Is Smart Technology Enhancing or Suppressing Us?
It’s Time to Turn the Phones Off
Livin’ La Vida Cell Phone
An obnoxious ringtone fires off closely, startling, and embarrassing me for the owner of it. It’s a Ricky Martin song. Yikes. Looking up from a bite of orange chicken, I watch a mom answer her cell phone at dinner. To her left, a glowing, chatty little daughter then transformed, before my eyes, into a dull and quiet soul.
It was existentially painful to watch. The look on the child’s face said it was an everyday occurrence. She proceeded to eat her meal while intermittently peering up at mom. At that moment, the spirit of youth had been stolen from her.
The mom finished her meal while on this call, taking approximately 20 minutes. Her daughter was left to sit and eat in silence while mommy attended to a more pressing matter.
A Critical Analysis
To say I was eavesdropping would be too forward, but I was curious to find out why, one, anyone would have a Ricky Martin ringtone, and two, why the phone call couldn’t wait. What example was she setting?
Before someone claims a ‘holier than thou’ attitude, let me say, I am guilty of this at times. It’s all of us. And this is meant only to be a critical analysis…
