DickZ
12-08-2013, 07:51 PM
A few years ago, activities were thriving all over the place – bridge and chess clubs, places for all kinds of dancing, needlecraft groups, stamp and coin collecting. Lots of people were involved in these activities back then, but things have changed recently. Bridge groups that used to have sessions with 15 tables, meaning 60 players, now struggle to get two tables. Square dance clubs that formerly attracted ten squares – or 80 dancers – barely manage to get just three squares today. Quilting and crochet clubs that had hundreds of members presently have trouble assembling more than 15 at a time. Many of these clubs have folded completely – others continue to try to keep the flame burning, even if it’s a weak flicker compared to what it used to be.
While the leaders of all of these activities continue to seek new members, over time it has become more and more difficult to replenish their ranks with willing participants. It seems that a new activity has evolved to take the place of these old hobbies – a new activity which is apparently much better than bridge or ballroom dancing or macramé. People who used to be prime candidates for joining these activities are now too busy with their cellphones, and are engaged in a fascinating new pastime – taking pictures of themselves and their peanut butter/jelly sandwiches. These folks then send these intriguing pictures to others with cellphones – people who are actually interested in countless pictures of Judy’s cat coming out of her litterbox or what Kim Kardashian did yesterday, because these guys can’t come up with anything better to do with their time.
A reputable newsmagazine recently mentioned that today’s parents have expressed a genuine concern about the fact that their children spend so much time in front of screens that these children don’t even know how to converse with their peers anymore. Another article in another magazine described a writer’s experience at a restaurant where she observed two couples at different tables – couples that were both in dating situations. The two people in their twenties spent most of the time looking at their cellphones, and spoke to each other only when one of them got a message that triggered a brief discussion. In the absence of such messages, these people could not have come up with anything to talk about. The other couple in the restaurant, in their seventies, spent all of their time discussing their adventures past and present, thereby actually getting to know each other.
A lady talking to a man says “I’ll stop Facebooking the very moment my life becomes half as exciting as I make it out to be on Facebook,” in a recent daily cartoon called Pardon My Planet, by Vic Lee. Well, as long as this woman’s life is confined to following what Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus did yesterday, or sending out pictures of what she had for breakfast this morning, there’s not much chance that her excitement level will ever rise above rock bottom.
While the leaders of all of these activities continue to seek new members, over time it has become more and more difficult to replenish their ranks with willing participants. It seems that a new activity has evolved to take the place of these old hobbies – a new activity which is apparently much better than bridge or ballroom dancing or macramé. People who used to be prime candidates for joining these activities are now too busy with their cellphones, and are engaged in a fascinating new pastime – taking pictures of themselves and their peanut butter/jelly sandwiches. These folks then send these intriguing pictures to others with cellphones – people who are actually interested in countless pictures of Judy’s cat coming out of her litterbox or what Kim Kardashian did yesterday, because these guys can’t come up with anything better to do with their time.
A reputable newsmagazine recently mentioned that today’s parents have expressed a genuine concern about the fact that their children spend so much time in front of screens that these children don’t even know how to converse with their peers anymore. Another article in another magazine described a writer’s experience at a restaurant where she observed two couples at different tables – couples that were both in dating situations. The two people in their twenties spent most of the time looking at their cellphones, and spoke to each other only when one of them got a message that triggered a brief discussion. In the absence of such messages, these people could not have come up with anything to talk about. The other couple in the restaurant, in their seventies, spent all of their time discussing their adventures past and present, thereby actually getting to know each other.
A lady talking to a man says “I’ll stop Facebooking the very moment my life becomes half as exciting as I make it out to be on Facebook,” in a recent daily cartoon called Pardon My Planet, by Vic Lee. Well, as long as this woman’s life is confined to following what Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus did yesterday, or sending out pictures of what she had for breakfast this morning, there’s not much chance that her excitement level will ever rise above rock bottom.