Assignment 3 - Video

Mental Blanks

Mental blanks, the bane of a student’s life. Recently I was taking a maths test which I had spent quite a while studying for so I presumed that I would ace it. This was not the case however. The instant that the paper was placed in front of me my mind became empty. So whats got my goat is why my mind/ body thought it would be a bright idea to forget everything the exact moment when i needed to know it?

I know some of you are probably reading this going, “that’s never happened to me” etc, so I’ll try to illustrate what happens using a simile and some symbolism. Imagine that your mind is a crowd at a comedy festival and that laughter is your brain working, now imagine a bad comedian (the test) steps onto the stage. He proceeds to tell his first joke (the first question) and instantly the crowd goes silent. This silence is representing the mind of someone in a mental blank.

Back to the goat though, at what point does the body think that giving you a mental blank is a good way to combat the stress of a test. However amazing the human body and mind is, it seems to just let you down at the most critical moments. And that is what has my goat.

Acronym use in everyday conversation

The use of acronyms in everyday speech has been a current trend within today’s society, but I would really like to know why, considering that it sounds stupid to everyone around you as well as it being a constant source of misunderstanding.

When did "lol" replace actual laughter during a conversation? I mean what’s the reward for telling an amazing joke and getting a response of "lol" or "rofl".

Seriously what is up with the use of acronyms. This trend even seems to have caught on with a few middle-aged people to whom i heard on a train saying "wtf" on the phone to what I presume would be a work colleague you know that things are becoming really dated and sad when middle age people and popular TV programs use them all the time. The secrecy that acronyms afforded teenagers a few years ago is now redundant with the older generation understanding what they all mean. It has taken the fun out of being lazy and it just appears as though you have a mental condition when said in public.

To direct my hatred of acronyms in real life I decided to make one of my own; PWUAIECDRHSTS (people who use acronyms in everyday conversion don’t realise how stupid they sound).

Do you think it will catch on?