That moment in time...

[Geez Louise]

Hi All

I would like to recollect an event that occured yesterday, whilst I was in the Shopping Centre. I believe it is possibly a defining moment, where I have realised that the generation gap does exist and I am what the youth of today would refer to as an "Old"

Two young people noticed each other and below is a detailed explaination of what I encountered.

Girl: Hey. (Big smile)
Boy: Sup. (look around, stare at the ground)
Girl: O. (Shrugging shoulders)
Boy: K (looks around some more, looks at his phone)
Girl: You loning (looks at boy)
Boy: Olds (glances over at his mum)
Girl: Soz. (checks text message on phone)
Boy: ughrrg (kind of grunts)
Girl: Later (walks off with her friend)
Boy: Catch (continues staring at his phone)

What had I just witnessed? Was is some sort of communique between people? I felt like I was David Attenborough, working my way through the Concrete jungle to discover a well known, yet hardly ever listened to, in detail, species - known as - The Urban Teenager.

An often thought of mystical creature who only wanders from the confines of their cave (bedroom), where they appear to be in a sort of half hibernation, before entering the living area/kitchen periodically, where hunting and gathering takes place before returning to it's cave.

Anthropologists in years to come will be able to pin point the moment in time, where Humans beings returned to their ancient roots and began talking and interacting just like cavemen.


Same conversation in my day:

Girl: Hello (Persons name) How are you? (Big smile, direct eye contact)
Boy: Not too bad. And yourself? (looking straight at girl)
Girl: Good thanks. (still smiling, looking at boy)
Boy: Great to hear it. You are looking well (still making eye contact with girl)
Girl: Are you here on your own? (looks at boy)
Boy: No. I am here with my mum (glances over at his mum, smiles)
Girl: Oh, well I hope she doesn't make you try on clothes or something like that (giggles)
Boy: Me too (looks slightly embarrassed but smiling)
Girl: Well I have to go. Nice seeing you. Bye! (walks off with her friend)
Boy: You too. Talk to you soon. (walks over to his mum)

Surely our lives are not that fast paced that we must tear down the Englsh language to it's core. Where has the English language gone? Why does everything have to be shortened? Was is soooo urgent that we have to barely communicate?

Had I just had that moment in time...??

The moment in which I was turning into something, I have dreaded for a few years now...am I indeed turning into my parents!?!

Cheers
Col

[chrisfpv]

They're too cool for school that's for sure.

[RepSpec]

il jump in to this as i am in between the 2 age groups it would appear.(im 25)

i cant stand the way the "younger" generations converse with each other (wow that makes me sound old lol). selfish and "is all about me" attitudes create this sort of talk, plus the need for every person over 5 years old to have an iphone/phone creates a "text" society, where people would rather text than talk on the phone or face to face.

however. this boy may have been really embarrassed by having his mum there as he could have been rather fond of the chick, and was regretting the "soooo is that your girlfriend" or any other embarrassing conversations that may come after that?

my 2c

[Stefan]

They talk in text.

I heard a kid actually say "LOL" during a conversation...

They have lost all social skills

[Grippy]

It's just the way it is these days, almost a completely different language.

[Brute 33]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Hi All

I would like to recollect an event that occured yesterday, whilst I was in the Shopping Centre. I believe it is possibly a defining moment, where I have realised that the generation gap does exist and I am what the youth of today would refer to as an "Old"

Two young people noticed each other and below is a detailed explaination of what I encountered.

Girl: Hey. (Big smile)
Boy: Sup. (look around, stare at the ground)
Girl: O. (Shrugging shoulders)
Boy: K (looks around some more, looks at his phone)
Girl: You loning (looks at boy)
Boy: Olds (glances over at his mum)
Girl: Soz. (checks text message on phone)
Boy: ughrrg (kind of grunts)
Girl: Later (walks off with her friend)
Boy: Catch (continues staring at his phone)

What had I just witnessed? Was is some sort of communique between people? I felt like I was David Attenborough, working my way through the Concrete jungle to discover a well known, yet hardly ever listened to, in detail, species - known as - The Urban Teenager.

An often thought of mystical creature who only wanders from the confines of their cave (bedroom), where they appear to be in a sort of half hibernation, before entering the living area/kitchen periodically, where hunting and gathering takes place before returning to it's cave.

Anthropologists in years to come will be able to pin point the moment in time, where Humans beings returned to their ancient roots and began talking and interacting just like cavemen.


