technology is the downfall of darwinism

alright, so i realize the title may seem a bit intense, and as an aerospace engineer i am not normally one to bash the brilliance that is human innovation, ability, and drive (space race of the 60's...omg how i would have loved to be involved with such a feat-although the likelihood of a woman being employed by NASA back then would have hardly been likely...but i digress), but in a recent discussion with my amazing boyfriend, i have come to the conclusion that technology has allowed for the procreation of stupidity. maybe i'm talking a little crazy, but if we look at the cavemen days, if one wasn't smart enough to procure tools and create fire (i'm no archeologist so don't quote me), and learn which plants were good for eating...the fact that there have been enough advancements in technology that allows the mass production of meat and potatoes, any idiot capable of basic communication via hand signals or speech, can walk into any food stuffs establishment and get a meal. similarly, any fool who decides that walking across a busy street and not int he crosswalk is protected by society's laws and an anti-lock brake system. maybe the second one was a stretch, but non the less, you have to wonder whether technology has impaired the human species to the point where we are now at a disadvantage. googlemaps has revolutionized how we make our way from A to B, but what ever happened to the ability to read a map and navigate and plan. by blinding trusting garmin and google to guide us along our way, we have given up the ability to think for ourselves and in turn may begin to hinder our problem solving skills.

i'll conclude with a story, the discussion presented above occurred over dinner at a favorite place of ours called The Counter. if you've never been, its nothing fancy, but what makes it unique are the "custom burgers" you can create. it's very simple; they present you with a clipboard containing all the various toppings and meats and buns and what not (all broken down by category, so its not just a jumbled mess), you make your choices, hand it back to the waitress, and in all of 10 minutes, you have a burger with everything you want...so michael and i are sitting at the counter, finishing up our sweet potato fries and beers as we await the check, and a dad with his two girls sit at the counter. he grabs a clipboard, the waitress/bartender explains the menu process to him, he hands it back to her and says, "it's gonna take me forever to get through all of this for the girls and i, can i just tell you what i want?" are you serious?! these girls are at least 5 years old, they and their father are fully capable of penciling in a few check boxes. ok, they are not fully self sufficient, but wouldn't this be a good bonding moment, going thru the menu options with your daughters? checking things off together? maybe he just couldn't read, in which case this brings me back to my initial point that we have made it too easy for the stupid to survive, b/c you have no business bringing children into this world if you cannot read.