Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Any Nomads becoming Spam?
Attention – Span/Spam
I remember a time in America where kids would act up to get attention – in the home, in the classroom, on the playground. They just wanted to be
noticed, identified, validated. Can’t blame them for those honest young desires. They (we) were all saying “Hey, look at me dad, look at me”. Why
would we be surprised if they wrecked the car, ran off with a dumpster diver, boiled their hair in a green waxy substance, got 30 silver rings for
their ears and eyes and brows.
Now days with no dads around they have only Mom and the siblings, the neighbors and the 23rd Street Marauders to turn to. I guess we should all have
sympathy for them because we feel that most of us growing up in America in The Olden Days had a firm grasp on our identities, our positive self-view,
our position in the grand scheme of things entire.
Now we (they) have more popular things by which to measure self worth. I’ll make a small analogy to prove a point. Could it be that ipods/pods/phones
let youngsters and young adults surround themselves with grand armies of surrogate soul mates and family members all vying for attention and approval
on the airwaves? Suppose a 13 year old girl in the Olden days found herself at home alone after school and could not find satisfaction in just
sitting, reading, listening to music. Put that child side by side with modern girls of the same age and aptitude, give them both the opportunity to be
noticed, approved, loved, admired and envied almost constantly throughout the days and nights of their lives by a rich stew of acquaintances, school
chums and friends.
Now let’s play that out. The modern girl finally winds down, goes to bed satisfied, knowing, as she sleeps her growing circle of friends and peers are
out there still sharing their tacit awareness, approval of our gal.
What becomes of electronic girl if and when the music stops? Could she from time to time say electronic things that might diminish the numbers, put
her acceptance at risk? There must be cliques and clubs forming and dissolving at breakneck speed – add that dynamic and one more killer thing: loss
of electronic contact.
I believe there is a growing electronic addiction with power beyond chemical potential. Imagine yourself as the popular electronic girl now with only
her family and her lonesome. What’s the intervention plan for this young lady? How do you give her a positive personality, instill her with virtues,
hopes and strength of character without the input of electronic stimulus? Care to hire a bunch of funloving youths to have a never-ending pajama party
in her room? Maybe rent a full time personal mentor/sycophant. How about putting her through a crash one week boot camp called Guaranteed Survivor.
Recent polls of texters/tweeters shows they prefer electronic friends to real live friends – that is they prefer electronic interaction to face to
face meetings with those they would call electronic friends. It redefines friends/friendship – electronic friends only know that part of you which you
care to share and vice versa. You probably feel safer with electronic friends whose approval and validation are as complete as your imagination can
conjure up as the words form on the screen.
So if modern young girl is doing it right, her world is a virtual one; everything important to her is happening on a screen somewhere and she is
untouched by the vagaries of real world risk and reward, palpable failures and successes, corporeal exaltations and reality checks. How can we
possibly compete for her attention? What will hold her in those few moments each day we forcibly take her away from her world – in the classroom, at
the dinner table, helping with the housework, studying, etc? Nothing. We are all spam in her world, commercials she has to sit through to see the rest
of the movie.
When mom and dad are busted and she really, really, really has to get a job she will look for it on the internet. She will apply online and try to
hide her cyberadictions along with all the other 89,000 cyberapplicants. Cyberdesperation will set in when the expiration date comes nigh – the rent
for her cybertool, the passkey to her life, is due. She will find herself texting on the bus on the way to begin burger flipping or shelf stocking to
earn enough to stay in cyberland, to buy enough aps to continue to enjoy a Fine Virtual Life and to rent just enough friends to keep her occupied.
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
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George, I believe you have introduced Mr. Hammer to Mr. Nail. Dead-on analysis, and I wish I had an answer to the question. I have two college-age
boys and did my level best to keep them interested in reality while they were growing up. Baja helped, at least for awhile. But they have both
succumbed, like their peers, to the siren's call of the virtual world. Wave of the future, I suppose. I'm just waiting to apply for my personal,
implanted ID chip, that will verify my identity at the SENTRI chip readers in San Ysidro, beam the border wait time and the price of gas directly into
my retinas (along with my personal Netflix selections for an additional monthly fee), and report my vital signs to my doctor and my whereabouts to the
NSA.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
Member Is Offline
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Dano, thanks for that. I stopped short of including Nomads as those who likewise are drawn to the easy virtual community of keyboard friendships.
