communication. It is not unusual to see two or more gathered in one place, yet communicating via text messaging, sometimes with each other. Both of my grown step-daughters, if I do not catch them, will text someone else in the middle of our conversation as I attempt to impart my wisdom unto them. They often choose to pass up my morsels for digital droppings.
At risk is the meaningful, face-to-face, eye-to-eye personal contact that cannot accurately be translated into lazy shorthand or punctuation mark emoticons. Verbal expression consumes less precious time than texting, and is less cold and impersonal. Would you rather hear the words, “I love you,” or see them abbreviated on a 1.5 square-inch screen?
The third concern is the effect that text messaging has on what remains of the English language. I have seen baseball the way it was meant to be as a result of watching Pete Rose and Bob Gibson. I have seen football the way it was meant to be as a result of watching Peyton Manning and Dick Butkus. Few, if any, basketball players have been gifted with the physical eloquence of Michael Jordan. We know how the English language was meant to be played because of Shakespeare, Dickens and George F. Will, to name a few. Our language is beautiful, efficient, flexible and, when put to voice or paper in just the right fashion, every bit as elegant as any waltz ever composed.
Properly spoken English is already on life support in our modern society. Those of us who revere the language hate to see the written version buried along with it. Over the millennia, civilizations have worked diligently to produce what has evolved into a great and wondrous tool for the exchange of ideas, information, and inspiration. Text messaging threatens to send it all back to the walls of caves.
One of my hopes for the new year is that the taking of indecent liberties with the English language will be a passing fad. Until then, remember: Friends don’t let friends drive while texting.

Bruce La Rue lives in Mount Ulla.

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