I think the first time I noticed the corruption sweeping thru the younger generation was a couple of years ago, at Carrabba's. My son (who was 14 at the time) brought a girl friend of his to dinner with myself & a couple of friends of mine. We were seated in a booth; my sons friend, my son & I on one side & my two friends on the other.
After we placed our orders & while my son & us three adults were chatting & waiting for the food, I noticed that my sons friend was pretty quiet. My friend & her husband kept looking across the table pointedly at my sons friend. I couldn't see the girl, as my son was between us. I noticed that they seemed to be engrossed with the girls' lap (which couldn't be good) as both of their eyes were aimed downward. Finally, my son sat back & I could see what was going on - & I was right! They WERE up to no good - my son was being corrupted right before my eyes!
Yes - it was an iphone, or a Blackberry, or - I don't know, something similar; it didn't really matter to me what BRAND of corruption it was!
So?
SO! Okay, so I am not the queen of table manners myself, I admit. I have been known to rest my elbows on the table. I have inadvertently used the dinner fork instead of the salad fork. In fact, once I accidentally used the wrong bread plate (gasp!). But these are mere TRIFLES! This girl stared down into her lap for THE ENTIRE DINNER, ignored everyone (including my son!) & did not seem to know or care that this would be classified as rude behaviour by most anyone born prior to 1980. I am not even sure how she was able to eat her food using only one hand. She probably had to download an app to tell her how to do it.
What I didn't get was this: how could parents just allow this type of behavior - after all, parents still tell kids to get their elbows off the table, right? (right??). The answer that comes to mind is this: obviously their parents are doing this too! Just go eat in any restaurant & count how many people's hair parts you can see. Most the people look like they are praying. (I am pretty sure they are not, unless they are praying that their battery will not die, or that they brought their charger with them, or that their next phone is 4G.)
Imagine an alien race scouting out our planet:
Zorcon: Ah, look, here we have a gathering place of humans, the indigenous species.
Qusalt: This structure appears to be a place of worship. See how their heads are bowed respectfully? They are praying to their gods.
Zorcon: No, Qusalt, I beg to differ. See the sign - Arby's Roast Beef? Roast beef is an item for consumption. This is a feeding station.
Qusalt: Then why are they all sitting so quietly & not talking amongst themselves? I was given to understand that the consuming of sustenance was a social bonding ritual for humans.
Zorcon: They are busy operating their communication devices - hear that? Listen to all the click clacks & musical tones. Perhaps you ARE right, Qusalt, perhaps they ARE praying to their gods with these devices. After all, it is not logical that the humans would have to operate their communication devices to speak to the human next to them. And look at how indifferently the humans behave toward their feeding partners. It stands to reason that the devices in their hands are much MORE important than actual human beings.
Qusalt: Do you think their gods require so much - what do they call it? - texting from their subjects before a simple meal?
Zorcon: I do not know. But, I'll tell you one thing, Qusalt. God or not; if you ignore me like that while we are consuming our sustenance, don't expect to consume with me ever again! Looks like those humans with these devices make pretty unexciting - what do they call them? - dinner partners!
Qusalt: I agree. Let's hope the boring humans click-clacking their devices are the ones who are providing the money for the sustenance. That would be the only reason that I can think of to sit with that type of human being!
Well observed! Sigh!
ReplyDeleteG.