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Experiment 2: Strengths Finder 2.0
The NEW mode of communication
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Maybe it’s just because i’m getting older or maybe it’s because kids are getting deafer…
...but i think there’s something up with the way high school kids in NYC communicate with each other.
It all happened in one day. I walked out of my building to a relatively quiet street. There were no cars or loud construction. There was just the peaceful ambient sound of far away traffic as pigeon wings and they flitted about the street. Pretty darn quiet. But these two high-school-aged girls were walking by YELLING a conversation at the top of their lungs. It was as if they were competing for air time. From what i could tell, neither was listening to the other. They just kept getting louder and louder. And they weren’t in a fight! They were really working with the gist of what each other was saying rather than actual content.
I was bewildered. It seemed like such an unnecessary strain for such a poor level of communication. They seemed to be talking about stuff that was rather personal too. I guess it can’t be *that* personal if you’re willing to yell it to a whole neighborhood. “And then i found out that he’s not my real father but my mom’s gay best friend!” Just kidding. In any case, I was a little annoyed because, even with headphones on, i couldn’t block them out.
I got on the train to school. About two stations later, this group of high school kids entered. 4 guys, 3 girls. They were doing the EXACT SAME THING! Yelling at each other, no one was listening but everyone “communicating,” and there were so many more of them and in a small enclosed space. My ears were ringing. Then one of the girls got excited about something and grabbed the other girl and SCREAMED IN HER FACE!! I mean, full on screamed. I’m amazed that she even knew enough about what was going on in the “conversation” that she knew it was scream-worthy.
So, am i getting old and crotchety or is this just really strange high school behavior? Or is it a NYC thing? Or is it a combo of both?