Quote: (06-07-2014 10:12 AM)Slick Shimmer Wrote:
Bartending got me in the habit of never taking my phone out in public.
An easy way for people to think you are absolutely insane?
Carry a pocket sized notepad and a pen.
You would be surprised at the reactions you get in public just for taking notes.
I do this too. It's my default way of keeping myself busy while I'm out. Either that or I read.
I usually carry a small notepad, folded pieces of paper, or a stack of flash cards in my pocket, and I scribble down notes, brainstorm, ponder ideas for articles and books, and so on.
I guess in some ways it's not all that different than immersing yourself in a smartphone, but it's more engaged. You're producing and creating something rather than just busying yourself with distractions and staying tethered to your social lifeline.
If I find myself getting too caught up in my notes sometimes, though, I pull myself away and try to connect with whoever is around me. It also becomes a great conversational piece at times because, as you mentioned, people always ask what you're doing.
Quote: (06-07-2014 07:47 AM)Foolsgo1d Wrote:
The other day I was walking through town and as usual there were the usual people who do appraoches for charity, surveys or companies.
I did not acknowledge them until one fat woman got in my way but with the shake of ym head I said 'no' but that did not stop her snide remark of "you should smile more".
I looked around at the number of people on their phones, either walking or sitting down as groups or on their own and laughed. I dont need a phone to be happy and yet she wouldn't have even got the chance to be snarky with me if I had a phone taking up my attention.
I see your point. And living in Cambodia at the moment, I could work myself into some rants on how annoying the tuk tuk drivers and other people pushing their wares get, especially if I'm in a shitty mood.
But fending off solicitors is a basic social skill that citizens in every society have to contend with.
I don't think burying our heads in our phones as a cloak of protection is the right answer. Instead, we either need to pass stricter laws regarding this sort of thing (I'm not really for that) or grow thicker skin and just accept that people will be annoying sometimes (I think this is the ideal solution).
There have always been discomforts and awkwardness associated with dealing with the other people in society. Now people want to cocoon into their phones as the default defense mechanism, and while they may be becoming more socially savvy in some ways, they're becoming complete social retards in others.
On another note, this forum is a form of social media too, and I've had my head buried in it all day, as I often do when I feel like shit and want to avoid the outside world.
The irony of that has not escaped me. We're most certainly not immune here...
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling
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