If there’s any one thing that makes me wish for TEOTWAWKI it’s people and their cell phones/iPads/iPhone/Blackberry, etc.
How many times have you been talking to someone and they’re texting at the same time? Or have someone answer a cell phone in the middle of a conversation? Worse yet, how many fatalities out there on the roads and highways are due to texting while driving?
Are you addicted?
It’s insane. I’m afraid to run on the roads anymore because of the number of times I’ve seen cars swerve towards me while the driver is staring at a cell phone blissfully unaware of me diving into the ditch.
I see people walking along all the time talking or texting and I’ll say, “I hear they have surgery to help get those things removed.” Most people laugh and nod because they know I’m right; however, there have been some people who got all panicky looking because they envision life without their beloved phone, or iPad, or whatever their gizmo of choice is. Talk to these same people about crack, or cocaine or heroin and they’ll shake their heads and talk about how awful that kind of addiction is.
Guess what! They’re just as addicted as the poor junky. My nineteen year old daughter just bought a new Android cell phone. Now when I’m talking to her all I hear is “ANDROID” in this strange mechanical voice coming out of her shirt pocket. It’s pathetic. Many times have I physically grabbed her cell phone and put it in my pocket so we could have a conversation. She eventually learned that when she’s around me to put it where I can’t reach it or it will wind up in my pocket.
That leads me to the cure – going cold turkey. First of all, there really isn’t a cure once you’ve been bitten by the bug, but you can train people so that when they’re around you they know not to use the phone.
CAUTION: Using this method can and will upset people who are used to being in touch with the entire world. You’ll interrupt important messages like “UR HOT” and “LOL THAT’S FNNY” and other bits of important information like that.
My favorite tactic is to ask to see the phone. People love showing off their latest toy even more than they love showing off their cars or children.
Here’s an example from last summer when I got the phone from my second cousin (age 16 years at the time.)
Randi walked around for hours with her cell phone texting and calling her boyfriend in Virginia (and other friends I’m sure.) Every time I tried to talk to her the phone would buzz or chirp or somehow divert her attention back to her little annoyance.
Finally I said, “Hey. That’s a nice phone. Can I see it?”
My daughter said, “I wouldn’t do….” but it was too late.
Beaming proudly Randi handed it over to me. I turned it off and put it in my pocket. Now some of you might question what right I had to do that; however, as a human being interested in her life and not having the opportunity to see her very often I wanted to engage her in conversation. You would have thought I’d taken her newborn baby and left it to the wolves. After a half hour I gave her phone back, but by that time we weren’t on speaking terms anymore; however, she forgave me the next day. Grudgingly.
I know I’m old fashioned, but whatever happened to a conversation where you don’t have to wait while someone sends a “quick text” or takes a call while you’re talking? IF I happen to be carrying my cell phone and it rings I’ll let it go to voice mail if I’m talking with someone. Invariably they’ll stop talking and say, “Aren’t you going to take that call?”
No. I’d much rather hear what you have to say in our face to face conversation than answer the phone. Like I said – I guess I’m just an old fashioned guy.
What happens when TSHTF and maybe that crutch isn’t there to lean on anymore? How will people cope?
What do you think?
-Jarhead Survivor
30 comments
OMG you mean you want people to talk? Face to face? Like to each other?
I have 4 kids from 18 to 27. l can’t tell you the last time l “spoke” to them this week. l get a text everyday from at least one, but talk? Barely.
My kids will text each other sitting in the same room or car. drives me insane! When they text me they get mad cause l usually do one word answers and even one letter answers. ( k is my ok drives them crazy)
l try to call them to talk to them and they won’t answer because they would rather text. Now l’m the bad guy because l won’t text them and see how they are once in awhile.
Don’t get me wrong, l like having the cell when l’m driving alone and might need help due to car trouble or lost, but the minute l’m not in the car it’s not in use. I’ll turn it on to check for important messages on occasion, but that’s it. Try having people over and having everyone turn in the phone at the door. You will see people getting the dt’s within an hour. It’s sad. l miss the good ole days when the only way to be reached is when you decided to be home. Even then we had answering machines :)
People love to make BS excuses about keeping them for themselves or loved ones for “emergencies.” They lie to themselves and turn it into a sin by lying to others.
