This edition of 20/20 expressed the frustration of the older generations regarding the conversational linguistic habits of today's youth. I agree that "mall talk" is very inappropriate when used in a prestigious environment, during school presentations, or while addressing coworkers or presenting an idea during a meeting. I think that the over-use of "like" and "you know"s is a nervous and highly contagious habit of today's youth. It is very difficult for some to eliminate these words from their vocabulary all together so if I were a teacher I would better understand the unintentional over-use of the word, unless it is seriously out of hand and every other word is "like" or something to that effect. I think that it is a good idea to provide places of learning where one can learn to rid their language of these annoying habits and improve their eloquent speaking. But I do not believe that these habits should be a major cause for concern, especially with young high-school students. Nonetheless, I do think that every one should try and do a better job at speaking more eloquently and using less "like"s and "um"s because it works to your disadvantage when trying to effectively get your point across. For instance if Martin Luther King Jr. would have said "I have like....a dream" it would be less successful and certainly come across a lot less knowledgeable than "I have a dream..." I think that the youth today should become more aware of the way that they talk but I do not think that anyone else should interfere unless it is completely necessary.
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