Human Interaction

One of the pro-cons of the Low Cash Lifestyle (LCL) is that you don't get to aquire too many tech gadgets.

This is caused by a combination of low discretionary funds, and an involved cost-benefit evaluation (I could have an ipod touch for $260, or I could have 17 fifths of Old Forester Sig. Is this even a question?)

Now, I am not saying it is a gadget free lifestyle; rather, the LCL leads to having greater selection/specificity in your gadgets.

Myself? I have a venerable arsenal of gadgets. However, most of these gadgets are oddball devices for home or vehicle repair. Easy to justify using that there cost-benefit whooder-dooder.

There is, however, a general shortage of tech gadgets amongst the LCL-yonaires. (Most likely caused by a cost-benefit analysis similar to the one provided above)

While a LCL-er generally lacks multiple tech devices (and in turn lacks some of their functionality), we learn to make up for it. We can read those old relics, maps. We have to ponder the universe without the rapid research abilities of google and wikipedia. We remember how to use a bookmark and how to troubleshoot a cd-player. Most importantly, we learn to interact with people... real flesh and blood people.

This last point was the real impetus for this posting. I feel that we as a culture are losing the skills of direct human interaction and replacing it with interaction with devices.

Last night I was out with some co-workers, and we ended up at a local restaurant. A cop, a firefighter, a chemist, and a drywaller oddly enough. As soon as we sat down, two of these people lost themselves into their smartphones, playing menial games or reading uninteresting blogs such as this one. The other two carried on a conversation.

The two talkers discussed things ranging from work to politics to economy, and had a very enlightening, informative, and enjoyable conversation.

Then they tried to bring one of the other guys into the conversation.
"How you doing Jim?"
"I'm OK..."
"Uk... ok... cool... So what do you do?"
"I don't really do anything. I just hang around the (professional facility) all day..."
"...So the only thing you do all day is hang around the (professional facility).... nothing else?"
"yep."
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"I locked up my four-wheeler the other day."
"That sucks!"
"Its ok. I was going to bore it out anyway"
"where were you four wheeling?
"just around. I am pretty boring" <-that is a god damned quote!!!

I don't know if you see it, but I do. This guy is defined by his job and his gadget. He has nothing to say, add, interject, do, etc. Just another god-damned-getting-in-the-way-looking-at-the-top-of-buildings-breathing-my-air-blocking-the-damn-sidewalk-MOVE-ON-mother-f%^*@#! To further paraphrase Bill Burr, "Jim" is another guy that shits into a river every morning, drives a big truck, and makes nothing. He is an environmental disaster.

On a similar note, at a recent party I complimented a lady on her attire, to which she replied with a blank stare. She further enlightened the evening by being quiet, retreating into her tech devices, and sitting in a corner. This more and more seems to be the rule as opposed to the exception.

This is not how people are supposed to interact, especially at a party! Don't fall into this trap! Don't be a painful bore! Interact with your fellow humans! I am not a reptilian! I am not hitting on you! It wasn't me that flashed you at the peanut stand in pic-pac!! That was Nemo!

Now, admittedly, I can't entirely blame tech devices for this (the interaction thing. not the flashing thing). It is very possible that boring people flock to tech devices to make up for their utter lack of imagination or to avoid developing any degree of functionality in a social setting.

I'm just saying turn them the fuck off at the dinner table.