Of the two great acronyms of the pre-texting era, only one seems to have made the leap from paper to cell phone. When I was growing up, every work order ended with ASAP: as soon as possible. We had it on a rubber stamp, and smacking it across the deadline box was a matter of rote.
The other acronym, MYOB, was cutesier but as-oft-used shorthand for Mind Your Own Business. Ann Landers must have used MYOB at least once in every column she published.
In an extremely scientific survey of me asking teenagers at NIU before class started, everyone was well familiar with ASAP, but none knew MYOB. Only one student could even manage a guess not involving beer.
Which all makes sense.
Anecdotally, it feels like we’re living in the ASAP era. We might not need everything done immediately, but we sure want to know you’ve heard my idea and what you think of it. My phone will even offer me comforting, pulsing dots just to tell me you’re thinking, and I need to hang on a few more agonizing seconds for an opinion.
But not so much minding your own business. The whole zeitgeist of the ASAP era is figuring out how to get as many people as possible to mind your business.
If you liked lunch, review on Yelp, the table placard reads. Or TripAdvisor or Yahoo Review-Hoos or Rate my Meal, or mention me on Twitter, add a photo on my face-feed, let me see the burger on Instagram.
It is increasingly considered quaint to keep a thought to yourself, to not offer an opinion. As soon as I’m done, Dan Klefstad will ask you for your opinion on this. Which is why MYOB-ing has gone the way of the dodo.
As Ann Landers herself might tell us, we need to wake up and smell the coffee.
I’m Dan Libman, and that’s my perspective.