Same conversation in my day:

Girl: Hello (Persons name) How are you? (Big smile, direct eye contact)
Boy: Not too bad. And yourself? (looking straight at girl)
Girl: Good thanks. (still smiling, looking at boy)
Boy: Great to hear it. You are looking well (still making eye contact with girl)
Girl: Are you here on your own? (looks at boy)
Boy: No. I am here with my mum (glances over at his mum, smiles)
Girl: Oh, well I hope she doesn't make you try on clothes or something like that (giggles)
Boy: Me too (looks slightly embarrassed but smiling)
Girl: Well I have to go. Nice seeing you. Bye! (walks off with her friend)
Boy: You too. Talk to you soon. (walks over to his mum)

Surely our lives are not that fast paced that we must tear down the Englsh language to it's core. Where has the English language gone? Why does everything have to be shortened? Was is soooo urgent that we have to barely communicate?

Had I just had that moment in time...??

The moment in which I was turning into something, I have dreaded for a few years now...am I indeed turning into my parents!?!

Cheers
Col

So very true and sad ....just got a text message from sister in law about a party this weekend.....I will not be texting her back....The art of conversation is dying very quickly....future looks good doesn't it...

[Geez Louise]

Exactly. I am not having a go at today's generation...We all did things differently to set us apart as we were going through adolecense.

I just picture the Anthropolgists in 150yrs time looking back and trying to discover how our society worked in 2012.

Example:





The world is changing and that is a good thing. This ole girl just has to move with the times.

Cheers
Col

[kaniSS]

Kids are like brain dead zombies these days.

[TC200six]

From reading your well detailed description, to me it appears the girl wanted to talk to the boy but he felt it was too awkward being with his mum, hence the boy looking at the ground instead of back at the girl and she didn't appear to be happy about it when she shrugged her shoulders.

As to what "You loning" responded by "Olds" is supposed to mean, I guess she means "Are you being a loner from me" and his answer without wanting to talk about it is "Olds" referring to his mother (his old woman) and she says "Soz" meaning "Sorry for disturbing you in front of your mum". The boy obviously wanted the girl to go away when he grunted, which she did do when she said "later". He ends it by saying "Catch" (meaning "catch you later").

Why can't they just talk normal English without having to abbreviate everything?

[Geez Louise]

Apparently, "You loning" is supposed to mean "Are you here alone?"

I had no idea...I had to ask my 16yr old

[Coyote mk3]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Same conversation in my day:

Girl: Hello (Persons name) How are you? (Big smile, direct eye contact)
Boy: Not too bad. And yourself? (looking straight at girl)
Girl: Good thanks. (still smiling, looking at boy)
Boy: Great to hear it. You are looking well (still making eye contact with girl)
Girl: Are you here on your own? (looks at boy)
Boy: No. I am here with my mum (glances over at his mum, smiles)
Girl: Oh, well I hope she doesn't make you try on clothes or something like that (giggles)
Boy: Me too (looks slightly embarrassed but smiling)
Girl: Well I have to go. Nice seeing you. Bye! (walks off with her friend)
Boy: You too. Talk to you soon. (walks over to his mum)

OK I'm 19 and this is still pretty much how I speak and how my friends do too.
The only time any of us actually speak like you have mentioned earlier is when we are having a go at how stupid these people sound. In fact we get more kicks out of talking Shakespearian era language than anything else

Does this mean I am getting old, or just that my friends and I have more social skills than the teenagers you saw? I hope its the latter of the two haha.

Never heard of "loning" before in my life

[TheInterceptor]

Hi I'm 19 and i dislike my generation.
Its a breath of fresh air to talk to somebody (via any medium) like a normal person...

[Windsor342ci]

I agree that it is kind of weird. Someone mentioned earlier they talk in texted. That couldn’t be truer. It’s almost cool to do so. (According to my 13 yr old nephew)

But is it that different? Go back 80 years ago, or even 40 and 50 years ago. The terms Rad, Narley, groovy hit the scene (Particularly in the 60s & 70s.) What the parents of 1st generation British decedents where saying? Thinking of proper edict and how **** the brits where on this.

The lingo has changed but society in its evolution has not as such....

[XRGhia]

I'm 16, but **** knows what they were saying, or even why they talk like that. Seems quite stupid to me.


Also, I agree with Mike and Matt (TheInterceptor and Coyote Mk3)...

And just a sentence i prefer this talk over this "l33t sp33k" or whatever it is...
"Your quite welcome young lad, be sure to return soon."

[TC200six]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Apparently, "You loning" is supposed to mean "Are you here alone?"

I had no idea...I had to ask my 16yr old

Well I guess I was wrong, but I gave it my best shot at attempting to translate the conversation. If someone said that to me, I would look at them as some kind of freak.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by CRYHSV

I agree that it is kind of weird. Someone mentioned earlier they talk in texted. That couldn’t be truer. It’s almost cool to do so. (According to my 13 yr old nephew)

But is it that different? Go back 80 years ago, or even 40 and 50 years ago. The terms Rad, Narley, groovy hit the scene (Particularly in the 60s & 70s.) What the parents of 1st generation British decedents where saying? Thinking of proper edict and how **** the brits where on this.

The lingo has changed but society in its evolution has not as such....