I was one of the original guys who was hoping they DO cause brain tumors. But then ATT would be in hock by all of the lawsuits.
As our civilization accelerates in its’ decay, we regress to our forebears, with the intelligence and wherewithal to maybe draw pictures of animals with our finger, inside our cave, or at least the post-modern, electronic equivalent. Sad, sad, sad. And we used to be a people that practiced the art of conversation, comfortable with the pronouncement and meaning of 20-50k words. It is now <10k and 5k is probably more realistic. The kids of today's kids might know as many words as my spaniel.
You've heard that we get the politician we deserve. The corollary is that we get the civilization we deserve.
Rant/Grumpy Old Man Comment [/off].
Mike
Jarhead – Reminds me of a time when I was almost rear-ended by a woman who was obviously texting while driving.
Driving down a 4 lane road, I had to put on my brakes pretty quickly and the lady behind me wasn’t paying attention. From my rear view mirror, I could see the shock and surprise on her face as she locked her brakes. I was in my 2500 Chevy 4×4 and she was in a SmartCar. The meeting wouldn’t have been a good one for her.
I could put a SmartCar in the bed of my truck as a spare….and I almost did.
Joe
I almost pray for a Carrington event or and EMP strike so I can watch the world go crazy. Many is the time I want to slap the crap out of a cell phone addict.
I’m 32 and should be in my electronic hey-day, but three months ago, i killed my blackberry and data plan. My family has one phone now, which is held by my wife. I have a cell phone for work, but it is a very basic flip phone. I only call my wife wiht that phone to see if she needs milk on my way home. She knows I’m coming home, so why would she need to talk to me all day long? Of course she’ll call for an emergency.
We already pay for data (high speed internet) so the extra money that was spent on wireless internet to my cell phone was redundant. The kicker is that we save $75 per month, which was easily redirected into preps. That’s change i can believe in!!!
They’ll cope. It’ll be hard but they’ll cope.
I don’t see cell phones as the problem.. They’re a tool.
I actually have a family member that has a similar addiction to food – he’s a really fit guy but for some reason he has this thing with food. In a family reunion (lots of food), that’s all that consumes his mind. His eyes never leave the plates, and it’s all he will talk about. Strange.
I’m sure we’ve all seen the computer and TV zombies…
I think the major underlying problem is that society in general is a group of nervous wrecks who have been conditioned to seek outside approval for their thoughts and actions. I think that’s why social networking has become so popular. It’s also a form of escapism.
Take away the tvs, computers, cell phones, and they’ll find another escape. They may just sit there and daydream all day. Who knows.
Yep. What you said. :)
I second that!
All of these people will suddenly find themselves without the ability to consult the Internet to figure out how to survive in there current situation or to consult a gps on how to bug out of there current location. The people who are completely reliant on these devices could very well die. Some of those who survive long enough to realize that their precious devices might not every come back on, will go into shock from the sudden cut off.
I have cousins that are absolutely addicted to their electronic toys, go nuts if the have to go a day without internet access. Our household we can take or leave it, it’s no big deal. My husband and I each have our emergency cell phones and half the time if we go anywhere we forget to take it with us. I still send hand written letters via snail mail and expect hand written letters back. Computers are nice to play games on, but I would still rather play a game of dominoes with my husband because there is nothing more enjoyable than seeing the look on my husbands face when I beat him.
Oh no, a timely post as I just bought my
first “smart phone” using it to comment now. God save me.
Bahahaha!!!! It’s to late we have you now!!!!!!! LOL
Welcome to the Dark Side….
And I thought I was the only one who noticed!! :) Jarhead, you sound exactly like I do when I run into this behavior.
Like “Prepared ND” says, the phone is just another tool to be abused. There have always been rude people, the phones just amplify their rudeness. It’s the same “I’m the center of the universe” mentality that makes people stand right at the doors to the elevator and attempt to dive in when the doors first start to open. Or those people who ignore the fact that there is a line of people at a service counter, and walk right in front of them.
No one has mentioned the folks who don’t understand the concept of “amplification”. You know, the people who talk at a very loud volume level as if they were playing with 2 tin cans on a string.
