If they please: nicely communicating with people who don't care.

摘要

You can't help noticing that people's lit- j eracy is declining. Whatever it is, something has dumbed them down. I've talked in this column before about blogs and the fact that lots of people can't seem to express themselves intelligently in writing. Nor can they do arithmetic. Next time you pay cash for a cup of coffee, watch your server's eyes and listen to their words. Instead of counting out your change for you, they're much more likely to dispense it by the handful and recite the total amount while their eyes consult their side of the digital display.