“Time and Distance” Response

I found this particular reading interesting because of the shift in perspective that occurred regarding telephone poles. The invention of the telephone was definitely not very welcomed with its inception, as it is a natural human tendency to be reluctant to change, particularly with such seemingly drastic ideas. Although it is difficult to imagine a world without phones today, the notion that telephones infringed on people’s privacy grew to become a popular opinion at its inception. The increased installation of telephone poles drew many people to resent the changes even further, so much so that people would deliberately damage them. As evidenced by modern day technology, the telephone poles ultimately prevailed and are currently seen as a necessity to everyday life. Most of this information did not surprise me, but I was taken aback by the dark associations that telephone poles have in their history. Many lynchings and disrespectful abuses, specifically toward the black community, occurred with telephone poles in the 1900s. What is now seen as one of the greatest innovations in recent history has so much more meaning in actuality. I now have a new understanding about the history and significance of telephone poles, and I know that I will certainly not be able to think about it the same way again. This goes to show how important perspective is to fully understand a topic, and this means taking the time to understand perspectives other than that of oneself.