The cell phone generation, Rude Dummies.

Sat this evening in a small restaurant and watched a family of three; father, mother and teenage son eating dinner in between their cell phone conversations.     Father had a cell phone which he did not put down the entire time he was eating his dinner.   Even when talking to his wife or teenage son, he continued to watch the cell phone.   The son actually seemed to have more social savy than either the mother or the father.     He at least was attempting to converse with both of them, however, whatever was going on in that little cell phone was of far more importance. 
 RUDENESS seems not to be something this new generation is even aware of.      Have you noticed how little eye contact there is now among families?   Do these parents really not want these children, are they such a bother that they  can’t take a few minutes while eating  dinner to pay attention to what they are saying.  I remember years ago thinking that the USA was not a society that liked its children.     Young parents bring them into this world and indulge them with all the “things” they can buy to assuage their own guilt at not being there as a parent.    Why did you have the children in the first place? Did you buy into the idea that you could have everything.   A career, children, a fine house in a good neighborhood, a wonderful family with no problems and all you had to do was buy the latest Little Einstein video to make sure you had the brightest and best children.  I think it was Amy McPherson, the lady preacher, who used to say “Everything will be all right”.       So sorry you bought into that idea.    Nothing comes free, and everything is not all right.  
     Obviously teenagers prefer to hide what they are thinking and feeling behind a cell phone, Itune, tv program or any kind of game.     So, perhaps for a teenager we can forgive some of the need to hide from the probing and prying of concerned adults in his/her family.     But at what age do we start to expect more adult behavior?   A response to a question or the willingness to converse about something of mutual interest.   Adolescence used to be a time of allowing a child to go back and forth between the emotions of being a child one day and an adult the next.    Somewhere around age 17-21yrs. the expectation was that the child stage was over and you were now expected to act like an adult and put away the games of childhood. Obviously this is not the current state of affairs.     Fathers and mothers are as addicted to their cell phones, Itunes, etc. as their children.    Perhaps its a way of not having to deal with the mundane tasks of being a parent.    Whatever happened to cooking together, folding laundry, cleaning the house once a week – together, turning an invite from a friend down in order to be with the family, writing thank you notes for gifts?
I have less and less patience as I age  and certainly no longer “hold my tongue” As a friend said recently I would rather spend time alone than with people who obviously don’t want to be with me in the first place.    If they are so busy on their cell phones, their games, their Itunes that they can’t take the time then I will continue to spend my time with a good book or a friend who can actually make eye contact, and have a somewhat intelligent conversation.
In my opinion, we are now  living in a society of rude dummies who know how to find information but haven’t the slightest idea what to do with that information.    Intelligence is I believe, according to Webster, the ability to take information and generalize its use in some practical form.    Sure would hate to be on a desert island with one of these new families, especially if there is no wifi, or electricity.   Dear God, what would they do if they couldn’t text, call, see the current cable  trash or push a button to turn the lights on.    Do they even know where the electricity comes from??   I seriously doubt it. 
I think I will reread Ray Bradbury’s “The Martian Chronicles”.    Perhaps familiarize myself again  with the characteristics of non-humans.    Perhaps that will help me reframe this new world. I’ll just buy one of those little headphones that you see people wearing, talk with someone, possibly myself, as I wander the aisles of the grocery store and stop being concerned as to whether there are other people there or not.    So what, if I never make eye contact, say hello, thank you, hope you have a nice day and Hasta la Vista!

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