I’m not sure why I’m writing about this other than that I find it really annoying and can’t get it out of my mind. It sort of fits into the new Luddites category, which automatically makes it irksome but there’s also the matter of it being completely pointless and stupid.
The “thing” in question is an article over at Lifehacker that urges parents to buy their kids a typewriter. That seems innocent enough until we get to the reasons. For example:
- You don’t have to walk to the printer to get the results; it’s right there.
- Kids will learn to accept mistakes that are difficult to correct.
- Typewriters don’t have screens and that’s good (somehow).
- “Real” letters are more fun to receive.
All of these so called reasons have trivial rejoinders that are so obvious there’s no point in listing them but there are two points worth mentioning:
- Notice how they embrace the New Luddite theme of “the old way is best; new-fangled ideas should be eschewed.”
- They are, at base, not serious—just silly, really.
If you substitute rotary phone or abacus for typewriter the arguments make just as much sense. As I’ve said before, I’m perfectly happy for these people to go back to the farm, grow their own food, and carry water up from the well every morning. I just wish they’d leave the rest of us alone to get on with our lives.