What happened to dialogue?

As we retreat to our giant plasma TVs, computer monitors, and cell phone screens, sometime desperately trying to connect with others via MySpace, Facebook, online classifieds and other social networking sites, have we forgotten how to speak to one another?

A half-dozen times over the holidays I encountered couples at dinner both of whom were busier on their cell phones than they were with one another.

One attractive couple at a fairly pricey restaurant, at least at Memphis standards, barely looked at one another or their food, but chatted away vigorously to someone on their cell phones. Or maybe they were talking to one another, because they no longer know how to talk face to face.

All of the people at a local dive talked on their cell phones - an entire table! - rather than turn and talk to one another.

Eating has always been a very social event for me. I enjoy taking someone, if not a lot of people, with me when I have a meal. Eating has provided a social bond going back to the ancients, when they dined at huge tables, listening to heroic tales from a bard or poet on-hand.

I just don’t understand. If you want to talk to someone else, go out with him instead of sitting at a table full of people talking on the phone. And just because the phone rings, doesn’t mean you have to answer it.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 12th, 2008 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Online. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.