The Dumbing Down of Smart
I’m hardly the first person to rant against the Chicago Tribune’s idiotic new format, but one thing in particular got my blood a-boilin’ this morning.
You see, each section of the Sunday Trib now has a pithy name: real estate is Homes, the auto section is Rides, etc. But then there’s this one: Smart.
Feeling less cynical than usual this morning, I wondered: “what is Smart? Maybe it features science and technology, or in-depth investigative reporting?” I was curious, so I pulled it out of the plastic bag.
Smart’s front page didn’t offer much insight. The tagline at the upper right says “Faster, Cheaper, Better,” and the featured article “A Model of Health” talks about a singer’s career and eating habits. Interior headlines include “4 steps to ‘Shopaholic’ waves”, “10 tips for buying outerwear,” “Warm coats the province of Canadians,” and my favorite, “The year of living without pants.” Oh, and there’s a Sudoku puzzle on the back, in case it wasn’t enough of a clusterfuck.
So in short, I still don’t know what Smart is. And it’s not the first time.
“Smart” has become the buzzword for a number of things in the past few years covering health, environmental benefits, lower cost, better gas mileage, and things you can check your email with. It’s a term being applied to mean “better” in so many ways that it’s starting to lose all meaning at all. If anything, using the word smart has become the mating call of stupid people.
I want to see a return to the old “smart”. When a person is labeled smart, I want to see some prowess at math or sharp reasoning skills, not well-coordinated accessories. And if you claim your new product is smart, it better have some form of artificial intelligence, not just fewer calories.
Or maybe smart folks should start using the word “intelligent”. Too many syllables? Hard to spell? Good. Sit your smart ass down.
