Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2009)
'T l Forum 6 November 11)K, my BFF J ill ? Webspeak disgraces English language D anny M c G arry The moment school ends, kids pull out their phones and text about what happened at lunch, the drama during math and the crazy teacher in English. I'll admit that I text, and most of the time I do so in full sentences. And I am a bit able to read what I say, not pull out a decoder. It works in Spanish too. My Spanish cousins often use "Q" for que. So everywhere, they use "webspeak" for texting, IMing and e-mails. I recently conducted an experiment to see whether a person using acronyms was Photo by Libby Kara Shannon Hardman, freshman, pulls out her cellphone to text. As texting becomes more popular and widespread, students are be coming more likely to abbreviate their words and use acronyms as a way to communicate faster, which many think is a shortcut that will cause more grammatical errors in important documents, such as essays. of a grammar Nazi, but I think it would be easier for people to read without the "g2g" and of course the "idk.” I don't use those acronyms because I want people to be perceived as more intelligent someone who didn't. The survey I sent included the conversation to the right. The survey results (as of Nov. 12) were: Person A received 248 (73 percent) votes while Person B received 88 (27 percent) votes. It's amazing that Person B received that many votes because he/she was using slang and there were some typos. It seems to me that Person A is more intelligent because he/she used full sentences knowing that he could've used "loln. It bothers me when people excessively use these acronyms. It's unnecessary and makes everything harder to read. There's a difference between making everything shorter for convenience, and making it so you look cooler (which you don't, by the way). It seems to me that more and more people are using acronyms and it seems that the younger the person, the more they use it. Some people, like me, are exceptions. I've also seen adults use it to seem younger. Acronyms probably have their uses, but it is extremely annoying to decipher. We just need to stop before this craze takes over. It's okay to use a "rofl" and a "brb," but for Pete's sake, please don't use an "OMGUH!" Driver displays temper: does rude behavior rule road? B enjamín M ann Hatred oozes everywhere. It floods its way into rude and sarcastic remarks at work, it runs rampant in modem television and truly engulfs the road. What is the cause of this, then? In the past, people acted with a decent amount of respect, rarely acting as rude as many Americans choose to now. This rude behavior needs to stop. I knew that rude behavior was "out there," but my biggest wake-up call came a few months ago. One summer day, I was driving my mother to Tryon Creek State Park where we could enjoy a nice hike. Unfortunately, it was rush Money not needed to be happy Frill lilt fault________________ continued from page 5 Getting phone numbers is not all that difficult, and can prove to take up a good day's work. Making sure that they are correct is essential as the people you call probably are doing exactly the same thing, or they're just in Kalamazoo. You don't need to justify asking for them, after all you might need to call them sometime. Downtown cannot be handled by everyone, but if you play a portable instrument, mime, or juggle perhaps you can cope with the dangers and earn the rewards of city life. The airport also provides a floor space where you can stmt your stuff. If you are affiliated with the above mentioned organizations maybe you will want to take advantage of their frequent field trips. The dues you've paid in the past year may aid you now in your time of need. If you can drive a car, but do not own one, or have easy access to one, you should keep your eyes open for the free Oregon Chief hotdogs and pepsi deals at local car dealers. For that matter, you can even bring a date for a test drive. Round Table appreciates the patronage of West Linn students even if they just drink water or coffee. The napkin surfaces are perfect for drawing and writing poetry. As an added bonus you can raise some extra money by selling haiku poems at a quarter each, if you're good. Parties at your house can be profitable if they are B.Y.O. and that rule is enforced with military strength. The left overs are yours by unwritten law. A large backyard may be cleaned by a recruiting task force of game drunks. Finally, to pay for some of the exciting but reasonable activities in Ms. Roberts' calendar page, try a garage sale. hour, and as I tried to make a left turn, a black Jeep came up behind me, also wanting to turn. There was a small gap in traffic, one I could’ve gone through, but didn't because I felt it was too big of a risk. The Jeep didn't. Honking and yelling was only the start of it. A few minutes later came another gap, one I was just able to get through. The black Jeep was still stuck at the turn, and I thought my problems were over. Just as I was about to make the left turn into Tryon Creek, I saw that same Jeep. It had literally been speeding to catch up with me, and it too wanted to turn into Tryon Creek. By this time, I was becoming pretty nervous. Did the driver of this Jeep really want to go to Tryon Creek as well? I decided to test it by going down the parking lot. There were several spots open right near the entrance, but I avoided them. So did she. I circled around the entire parking lot. So did she. At this point, I gave up and parked near the entrance. Yet again, so did she. Locking the doors, I watched as a middle-aged woman got out of the Jeep, came up to my car, and yelled, "If you can't drive during rush hour, then find someone who can!" then drove away, her face still red. After my experience, my mother and I were shocked and surprised, and we took our hike in unusual silence. Though my experience with Photo by Libby Kara A driver displays anger behind the wheel. Road rage is an ongoing problem in the United States. According to the Washington Beltway Study, road rage may account for 50 percent of car crashes. the Jeep driver is one that I still carry with me, what resonates even more is what exactly it means in the larger spectrum. This woman and I had never met. She never bothered with a, "Hello," or even an, "Excuse me." Her manner was harsh and abrasive, leaving me stunned. I highly doubt all her anger was directed at me; it was likely that she was facing real-life issues, such as job loss or divorce, and was just channeling the anger in this way. Instead of talking to other people such as friends, counselors, and family about our problems, do we instead choose to impose it on other people? Do we use strangers we don't even know as a way to dissapate our anger, knowing we won't see them again? And does that very same anger only cause more anger among other people, who in turn impose it on others? Is it an endless chain of harsh, rude behavior to others that can't be broken? Ultimately, we live in a society certainly facing hard times, but one that still holds the ability to show kindness as well. Perhaps by keeping our own resentments away from people unrelated to them and talking out our feelings with friends and family a bit more, we can seek to break this chain, and provide America's much-needed facelift as a result.
