the new etiquette
Being the reluctant social scientist I am down here at the last refuge of the 20th century, I’ve been noticing how a lot of my cronies are developing new paradigms of social behavior. You folks who are up to date on all the latest technology probably just take it for granted, but I’m like Rip Van Wrinkled who just woke up after 20 years sleeping through the changes. It’s all alarmingly new and different. I’m even told it’s new and improved.
I’ve finally stopped saying hello to the folks in the grocery store standing right next to me who suddenly say hello. Took me awhile to realize they’re calling somebody and don’t mind one bit if I listen in. Kind of made me feel like I’m not
there or didn’t matter or was invisible. I even thought at first it was pretty rude. The checkout people get the same
treatment. Folks are too busy talking to someone somewhere else now to pay any attention to the nobody next to
them. Sure, it looks like they maybe think they’re more important than us, but I’m getting used to it. I just happen to be the only fool without a cellphone left in the store. Me and the checkout clerk.
I got folks now who answer their phone in the middle of our conversation. It rings its cute personalized ringtone and
next thing I know I’m put on hold. Sure, I could maybe think I’m not there, insignificant as a 5th cousin. I thought at first maybe their phone couldn’t save a message, so they had to take a call. Way back they used to apologize for taking it, but not anymore.
Nowadays I got friends who text message and get e-mails and search the web for stock quotes and ball scores while we’re at the table or in a conversation. Multi-tasking. They can keep up with my stupid banter and still get something meaningful done. Time’s short, why waste it?
Their kids don’t even make the pretense of eye to eye or one to one. They got their friends to text message and if
I want to communicate with them I guess I better learn how to text them too. Otherwise I’m relegated to the
trashpile of Obsolete Old Fart. It took me awhile not to get mad and take it personal, but then I remembered my folks’
adage, kids are better seen, not heard.
What it seems like to me is we’re slipping out of the physical world into a virtual one where we would rather deal with folks on our gizmoes than be in the same room with them. It took me awhile to reconcile myself to that notion, but sit with a pal through a couple of phone calls or watch them texting across the table, hey, call me old fashioned, but I’d rather they weren’t there either.
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