Wednesday, April 28, 2004

My dad made me learn how to type. If I have any chance of becoming a writer, it will be all his fault.

I thought of this today when teaching an internet class. So many older men and women have no typing skills at all. Mind you, I'm quick but probably not all that accurate. But what skill I have certainly helps. I even had one older woman tell me she never learned to type, when I tried to get her to use the internet, and managed to sound affronted.

Ruby suggested that was because many older women see it as menial, secretarial work, and would never have learned as a matter of class consciousness. I imagine that would be a given for most men.

Along came PCs, and it turns out that it's the simplest and most effective way to transfer information. I nearly missed out on that one... one typing class, with a D. But the skill stayed with me and grew over time. Papers in college. Novels as an adult. Chat rooms, whatever. All from QWERTY. More fool all of us.

I guess there are plenty of people who never learn to type, even still, hunting and pecking, or texting,and even getting quite speedy at it.

I suppose when voice recognition software is perfected, typing will go away forever. Eventually.

But in the meantime, thanks Dad.

No comments: