About a month ago, I heard about this invention called The Mosquito on the BBC (which I listen to in the morning to make myself feel like a grownup). Designed to repel the hoodies of London, it emits a high frequency squeal which the ears of the young alone can hear. I made a mental note to write about this ridiculousness and then laziness set in, so I had to convince myself that it wasn't that good of a post idea. Then it was on the local news tonight, so I had to take it as a sign. However, that's really all I have to say about it. The Mosquito. What asshole kid-haters came up with this? I guess I can understand wishing to be rid of obnoxious adolescent customer-frighteners, but is treating them like animals the way to do it? Kids, if you haven't noticed, are both dumb and smart at the same time. The common sense that comes with experience hasn't manifested itself yet, so they say ridiculous things like "I wanna get married when I'm 18 and have 5 babies but I don't wanna go to college or have a job." You were a kid once. Didn't you think dumb things too? I know I did. But that's another post.
What kids do have is a much firmer grip on the influx of technology and new media, whereas older folks grapple to multi-task between the cell, Internet, their inhalers, GPS, PDAs, canes, car keys, pagers, Ipods, and dentures. Yet it's harder for a rich person to get into heaven than it is for an informed educator working from a socio-constructive framework to get permission to show a film in their language arts class. Behold, the myth of effective education being fun holds sway. Talking must be naughtiness. They must sit in their desks and take multiple-choice tests and be graded and ranked like so many freshly slaughtered pounds of beef.
Ahem. Sorry. I am working on a lit review of using film as a pedagogical tool, and am still bitter about not being allowed to show Roots in my class a few years ago (I did anyway, so eat a turd, Principal), despite my arduous linking to TAKS objectives.
Getting back to the mosquito, I am prepared to award a mysterious prize to someone who can give me the best way to use the Mosquito for evil and not good (depending on where you stand). A few British kids already figured out how to make it into an adult-proof ringtone. How can we use this insulting device to further turn the tide in the anarchist's favor? And for those of you who insist kids are awful and evil (although I agree with you from time to time), let me remind you that it starts like this:
but it comes from watching adults do this:
If I have not convinced you that the Mosquito is stupid and will only serve to widen the gap between authority and those struggling against it in search of their own, you can buy one here.
