I get the impression that the stupidity of humankind is directly proportional to technological progress. The more technological possibilities we have at our disposal, the dumber and more careless we become. This is particularly glaring in written communication.
Many people today seem to care very little about spelling. They also appear to hate punctuation, abbreviate words indiscriminately, and often no longer write in complete sentences. For some, even the use of verbs seems to be an effort best avoided.
Occasionally, someone tosses you just a single word, as though you were a contestant on a quiz show and could win a prize if you managed to form a meaningful sentence from it or guess what the other person means by it. A salutation at the beginning and a complimentary close followed by the sender's name at the end also seem to have gone out of fashion.
What was it like in the past, when there were neither emails nor messaging apps and people wrote letters instead? Back then, hardly anyone would have thought of sending a letter consisting merely of "Hello", "Hey", or a single sentence with no real content.
With some of the people who contact me, I genuinely wonder how they manage to cope with everyday life at all. Do they perhaps have someone who takes care of their daily tasks? How do they manage to make their way through life independently? Questions like these repeatedly run through my mind when I read some of the messages I receive.
Telegram is particularly bad. The app seems to attract a striking number of people who are already overwhelmed by even the most basic requirements of normal communication. I would even describe it as the favorite playground of dimwits. This is why I have often considered deleting the app, but I also enjoy insulting such people. Needless to say, I have no desire to meet them.
During my elementary school years, I had several pen pals. Back then, people would spend a long time writing a letter, think carefully about what they wanted to say, and make sure not to forget anything. After all, it would have been tedious to go to the post office again a few hours later simply because something important had been left out. Through such correspondence, children could learn at an early age how to write proper letters. At the same time, they absorbed spelling, grammar, and punctuation in a playful and enjoyable way.
Today, even children communicate predominantly through messaging apps. They often do not write complete sentences and sometimes not even whole words, or replace words entirely with emojis. As a result, spelling, grammar, and punctuation are increasingly being lost.
Some clients have told me that many apprentices today are no longer even capable of formulating the simplest sentences. Their ability to express themselves has declined significantly compared with the past. Human language is increasingly deteriorating.
Technology continues to advance, while the linguistic abilities of many people are apparently regressing. I find this deeply concerning, as language is our most important means of communication and expression.
However, this problem does not affect only young people who grew up with emails and messaging apps and probably rarely read books anymore. Unfortunately, similar deficiencies can also be observed in many adults.
For me, it is one of the basic rules of interpersonal conduct to use a salutation in an email or message and to end it with a complimentary close. In my opinion, an electronic letter should be treated no differently from one written on paper.
Before using a service, I carefully read the provider's website. I am aware that the texts published there were written for potential clients so that they can inform themselves in advance about the most important points. This also makes it quick and easy to determine whether the offering meets my expectations at all, and saves me from contacting the provider unnecessarily. I would consider it extremely disrespectful not to inform myself about even the most basic details before reaching out.
In my initial message, I provide all the important details and do not send messages with no real content. I consider beforehand which questions I have so that everything can be clarified quickly and neither the other person nor I have to spend unnecessary time on it.
I expect the same from gentlemen who contact me. I do not consider that too much to ask. I have no interest whatsoever in meeting someone who does not even show me a minimum level of respect and courtesy. This minimum includes informing themselves in advance about the basic points that are clearly summarized on my "Essentials" page. It could hardly be made any easier for prospective clients.
This also includes writing an email or message that actually contains usable information. One should think beforehand about what questions and requests one has so that they can be discussed in just a few emails. During my vacation in Sils in May, for example, I exchanged 36 emails with a gentleman within 27 hours. In most of them, he sent me only a single sentence. He never mentioned a specific date for the meeting. I found myself wondering how he would have handled it if he had needed to take his letter to the post office instead of simply clicking "Send". After a total of 47 emails, I informed him that my patience had finally run out and that I would not respond to any further messages. With people like that, I seriously wonder how they are even capable of surviving everyday life when they fail miserably at something as simple as arranging an appointment.
In addition, I would like a salutation and a complimentary close followed by the sender's name, so that I know what name to use when addressing the other person in my reply. I have had to begin an email with the words "Dear man without a name" far too often.
These things should really be self-evident in our dealings with others. However, many people today seem to lack not only the willingness to write a proper message, but also any inclination to read.
When I once asked someone to read my "Essentials" page, his reply was, "I want sex, not to read." I responded, "You are a disrespectful idiot, and no one wants to have sex with you." On Telegram, I have also called some users mentally disabled because of the way they behaved. The app genuinely seems to attract a particularly high proportion of individuals who neither possess basic manners nor are willing to read even the simplest information. I would rather go to bed with garbage than with such people. Once I no longer enjoy insulting them, I will delete the app.
When you are regularly confronted with so much human idiocy, you are genuinely pleased to receive a normal message and already consider it a highlight when someone has taken a few minutes beforehand to read the essential information. It is actually sad that something which should be taken for granted is now perceived as a welcome exception, because people are evidently becoming increasingly stupid and many make not the slightest effort in their interactions with others.
Perhaps people should once again read more books and maintain pen pal relationships.
Yours, Ava-Sophie,
who was apparently born in the wrong era