Smartphones and the End of Civilization

 When the book about the collapse of civilization is written in a few years, "smartphones" will be the cause of the collapse. 

Regular readers should not be surprised by my hatred of smartphones. They are a regular target of my comments here. Why do I hate smartphones? Because people don't know anything anymore and cannot function without whipping out their phones. 

When my kids were in school in the 1990's and early 2000's. they were not allowed to use a calculator in math class. Why? Because they needed to learn how to do math. Teachers would say, "You aren't always going to have a calculator with you.". Now you do with your phone. I wrote in an earlier post about a school where no fifth grader can pass the state math test. I am willing to bet that they all have a smartphone. Smartphones=stupid students. Do the math!!

A couple of months ago, I was out for lunch with some friends. The waitress brought the checks and a friend whipped out his phone. I looked at him and asked, "Are you calling the bank to see if you have enough to pay the check?" I am really understanding about things like that. Sure! Anyway, he told me that he was trying to figure out what a 20% tip would be so he could put it on the charge slip. Stunned, I said "Your bill is $19.86. Ten percent of that is about $2.00. Twenty per cent will be about $4.00. Leave her $4.00 and let's get moving!" I sat through math classes in several years with this guy and I am sure that he knew how to do math at one point. 

Why don't people know math now? It's really pretty simple. The easy access to a calculator prevents your brain from exercising. It's like having a healthy person walk with a crutch all of the time. After a few weeks, they can't walk without the crutch. If you don't exercise your mind, it turns to mush. 

Another point of my hatred is the GPS function of your phone. Why bother learning where you are when the magic box can tell you? The problem is that the information in the magic box has not all been field tested. I am told that only a very small percentage of GPS info is faulty. The bad news is that if that small portion is part of your route, it is a big problem.

Here's my best GPS failure story. Last year, my beloved and I were headed to Louisiana. We were on I-20 in South Carolina and had traveled a few hours from home. My wife suggested that it was about time for a stop. I told her that there was a Love's Travel Center about 15 miles away and we would stop there. She pulled out her magic phone and located the Love's on the GPS. She told me that it was going to be at the next exit, according to the GPS. I assured her that the Love's was not at the next exit. The GPS and my beloved insisted that it was at the next exit. With the veins in my forehead about to explode, I took that exit. When we got to the light, I asked "Where is the ##**## Love's?". It wasn't at that exit. We got back on I-20 and went to the exit where I knew that Love's was located. After calming down, I explained why I was right, and the magic GPS was wrong. I told her that I had traveled that road several times and always stopped at that Love's. In addition, it was located at the exit for Gilbert, South Carolina. My name is Gilbert. How could I forget that? The GPS remained off for the rest of the trip. 

People don't know anything anymore because they can whip out the magic box and look it up. I love to quote some obscure fact and then have someone say, "How do you know that?" My response is always, "Look it up!" That tends to end most discussions.

So, what's the point of all of this? Humans are no longer thinking and reasoning. We are reduced to swiping and scrolling on the magic box. Break free!! Pick up a book and read. Get a pencil and a piece of paper and do a little math. Sharpen your thinking skills and not your digital dexterity skills. 

I frankly believe that smart phones are bringing Orwell's 1984 to real life. Who knows what the motives are of the people programming those phones? Smartphones are just an indoctrination device. You get the message every time you use it.  Smartphones may be the "number of the beast" written about in the book of Revelation. The Department of Injustice has already proven that cellphones are a tracking device. Who uses that information?  In addition to all of this, most phones are made in China or other foreign countries. Who knows what they are putting into those phones??

If you are one of those readers who is reading this on their smartphone, this is probably not the first time that I have offended you. Thanks for reading anyway!!