But i reckon rad, narley and groovy is alot better than tlkin lke ths. As if its that hard to press a few more buttons. I cant see how its cool!

[XD 351 Ute]

Welcome to olds-ville, population us.
My good friend that I've known from school days, has a son,
and their conversations are extremely one-sided.
The boy is just 15, and his Dad just tears his hair out trying
to have a normal conversation with him....

Ed

[chrisfpv]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Apparently, "You loning" is supposed to mean "Are you here alone?"

I had no idea...I had to ask my 16yr old

Thought she might've been asking for a loan.

[Mickxr8]

I would love to see the entire mobile network shut down for a week ( a month would be better )
Then just sit back and watch eveyone panic and run for the hills to try and get a signial
We as humans survived pretty well before ?
(love shopping centers, if someone is taking up an aisle stopped right in in the middle txt`ing or gasbagging a nudge with the ol trolley spins them out )

[z80]

I had text disabled on my new flip prepaid phone.

Girl in the Telstra shop took 20 minutes to figure how to do it.


it's pathetic watching people so self consciously taking to looking at their little touch screens as they walk down the street rather than acknowledging reality...as if they were doing something far more important than engaging with others.

[FGII-XR6]

TXT can be a handy tool but not used to exclude normal conversation . can be handy for sending details like phone numbers etc. I don't see using for primary communication as a plus though

Originally Posted by z80

I had text disabled on my new flip prepaid phone.

Girl in the Telstra shop took 20 minutes to figure how to do it.


it's pathetic watching people so self consciously taking to looking at their little touch screens as they walk down the street rather than acknowledging reality...as if they were doing something far more important than engaging with others.

[max_torq]

from memory when I was young enough to go to shopping centre with my mum, a girl wouldn't speak to you in public at all (or not outside a school social)

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Girl: Hello (Persons name) How are you? (Big smile, direct eye contact)
Boy: Not too bad. And yourself? (looking straight at girl)
Girl: Good thanks. (still smiling, looking at boy)
Boy: Great to hear it. You are looking well (still making eye contact with girl)
Girl: Are you here on your own? (looks at boy)
Boy: No. I am here with my mum (glances over at his mum, smiles)
Girl: Oh, well I hope she doesn't make you try on clothes or something like that (giggles)
Boy: Me too (looks slightly embarrassed but smiling)
Girl: Well I have to go. Nice seeing you. Bye! (walks off with her friend)
Boy: You too. Talk to you soon. (walks over to his mum)

Surely our lives are not that fast paced that we must tear down the Englsh language to it's core. Where has the English language gone? Why does everything have to be shortened? Was is soooo urgent that we have to barely communicate?

Had I just had that moment in time...??

The moment in which I was turning into something, I have dreaded for a few years now...am I indeed turning into my parents!?!

Cheers
Col

O judgement! Thou art fled to brutishes beasts.

Let us e're be merry while we may, for man is but dust, and he hath but a span to live here till the worm getteth him, as our good gossip Swanthold sayeth; so let life be merry while it lasts, say I.

Nay, never look down i' the mouth, sir Sheriff. Who knowest but that thou mayest catch Robin Hood yet if thou drinkest less good sack and Malmsey, and bringest down the fat about thy paunch and the dust from out thy brain. Be merry, man.

It's all relative Geez Louise.

[V8XTasy]

my 26yo work colleagues talk like this. I'm 37 and have no idea what they are talking about most of the time. They can hold entire conversations lasting 30mins or more and I won't have a clue!

[My poor XF]

Wait till they start talking about Brony's, then your in trouble.

For what it's worth I'm 25 and I have no idea what is transcribed above.


(I'm aware of the contradiction above)

[XR6_661]

If you didn't post the translation I would have had no clue what they were on about.

24 year old male.

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by Peuty

O judgement! Thou art fled to brutishes beasts.

Let us e're be merry while we may, for man is but dust, and he hath but a span to live here till the worm getteth him, as our good gossip Swanthold sayeth; so let life be merry while it lasts, say I.

Nay, never look down i' the mouth, sir Sheriff. Who knowest but that thou mayest catch Robin Hood yet if thou drinkest less good sack and Malmsey, and bringest down the fat about thy paunch and the dust from out thy brain. Be merry, man.

It's all relative Geez Louise.

Best thing ever posted about today's speech!!

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by Stefan

They talk in text.

I heard a kid actually say "LOL" during a conversation...

They have lost all social skills

New generation of real socializing as they know it..
May be part 2 spin off on what they call social networking.

[Matty4]

I love that image posted above Col........I LOL'd

[Ford_The_Win]

Gee whiz, these young'uns today... what with their text speak and mobile phones.. Fair dinkum, life just isn't swell like it was back in the day.. now where's my Hotel California LP?

The world has changed, and it's gonna keep changing.