The Daily Word for August 17, 2021

 

mouse potato - noun - a person who spends large amounts of leisure time on the computer

Mouse potato is yet another contemporary kenning, a compound construction that is a metaphor. Old English bards invented kennings so that their audiences could better visualize their oral narratives. Today, we are dependent on what we can see as technology in the way of smart phones and computers dominate our waking hours. Theoretically, we don't need kennings because little is left up to the imagination, thanks to our inventions. Yet every once in a while, we have to depend on words– the more colorful the better–in order to describe the who, what, where, when and why in conversations with others. Which is where kennings like mouse potato come in handy. 

I am certain we all know myriad mouse potatoes, people who cannot steer clear of either small screens or larger ones. All is not lost as those completely addicted can even seek rehabilitation. Yes, there are places we can ferret out at a sumptuous cost that will help us overcome our over reliance on cell phones and laptops. To me, a person of common sense, this sounds a bit absurd. To curtail this addiction, all we have to do is lock up the devices and throw away the key. But we are not motivated to do so. Ergo, most of us assume the role of mouse potato gladly since our peers are also mice potatoes. In this contemporary age, peer pressure is no longer confined to adolescence. 

Is there a solution in sight? A trap to catch all rampant mouse potatoes and rehabilitate them? Probably not. The contemporary world has forced many of us to be mouse potatoes in order to make a decent living. It is a twenty-first century thing. Just as the storytellers of Beowulf's time were addicted to kennings, we are addicted to technology and all that is associated with it. It is simply a sign of the times. 

On this Tuesday, see if you can cut down on usage. (You know what I mean.)

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