My nieces husband wanted to “help” me build our garden shed a few years back. I would be getting ready to nail the next frame pieces together, and would need him to hold them steady. I look around and he’s nowhere to be found. He’s gone around the back of the house and is chatting with one of his friends on his cell! At least when we went hunting there was no cell service up in the Rockies. But when I could have used some help putting up the tent to clean it and putting away the gear when we got back……………….. :(.
Gah! Don’t get me started on cell phones! I’m right with you, Jarhead, and a number of my friends are the same way–we would rather spend the day outside hiking around than reading “OMG d00dz th4t roolez!!!1” every 15-20 minutes. Frustrates me to no end trying to talk to a number of my classmates….
LOL… I just down graded from a smart phone to a pay as you go plan with no internet access. I went through a few days of withdrawals. But, in the end, the smart phone was a distraction and a time waster and I like paying $100 every 4 or 5 months much better than paying $80 every month.
I’m 17 years old. I consider my self resigned from my generation. Maybe it’s because I only use face book to talk to my international friends once a week, or because my morning partially consists of BBC world news and coffee followed by you guys (various prep blogs.) I’ve ripped cell phones out of family members hand’s before as well. Some are middle aged, so it’s not exclusively generational. I guess walking down the stairs and standing in front of two cousins who are too busy to say hi or even respond to my hello is enough to set anybody over the edge. I consider my cell phone an emergency communications tool. I’m perplexed by how I check my six every once and a while and others walk down dark lonely roads with headphones in their ears and their eyes glued on some dumb-ass conversation. You are not alone Sir.
I have a hard, fast, rule that if you live within 100 miles of me I wont be your friend on Facebook,
This is a good rule. I’ve got one friend who alternates between the coast opposite to me and Europe. Otherwise Facebook is there to access scribd and endless copies of Army FM’s.
Well ,that’s why it’s estimated that most people would die off after 2 weeks after the shtf . They just couldn’t survive or wouldn’t want to without their toys. i think it’s parents showing off who buy these electronic toys for their teenages (and younger). How else could teens get these? Who foots the monthly bills? Do they really like paying $100 to $200 a month?
Me, all I’ve got is a cheap, pre-pay monthly cell phone for emergencies.
While the cell phone-heads, are buying minutes, I’m using my money to buy months/years – of food&gear!
Anyone that buys minutes instead of years deserves to starve. These are the folks that talk a lot, but say nothing.
I like your cell “cure.” I’ll try it sometime. I don’t think it will work on adults… But, I’m gonna TRY it anyway! LOL
No cell phone for me, but my hubs has the smart phone. He used it for work and isn’t addicted to it at all. He actually dislikes cell phones, but one of us has to have one just in case the land line doesn’t work.
Everyone is worried I don’t have a cell phone. Q: What if there is an emergency? A: Ask somebody to call 911. They have a phone. Q: What if your car breaks down? A: I live in the country. Everybody knows me and my business, too. Q: What if you are driving into the city and your car breaks down? A: I hate to drive. The hubs is with me. And that’s that!
Great topic. I was just thinking about this on Sunday at church. All of the nursery workers were keeping in touch via smart phone, and then there was an announcement in the service about signing up for text prayer alerts and activity reminders. I love my church, but wow, that all kind of made me sick.
I remember when I went back to grad school in my late 20s. All of the students on the campus buses were texting, and I was just sitting in the bus in silence. How do those people get to know each other at all?!
Well since I sold my MacBook to buy my AR-10 (great choice) I HAVE to use my iPhone to get my daily dose of prepper gloom and doom from the sites I follow. I mean really what would be the use without you guys and survivalblog and …
Gosh, come to think of it, I may turn that AR on myself when I can’t read TEOTWAWKI jibber jabber anymore! ;)
Oh NO attack of the evil electronics!!!! Watchout I am sure it is a skynet plot to decieve the masses……Jarhead, you have a point about the rudness. But that rudness exists with or without the gadgets. I have a smart phone and I am glad I do. It is a great tool that helps me stay in touch with friends and up to date on the news. Hell the thing even helped my save $10 on a recent purchase by being able to check prices online. Of course god forbid Facebook!!! another great evil!!! LOL not! I had a supervisor years ago who always said perception is everything…..how you look at these tools is how you percieve them….
