While casually perusing
Debra Zachar's blog (that girl watches a LOT of television), I came across an entry concerning free Ipod's being distributed to incoming freshman at Duke. FREE Ipods!?!?! I can already hear the glowing reactions from our student body from this grand gesture; "That's awesome!", "I wish Delaware did that!", "Who doesn't like music?", "Bill Gates for President!", "If a BlueHen fought a Blue Devil in a no-holds barred fight to the death, would the hen get better than 4-1 odds?" My friends, don't be fooled. Have you looked around our campus these days? Walk down East Delaware Ave. from 7-11 to trabant (my normal morning commute) and count a) the amount of people listening to Ipods, b) the amount of people using a cell phone (talking or texting), and c) the total amount of people you pass.
(a+b)/c = % of students out of touch with their own reality
Don't get me wrong- I'm as guilty as the next disconnected youth (The term "disconnected youth" seems oddly out-of-date, as the disconnected youth these days are actually the connected ones- connected to the internet, the XBOX and the power of mindless entertainment). Regardless, I am an Ipod owner and user. I dig the unique and abstract connection that can be made between the music pumping into my ear drums and the ever-changing physical surroundings. It's "Jacqueline" by Franz Ferdinand in the snow, "Trouble" by Ray LaMontaigne in the Fall, CCR in the summertime and the Garden State Soundtrack when I don't mind being an emo-clad, hopeless romantic, walking cliche. But I understand that an Ipod is a luxury and not a right; I do my best to use it sparingly. It’s like a drug: it seems like a great idea but just leads to bad habits (I’m reminded of steroids due the shared propensity for gym usage).
Casual conversation is going the way of the dinosaur, only without the cataclysmic meteor. Personal experience: while walking to the gym the other day, I passed by two acquaintances and one person I actually consider a friend. My stylish Ipod happened to be emitting "Kid A" by Radiohead at the same time. As a result, both acquaintances received the standard salutary head nod, while I greeted my friend with a "hello" that I could barely hear myself over the pulsating beats of the song Idiotech; it was impossible not to relish in the irony of the song slection.
I know what you're thinking: Are we really going to miss the occasional "Hey! How are you? Things sure are swell, eh?" Hell, most people probably consider these casual encounters nothing more than an annoyance. However, casual conversation is necessary to enhance general communication skills and promote an extroverted society- especially among the youth. Case in point: While visiting the local Staples to pick up some much needed computer paper (and sign the death certificate of at least one more tree), I witnessed something I haven't been able to shake from my mind since: a chunky, adolescent male sporting an Ipod nano and mimicking the dance moves of the Spice Girls, all under the less-than-watchful eye of an inattentive father. It wasn't so much the bad parenting that bothered me, nor was it the graceful sway of borderline baby fat (although neither was particularly pleasant). What really struck me was that from the time the boy high-stepped out of his car, to the time he bumped-and-grinded his way back in, not once did he remove his ear plugs, say a single word or even make eye contact with his father. He did, however, manage to masterfully lip-synch “spice it to the left if you know that you feel fine, shake it to the right if you’re having a good time.” I think you know the rest.
Look, I love conversation. I’ve been accused of loving it too much- of being to intent on expressing my ideas, of not letting others get their points of view out and of generally being overly accusatory and domineering in banter. People tell me I take on discussion as if both sides were naturally opposed, as if conversation was a competition. And they’re right, I think conversation is a competition- but it’s the type where if everyone plays right, all participants win. If I cut someone off mid-sentence it’s not because I’m not listening, it’s because I’m listening so intently that I can’t wait to tell you my thoughts on the subject. And you, in turn, should be just as intent on expanding my thought further. And then I expand on your thought and then you expand on mine and we continue to do this until we come to a conclusion or realize we’re missing happy hour. This is how humans are supposed to socialize. Socialization promotes affective communication, and affective communication promotes the transference of knowledge.
I’m not really sure what the future will bring. Technology is advancing faster than Manifest Destiny’s western front, and “the future” is legitimately being realized (the other day, I saw a flatscreen TV by the checkout register at Pathmark…. a flatscreen TV by the checkout register at Pathmark). And yes, the access and availability of information is at an all-time high. But if an Ipod and a search engine can replace effective parenting and proper communication with one’s piers, than an XBOX 360, 720, or even 980 won’t be enough to make us into well-rounded adults- and another cataclysmic meteor isn’t the worst idea after all.