Nothing wrong with that but in the last ten years on this forum I have been witness to what happens when cyberpals actually get to press the flesh and
spend face time with each other in Baja and elsewhere.
I'll give way to the idea that these keyboards have brought together people whose sense of family and community, for fun and travel and everlasting
friendships were an indispensable link to the process.
I'll bet it will happen even more often when members drop their guards, share their everyday work and worry and ideas with others when they don't fear
being stomped on by a very few cyberthugs we just have to ignore.
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Mula
Super Nomad
Posts: 1655
Registered: 8-16-2011
Location: San Nicolas y Lopez Mateos
Member Is Offline
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I cherish the time we spent with you and Lynda a couple of years ago.
Try to stop and visit Nomads when ever I can anymore.
It is a lost trait.
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6343
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
Mood: TEQUILA!
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I don't think I could have said it any better! (Plus I agree with Mula
also.)
Quote: Originally posted by DanO  | | George, I believe you have introduced Mr. Hammer to Mr. Nail. Dead-on analysis, and I wish I had an answer to the question. I have two college-age
boys and did my level best to keep them interested in reality while they were growing up. Baja helped, at least for awhile. But they have both
succumbed, like their peers, to the siren's call of the virtual world. Wave of the future, I suppose. I'm just waiting to apply for my personal,
implanted ID chip, that will verify my identity at the SENTRI chip readers in San Ysidro, beam the border wait time and the price of gas directly into
my retinas (along with my personal Netflix selections for an additional monthly fee), and report my vital signs to my doctor and my whereabouts to the
NSA. |
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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AKgringo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6004
Registered: 9-20-2014
Location: Anchorage, AK (no mas!)
Member Is Offline
Mood: Retireded
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Well this technophobe is not getting Spammish, although you could make comparisons to baloney.
I don't own a smart phone, I just don't want to be that connected!
It amazes me how many people seem to have separation anxiety if they can't be plugged in!
And what is up with getting a text that says "Call me!"?? You have the number, YOU CALL ME!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
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^^^^
THIS!
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo | Well this technophobe is not getting Spammish, although you could make comparisons to baloney.
I don't own a smart phone, I just don't want to be that connected!
It amazes me how many people seem to have separation anxiety if they can't be plugged in!
And what is up with getting a text that says "Call me!"?? You have the number, YOU CALL ME! |
I'm with you on that. I got a friend that complains about kids and everyone else glued to their smart phones and when he's with me he does the same
thing.
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Chupacabra
Nomad
Posts: 476
Registered: 7-11-2013
Location: La Jolla, CA
Member Is Offline
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Old people have been grumbling about young people since the dawn of time.
1950's: Damn kids with that slicked back hair cruising the boulevard and hanging out in diners. America is going to hell!
1960's: Damn kids with that long hair and crazy rock and roll music. America is going to hell!
1970's: Damn kids with those bell-bottoms, crappy disco music, and constant weed smoking. America is going to hell!
1980's: Damn kids with that constant TV watching, big hair, and yuppie attitude. America is going to hell!
1990's: Damn kids with all that crazy dot-com nonsense. America is going to hell!
2000's: Damn kids with that millennial attitude all moving back in with their parents. America is going to hell!
2010's: Damn kids with the Facebook and Spotify and Instagram. America is going to hell!
Take stock in the fact that America and it's young people will be just fine. They will ignore the social commentary and blaze their own trail, until
some point when it's their turn to complain about the next generation of young people.
************************************
WTF
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6343
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
Member Is Offline
Mood: TEQUILA!
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I'm sure Osprey was hoping to get a laugh out of this post...but it is turning out to be a seriously reactive post!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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When my grandkids come for a visit and they start spending time looking at their smart phones I head to my man cave and either read a book/magazine or
turn on the TV. If they want to talk they know where I'm at.
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joerover
Banned
Posts: 676
Registered: 2-3-2011
Location: earth
Member Is Offline
Mood: sleepy
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who are they texting too
who do they think they are texting too
what was the 500 pound fat lady i saw at the buffet today texting about
the people on the other end may think she is a thin beach bunny
who knew she had a porter runnning to the buffet for more food every 5 minutes
phone in the left hand
fork in the right hand
the fat lady is breeding
which means
The fat ladys are breeding
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joerover
Banned
Posts: 676
Registered: 2-3-2011
Location: earth
Member Is Offline
Mood: sleepy
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who pays for all that
the fat lady is breeding
which means
The fat ladys are breeding
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