Progression 3: Exercise 3.2 - The Dialogue

Gibran Sheikh

Professor Macklin

English 115

29 October 2012

Exercise 3.2 - The Dialogue

The following is a fictional dialogue between Nicholas Carr, the author of the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid”, and James Paul Gee, the author of Why Video Games Are Good for Your Soul: Pleasure and Learning. Both authors are seated comfortably in a café on a chilly autumn morning, and the two have yet to await their coffees. Nicholas Carr will here-on be referred to as “Carr”, and James Paul Gee will be referred to as “Gee”.

Gee: Man, these guys take a long time to prepare a cup of coffee. At least it will be fresh, don’t you agree?

Carr: Yeah, I’ve been waiting a good five minutes and I’m starting to fall back asleep, heh. How are you Mr…?

Gee: Gee, James Paul Gee, and I’m fine, how are you, Mr….?

Carr: Carr, Nicholas Carr. Nice to meet you.

Gee: Hmm..Carr..It sounds like a familiar name. Are you some sort of writer?

Carr: Why yes, I am an author of an article that I titled “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”

Gee: Ah, yes I remember reading that article, heheh.

Carr: Good sir, why do you laugh?

Gee: Well kind sir, I have to say I disagreed with your views upon certain technology, such as that of the internet.

Carr: But why? I have clearly assessed the factors that cause the Net, as I call it, to diminish an individual’s overall concentration. It is in my view as I stated in my article, that all “the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation”. You’d have to agree with that, right?

Gee: Why no, I wouldn’t as a matter of fact. I’d like to impose that the possibilities that are granted by technology are immense. It has come to my knowledge that technology carries out far greater outcomes rather than diminishing one’s concentration. I too am a writer; I have published a book that I called Why Video Games Are Good for Your Soul. It is a good read for one such as you.

Carr: Hmm, yes, I do believe skimming through that particular piece. That brings me up to my point, I skimmed it. You see? With a medium as colossal as the Net, we humans are forced to only take what we want and no more. We end up bored and inattentive.

Gee: Inattentive? My good sir, in my article media such as the internet does all but unamuse someone. In my book, I talked about video games, a medium that many know, and that many enjoy. In all honesty media is both a pleasurable and a learning experience for many individuals, and society as a whole. You see, a medium is some in some aspect good for your soul.

Carr: Soul?

Gee: Yes, your soul. I mean a part of an individual that will not perish, a part that can sympathize and grieve over death many times over, and still be shaped by morals. It is part of you that is able to feed of meanings and morals in the aspects of life. Video games prove to be a positive source towards an individual’s soul, simply because the meanings of culture, morality, and society are all introduced. The same can go for the internet; it holds many different meanings across the multiple societies that compose it.

Carr: I see what you mean, but still I have to disagree on how medium such as the internet and video games prove to be a positive factor. You may call me a skeptic, but the way I see it, is that mediums like the Net or video games only serve to belittle our potential. I would see video games as a way of manipulating an individual’s overall concentration, yet I see where you stand.

Gee: Yes, thank you. I do see how you may feel a bit skeptical on the Net. I know how you may see an individual lacking focus in certain situations.

Carr: Yes, thanks. I guess we’ll have to stand on our own separate positions..heh.

Gee: Yes, well our coffees seem to be ready.

Carr: Ah, yes. Finally. Mm, the fresh aroma of the coffee is starting to wake me up already, and it tastes great. Wouldn’t you agree?
Gee: Yes, I think we can both agree on that, heheh.

The two continue to enjoy their coffees on this autumn morning, both delightfully sipping their warm coffees. As they finish their coffees, they both shake hands and depart to continue with their daily lives.

Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" TheAtlantic.com. The Atlantic Monthly Group, July-Aug. 2008. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/>.

Gee, James Paul. "Chapter 1." Introduction. Why Video Games Are Good for Your Soul: Pleasure and Learning. Melbourne, Vic.: Common Ground, 2005. 1-7. Print.