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By David Magallanes • Guest contributor
My sister “Ana” told me recently about a disjointed exchange she had with her granddaughter, “Sandra.”
Sandra and her brother “George” were home from their last full day of school before summer break. Thinking back on her own experiences in the 1950s, Ana asked them if any of their classmates had brought an apple for the teacher.
They both regarded her with wide-eyed, perplexed astonishment, saying “nooooo…,” emitting a tone of concern as if they thought their grandma was slipping into the first stages of dementia.
Ana told them that when she was in grade school, some of the children did bring an apple for their teacher and left it on her desk as they went out the door and started their summer vacation.
Sandra and George just stared at her, obviously worried about their grandma’s memory and possible descent into madness. Finally, Sandra said in a hushed tone, “That just doesn’t sound right, grandma. When you were a kid, there were no ‘Apples.’”
It took Ana a few moments to realize that they were speaking across the generational abyss, with a post-World War II boomer on one side and Generation Alpha (those children whose entire life lies within the 21st century) on the other.
When Ana explained to them that she meant “apple,” as in fruit, they remained baffled.
George just shook his head and told Ana, “That’s just weird, grandma.”
The technological and linguistic chasm widened the following day when Sandra told her grandma that she “wished she had an Apple,” to which Ana replied, “Well, I did bring an apple. Do you want me to cut it up for you?”
This time, Sandra smiled understandingly and told her grandma that she didn’t mean “apple” …she meant an Apple tablet so that she could play Roblox, an online game, with her.
Ana, in her boomer mind, wondered why Sandra would want to play with a “Rolodex.” And besides, how in the world would a winner be decided?
Ana told me that the entire episode inspired her to consider writing a book with the title Grandparents Are from Mars, Grandkids Are from Venus.
— David Magallanes is a retired professor of mathematics.
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Los Abuelos Son de Marte
Por David Magallanes • Columnista invitado”
Mi hermana “Ana” me contó hace poco una conversación inconexa que tuvo con su nieta, “Sandra”.
Sandra y su hermano “Jorge” habían vuelto a casa después de su último día completo de clases antes de las vacaciones de verano. Recordando sus propias experiencias en la década de 1950, Ana les preguntó si alguno de sus compañeros había traído una manzana (“apple” en inglés) para la maestra.
Ambos la miraron con los ojos abiertos y perplejos, diciendo “nooooo…”, con un tono de preocupación, como si pensaran que su abuela estaba entrando en las primeras etapas de la demencia.
Ana les contó que, cuando estaba en primaria, algunos niños sí trajeron una manzana para su maestra y la dejaron en su escritorio al salir por la puerta y comenzar sus vacaciones de verano.
Sandra y George se quedaron mirándola, obviamente preocupados por la memoria de su abuela y su posible caída en la locura. Finalmente, Sandra dijo en voz baja: “Eso no me suena bien, abuela. Cuando eras niña, no había Apples”.
Ana tardó unos instantes en darse cuenta de que estaban hablando a través del abismo generacional, con una boomer de la posguerra de un lado y la Generación Alfa (aquellos niños cuya vida transcurre solamente en el siglo XXI) del otro.
Cuando Ana les explicó que se refería a “manzana”, como fruta, se quedaron desconcertados.
Jorge simplemente negó con la cabeza y le dijo a Ana: “Qué raro, abuela”.
El abismo tecnológico y lingüístico se amplió al día siguiente cuando Sandra le dijo a su abuela que “ojalá tuviera un Apple”, a lo que Ana respondió: “Bueno, sí que traje una manzana. ¿Quieres que te la corte?”.
Esta vez, Sandra sonrió comprensivamente y le dijo a su abuela que no se refería a “manzana”… se refería a una tableta Apple para poder jugar a Roblox, un juego en línea, con ella. Ana, con su mentalidad de baby boomer, se preguntaba por qué Sandra querría jugar con un “Rolodex” (un artefacto, usando tarjetas, que la gente usaba para organizar los nombres, direcciones y teléfonos de sus contactos). Y además, ¿cómo se decidiría un ganador?
Ana me contó que todo el episodio la inspiró a pensar en escribir un libro titulado “Los Abuelos Son de Marte, los Nietos Son de Venus”.
– – David Magallanes es un profesor jubilado de matemáticas.
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