Simpler, Quicker, Dumber: The American Zombie

Is it me, or is everything too easy? With just a few keystrokes you can find just about anything. No longer do you have to search for material at a library, read a book, or even write you own paper in college (as long as you have some left over money from binge drinking). Even commercials express the ease of life with their easy button.

This new easy lifestyle has even been forced upon my favorite game of all time- Madden NFL. I should have known when the back of the case stated that the new Madden 2011 is “Simpler. Quicker. Deeper.” I use to like searching for the next play that I was going to use to exploit my opponent. But now they have this option to let the computer pick your play. WOW- never mind actually playing the game, just drop your money off at the store, unwrap the game, and watch the pretty graphics unfold. On the outside of the box it should say “No Skill Needed Just an HD TV”. I understand that this is some new option and that I can still pick my play, but did the public really want this?

What ever happen to the good old American way? Does anyone still believe in working hard for something? After all, it is the only true way to appreciate what you have. Life has become too easy and our children will fall victim to it. We are breeding the new American Zombies. Traveling in packs- snatching up the latest products that feed us radioactive rays that are eating away at our brains. That’s right, some sort of Zombie creation that is product driven, without the capacity to do the simple tasks in life.

Let us explore some of these recent trends. GPS applications. No need to know how to read a map or know what street you are on, just follow the blue dot. Can’t follow the dot? That’s OK, just listen to the computer voice! Then when you arrive at your destination and find the only parking left is the dreaded parallel spots, no worry! Your car will park itself perfectly for you! Now you need to find a place to catch a good meal, well there's an application for that as well! It can even count the calories! Forget about finding that cool hidden hole-in-the-wall. Just pull up your friend’s reviews on Yelp! or Foursquare! Don't know how much to tip? There is an application for that too! Now who will join you at this fine dining establishment? Can’t find your friends? That’s ok, you don’t need to actually call them anymore, just check out their new GPS enabled Twitter Feed! Oh- there they are!

It is too easy to get married, then divorced, to have kids- or eliminate them. It is too easy to fail high school and get a G.E.D. It is too easy to sue anyone for anything. It is too easy to become a left or right wing nutcase without examining the issues with any critical thinking skills. It is too easy to access credit, create debt, and then wipe it away for seven years. There is no accountability in a majority of the things that we do in life and it only seems to be getting worse. Is it because we have decided to push the easy button too many times?

So the next time you plan a trip maybe investing in an actual map might be a good purchase. Besides, this may help for streets and neighborhoods that may not be on MapQuest yet. Try reading a book from cover to cover and those college credits might really be earned. Life is getting easier and the damage to the human brain is not yet understood. Will our brains start to shrink? Will we become more dependent on collective thought rather than our own? I see a future that includes a nation of American Zombies with nothing but barcodes because reaching for our wallets takes too much effort.