Author:
Jim Scott
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Date Posted: 20:33:50 06/17/15 Wed
I am a few years older than you Wes and our version of short messages was the bumper sticker. The best one I ever saw was TWITS TWEET.
Jim
> Another column picked up from the paper.
>
>The older I get, the more I find that I'm increasingly
>out of touch with popular culture -- and the less it
>bothers me.
>
>I was leafing through Time magazine last night,
>and as I got back toward the back where they talk
>about the cultural stuff, I found myself glancing over
>headlines about this actor or that singer and
>thinking, "Who the Sam Hill is that?" I never heard of
>those people and probably am just as glad.
>
>Now it's no secret that I don't watch much TV -- I've
>ranted about it for years -- but I'm beginning to
>percieve that I've missed some shows I probably would
>have enjoyed, or at least would like to have had a
>better idea of what happens. I'm thinking, The Mad
>Men, The Big Bang Theory, Orange is the New Black,
>and maybe one or two others. I've never seen a
>minute of any of them and the odds are likely that I
>probably never will. If it weren't for Deadliest
>Catch and occasionally the weather report, it
>seems unlikely that I would watch any TV at all.
>
>I can hardly mention poplular culture without bringing
>up the Karadashians, who seem to be the epitome of
>mindless seeking of publicity for the sake of seeking
>publicity. As I have said before, "Why should I care?"
>What that family does is their own business, and if
>they want to do something off the wall, it's their
>decision to make, I guess, so long as it harms no one
>else. But while it's their business it's really none
>of my business, no matter how much they may want to
>make it otherwise.
>
>Times have changed, I guess, and I haven't kept up
>with the change. I was at "fun run" the other day, and
>couldn't help but notice that several racers of both
>sexes seemed to have their smartphones stuck in their
>pockets. Now I suppose there is some legitimate reason
>for that -- there might be an app for heart rate, or
>they may be listening to music on their headphones to
>help stave off the boredom of running, or maybe
>something else. I can't help but notice that some of
>these kids and their phone are inseparable.
>
>The other day I was in a restaurant and saw a couple
>of kids clearly out on a date. They both had their
>phones in front of them and were eagerly texting away,
>and I didn't see any evidence of them talking to each
>other, unless they were texting back and forth, which
>I wouldn't put past them.
>
>I don't have a smartphone. I barely have a cell phone
>and actually rather resent having to have the thing
>these days, since I sometimes get testy about being
>interrupted by phone calls, especially while I'm
>driving. I don't like to talk on the phone when I'm
>driving and will pull to the side of the road if I get
>a call, but I keep seeing people driving down the
>road, yapping on their phones and not paying much
>attention to what they're doing.
>
>I think someone has sent my cell phone a text two or
>three times, but I've never answered one. Frankly, I
>find it easier to talk on the phone in the first
>place. I'd prefer to not even have the phone at all,
>but everyone else in the family has overruled me.
>
>I'm old-fashioned in other ways, too. I don't tweet --
>I looked at Twitter once years ago and saw that it was
>pretty mindless. From what I pick up elsewhere, it's
>gotten worse. Facebook, I think I still have a
>Facebook page, but it's been years since I did
>anything with it and I never did much. I rarely look
>at people's Facebook pages since I have no desire to
>look at photos of what they had for breakfast. While I
>like cute cat photos to a reasonable extent, there is
>a limit -- after all with all the cats we have around
>the house, I prefer the real thing.
>
>I could go on and on, but why bother? I'm behind the
>times and falling back, and I know it. Maybe that's
>one of the pleasures of being old -- being able to
>gripe about modern this or that. It's certainly one of
>the rights you get from being older.
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