While I am on my soap box I would just like to say WTF has happened to this blog? Everything is gloom and doom and what would you do in this situation…guess what!! Plan all you want but you will never know what you would do in any situation until in it….I used to follow around 10 different prep blogs a few years back. But, they got so damn depressing I couldn’t do it!! This blog used to be fun! Good prep info and some tong in cheek humor…..and yes for those of you that are going to jump on me about this I just want you to know I have been reading this blog long before most of you! Since it’s early days when the entire blog was Rangerman….back when he quit on us for awhile….way back…..so for all you newbies you should know where this blog came from….there I pissed in enough Cheerios for one night…….peace
Hey Rushman – thanks for reading for so many years and taking the time to comment. Allow me to respond to you…
First of all, I agree 100% that it’s the people using the technology and not the devices themselves that are annoying or rude. In a way it’s kind of like alcohol. If you drink and drive you might kill someone or yourself. You can get addicted to it. You can be annoying when you imbibe. It’s not the alcohol’s fault that all of these things happen. It’s the person using it.
Facebook. I personally don’t have any use for it, but if you like it go for it. A new baby, a two year old, and this blog eat up a bunch of my time. I can’t imagine adding something like facebook into the mix!
You make a good point about the doom and gloom and I’ve been thinking the same thing lately. I know that Ranger Man wanted the blog to “mature” if you will, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a little fun either. RM is better at the tongue in cheek style of writing, but I’ll see what I can do to come up with some lighter topics.
I do the survival scenarios on Friday to give people things to think about. Some of them may be a bit outlandish, but in the military we did a lot of planning and talking about certain scenarios and I found this helped when it came time to execute the plan. The plan usually fell apart, but at least we had the thinking to fall back on and that’s all I’m trying to do here. I find the scenarios useful because there are always a lot of good ideas put out by you guys – the readers.
Again, thanks for reading and commenting. I don’t usually reply to all the comments here simply because I don’t have the time, but rest assured that I read every single comment that you readers write and I try to pay attention what you say.
-Jarhead
I’m a yOuthouse pastor and hate what has become the norm for communication today. I remember there was one instance we’re a student was dealing with a very low sence of self worth. It was to the point of contimplating suicide. I was away on vacation so I wanted to call and talk to them after they sent me a text. Nope it all had to be said via text!!!
How do you see it as ok to talk about something that important over text? I want to talk face to face or at the least over an open phone line were I can hear tone change. We worked through it but wow I could help them so much more if they would just come talk to me. If I can pin them down and try and talk face to face they get all silent. Drives me crazy.
It sounds like some here are blaming the device rather than the operator. Yes, smart phones will allow you to stay in touch with people and news just about anywhere. The problem is that (as mentioned above) many people are too rude and/or self-centered to pay attention to those physically around there. I do agree that many of these people will be screwed if anything major happens in their area.
Steelheart
I put my phone in silent mode rather than turning it off. When it buzzes I check the caller ID. If it’s my kid’s school, or the ex if my kid isn’t with me, I will always take it. Everybody else can leave a message.
Oh, and I do have Facebook, G+, etc. All social networking notifications are set to visual only so I will not be notified of every comment. Texts annoy me, and almost everyone has learned not to send them to me unless it is a real emergency and they have weak enough signal (or low enough battery) that a call is not an option.
Such a great topic! Smart phones and laptops etc are absolutely addictive to the vast majority of people who own them. Ironically, what I am most dependent on mine for is the time! I quit wearing a watch when I started carrying a cell phone, which I only do grudgingly.
I often realize about lunch time that I never put my phone in my pocket and that I’d better check it to see if Joe needed to talk to me etc. We dropped our land line, so I realize I have to be reachable, but I’m too busy raising children and such to fool with texting goofy abbreviations to people who should be watching the road, or working, or….
Once the SHTF, most of the zombies will be those wandering around aimlessly staring at the screen of the phone just sure if they go over “there” they will get “more bars” so they can use their phone again.
Laura