Thursday, February 11, 2016
Old times vs. New times
I was reading The Great Gatsby the other day while I was snowed in, and as I was reading Tom one of the characters got up during dinner to answer the home phone. The time setting of this book was before there were cell phones. There were only home phones with cords that attached into the wall. I realized something while reading this part of the book. Phones have always been a disruption. Telephones have always made a ringing sound to alert when a call was coming in, and in instinct, anyone would get up to answer the call. It's basically the same thing as a doorbell. Someone rings the doorbell, so you get up to see who is there. Old home phones interrupted life probably just as much as cell phones do today. They aren't really that different when you think about it. Adults and older generation complain so much about technology and cell phones, when really there have always been distractions like cell phones. Just as some people read constantly, people like to text and talk constantly. These are the same concepts just in different forms. I was wondering what other people thought? Are your parents opposed to phones? What about your grandparents? I was thinking about video games along with cell phone usage. Has anyone experienced anything in the past that they wouldn't mind sharing?
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This post reminds me of something that just happened tonight, actually. I was at the Town Run Brewery for a huge Bernie Sanders meet and greet, and a man from Sanders' national campaign came to speak to us. After the man was finished talking about phone banks, some random guy who said he was a businessman stood up and ranted for a few minutes about the uselessness of phone banks. For some reason, this man was super upset about the campaign using phone banks as a campaign tool, and went on and on about how our generation "won't ever pick up the phone." Then he went on to say how social media is the sole way to really get people on board with Bernie, and it was honestly just so weird to see some random guy be so upset over the use of phone banks. I also thought it was weird for him to say none of us ever pick up our phones and will avoid phone calls at all costs, because I don't think we're necessarily that unwilling to speak to others on the phone. I'm not, at least, and I know most of my friends aren't afraid or unwilling to do so, either.
ReplyDeleteThe point of my super long comment, I guess, is just that it was super strange to see an older man rant and rave about the uselessness of phones, while we're having an ongoing conversation about the pros and cons of technology.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting thought. I’ve read that book four times and never realized how that part of the story can connect with our everyday lives. It’s very interesting that a book published in 1925 has the same kind of dinner interruptions as we do now… As for my parents and their views on cell phones, well I wasn’t allowed to have one until I was halfway through my seventh grade year of middle school. Mostly it was because I was at school alone, and my sisters weren’t there to watch me and to make sure I was okay. Also, my grandparents use technology more than I do.
ReplyDeleteWith my parents, I get the "no phones at dinner" talk, but if it rings or dings they don't say anything. Though if my grandmother was still around, she would probably kill me just for bringing my phone with me to the table. So I suppose that over the generations, things differ a considerable amount...
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