My Teenage Son Does Not Know How to Mail a Letter, and I Blame Technology (2023) (readwrite.com)

That reminds me of a certain meme/joke I've seen in various forms. To "dissect the frog" [0] by making it all explicit:

A: "The younger generation never learned how to X, which is a failure on their part."

B: "Weren't you the generation that was supposed to teach them, so the failure is your own?"

[0] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/10/14/frog/

My son doesn't know how to X (fill in the blank with whatever you want.) Whose fault is that?

1. teachers?

2. technology?

3. late stage capitalism?

One thing we know for sure is that it couldn't POSSIBLY be the fault of the parents, right?

Theres an app for that

Honestly, every time I interact with the USPS today, I get it wrong.

When I fill out a Registered Mail form and present it to the clerk, it's wrong, they ask what I really want, I get confused.

When I'm sending a package, something is wrong and the clerk is schooling me on their regulations.

I told them I should "Click'n'Ship" more.

I grok RFC822 inside and out, but a simple letter?

My father does great at these things. Never taught me.

Alternate headline: My teenage son does not have skills he has never had a reason to learn.

I'm in my 40s, and the last time I mailed a letter would've been before this kid started school.

I am 27 years old and in the last decade, I have only sent about 5 physical letters. 3 of those were RSVPs to weddings (and were in the minority of weddings, most using an online RSVP system), where the envelope provided already had postage and a mailing address. I've also learned by now that a google search can often be faster and less confusing than asking my parents how to do something.