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Nona Willis Aronowitz, being a smug, self-absorbed, reckless, Generation Y asshat in a piece entitled “Internet Anonymous: Isn’t Everyone a Little Cyber-Addicted?”. At the risk of sounding like a cantankerous, nearing-retirement-and-why-yes-my-pension-is-higher-than-your-salary-probably-ever-will-be-thankyouverymuch Boomer, the above is one of the stupidest, most self-congratulatory excuses for utterly reckless behaviour that I have ever seen. There is absolutely no excuse for texting whilst driving. None. You’re (supposed to be) in control of a half-ton-plus of powered machinery, under moderate-to-high velocity, not organising your latest tofu-and-smugfest. It’s pretty hard to concentrate on what you’re doing when you’re battling your phone’s overzealous autocorrect, or telling your husband-for-healthcare which brand of organic coffee to buy. We already face an engrained stereotype that we’re narcissistic with a massive sense of entitlement and absolutely no work ethic whatsoever. Aronowitz claims one of her primary goals in life is to teach us “how Gen Y can get through the recession without getting screwed”, but posting stupid shit like the above categorically does not do that; instead, it reinforces the stereotype that we’re shiftless, self-absorbed, and totally solipsistic. That makes it harder, not easier, for us, as a generation, to “get through the recession without getting screwed”. You help to reinforce the prejudice that we’re stupid, self-centred navel-gazers. When your goal is to help people, like Aronowitz claims she wants to do, primum non nocere1 absolutely must be your guiding principle. You’re setting yourself up as both a teacher and a rôle model, so you have to be beyond reproach in what you teach and, more importantly, in how you act. You have to lead by example. Talking the talk is not enough.
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