What else happened?

Which can, in all fairness, be a benefit of it. Because you might want to write something that people can’t immediately read - notes to yourself, notes in class, a passed note to someone else.

I’m not going to claim I’m happy about having “cursive for handwriting” drilled into me and being forced to learn it, but I do think it’s helpful to know for signatures or when it’s fancy writing time. There’s not really a benefit to not knowing about particular thing/skill… almost ever. It’s like the most low effort skill, and all muscle memory._{___}

Neat

Fair - the idea with a signature is that you ideally write it in cursive, unless you have a seal or stamp to hand? Depending on what the document asks, and most will ask a written signature.

Thank you, I was definitely thinking of the first paragraph but the context of third paragraph (and MentalEdge’s comment) helps me to understand why that system actually works/is considered good enough.

It almost feels like I’m just trolling everyone by pushing back now, but:

The point of the signature isn’t the mark, but that the affirmation on the document can reasonably be tied to you. For most of history, it has been tied to a certain mark, whether it be a signed name, a stamp or embossed seal, or even a drawing. That system generally breaks down in the digital age.

In the context of only-physical documents, is that affirmation not helped by having certain marks and/or styles of signing that are typical of your own signing? Thus the specific mark contributes to the affirmation.

That would be precisely an example of how signatures are not arbitrary, but rather marked in our own unique quirks.

“This guy drew a batman symbol on his signature!” “Oh yeah, EvilBit’s friend always does that. That means you’ve got the real deal”

Difference is more pronounced in cursive, I strongly believe. I look at a lot of regular script handwriting and it looks the same as another person’s, you’d have to get out a magnifying glass or microscope to see the subtleties.

Now that I say that though I think a lot of handwriting manages to look the same when people strive for the same ideal of neatness.

I’m not raising a fuss, but signing in detachéd does make it way easier for others to forge your signature and even makes it less difficult to replicate your own signature. Knowing how to write cursive costs nothing, so not practicing it - at least for signatures - seems terrible.

It lets you sign off greeting cards (more effectively)

It leads to faster note taking (though generally less neat notes, lol)

How’s your cuneiform

Yeaaaaah wtf are you talking about lad. That is an alphabet, i.e of a foreign language, not the act of being able to write my own name in cursive in my native Latin script.

Do you know how to use a quill pen?

Yes. Why do you not know how to?

Do you know how to bleach a peace of expensive parchment so that it can be reused?

I could probably figure out how to bleach a piece of parchment in order to re-use it, but have never had to.

Have a nice day.

I have never had a consistent signature in five decades which confirms the whole ‘unique signature’ thing is bullshit.

Valid.

Having a robotic copy+paste signature probably only starts being useful if you’re known to have huge amounts of cash in the bank or you’re an artist, or have a troublesome bart simpson-esque kid.

not learning cursive is like not learning Latin

I think both are still useful today, cursive less so. But sure, they’re not indicative of superior moral fibre, which is presumably why you prefer young people to old people.

most young adults don’t sign in cursive anymore

That seems like a terrible idea. I’m disappointed in humans yet again.

Let me try and rack my brain for everything I’ve digitally signed

• recruitment/employment agency (about 2-5 different ones i think)
• medical stuff? Definitely for private medical care like dentist and foot doc, whereas NHS can just ask for DOB and NHS number.
• online registration at uni maybe

It’s not that they’re not allowing written signatures but that they’ve removed them from everything because it’s all done online - they have no space to try and write one with your mouse or your finger, like usual.

If you show up in person they get one on a tablet, though, usually.

No I disagree, the idea with physical signatures is that you write it in cursive, so in theory nobody will do ot exactly the same way as you write it - but then people can forge things, and since people don’t actually write their name the exact same way every time, forgery is essentially as good as perfect.

Edit to fix typo and add italics.

🤯

Well that explains everything. Thank you very much!

I reckon I’d be fine with it. I’m built different when it comes to boredom and repetitive tasks. I’ve just remembered I actually volunteered to do data entry for a historical records website, recently, but haven’t gotten around to on boarding because I have other commitments.

I do value your insights though, thank you. Will help me judge when to quit if I do find it tough

I don’t know where to to find data entry jobs though, I couldn’t find then in 2022, 2023, and now LLMs seem to be doing them all.

To a zoomer, the prestige of a job is also affected by how non-demanding it is, ergo data entry is a prestigious job

They lie and cheat more openly now because of the idea many hold/held that covid was a control psyop by billionaires and the government, testing how much they can push common citizens around et cetera.

I am neutral on that topic. But the first thing I think with regards to “what changed for the ultra rich, before and after covid?” is that they take less care being evil and manipulative.

True.