I feel sorry for kids my own age

[winston89]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 1:39am

I was in the lounge of my dorm. And, there were two kids who were talking and clearly didn't want anyone else to hear what it was that they were saying. So, they spent a good 15-20 min texting one another back and forth.

Now, I have no problem texting someone when I have something to tell them. But, if i were talking to someone and other people were around, and I didn't want them to hear what I was saying. I would ask my friend to step outside of the room for a moment while I told them what I wanted to tell them.

I just find it sad that there are a lot of kids my own age, who get so engrossed in technology that they are unable to have a face to face conversation with someone. It is just one of my pet peeves.

[singtopher]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 8:51am

I'm guilty of this myself actually. Though i've only ever done it a couple times.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 10:07am

It's definately one of my pet peeves too. During my off period in school I chill in the cafeteria, and normally a high school cafeteria is very loud, but when I look around no one is talking to eachother. There'll be a group of five kids around a table and they're all listening to their iPods and texting, or their on their laptops, or they're playing with their iPhones. It's kind of scary how no one socializes any more.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 10:35am

This is exactly the reason kids today have no manners.

They have no idea how to deal with another human being, face to face, unless it's done through texting or emails.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 10:59am

Winston, did it ever occur to you that perhaps they were talking about you, hence the reason they were being so quiet?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 10:59am

I was thinking exactly the same thing, actually.

[ifuweregay93]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 11:08am

And today, it's normal to break up with someone over texts. That's just sad.

And I wonder how long it'll be before someone proposes over a text (it wouldn't surprise me if it already happened)

[Pianolin717]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 11:28am

"And today, it's normal to break up with someone over texts. That's just sad"

And while this does happen, it is AWFUL. I was with my friend when her bf broke up with her over text... it just shows how cowardly people are and what jerks they can be

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 11:29am

"Winston, did it ever occur to you that perhaps they were talking about you, hence the reason they were being so quiet?"

Adam, that's the first thing that came to my mind, although I abhor texting. I just came from the gym and was amazed how some people have to text while working out. Sad.

[ifuweregay93]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 11:34am

I'd never break up with someone over texts. Same with asking out.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 11:34am

California Woman Gets 6 Years In Texting Crash Death

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 11:36am

I would never, and have never, broken up with someone any way other than face to face. I have a friend whose boyfriend didn't speak to her for weeks and then texted her "we're done". I have another friend who texted his girlfriend that he wanted to break up, and then changed his mind an hour later and typed "jk".

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 11:45am

"And today, it's normal to break up with someone over texts. That's just sad"

And while this does happen, it is AWFUL. I was with my friend when her bf broke up with her over text... it just shows how cowardly people are and what jerks they can be

Well, and text messaging really just encourages people TO be cowardly. Guilty as charged -- most of us probably are. I've never done something as cruel as breaking up with someone via text, but I'm terrified of the phone, and often text to get out of making a call. I have asked someone out via text.

ILoveMyDictionary - are you in high school? Wow, when I was in high school, we were not allowed to have cell phones, iPods, CD players, let alone laptops, out at ALL during the school day. Getting caught with a cell phone in your hand, even if you weren't using it, was one of the biggest offenses imaginable... but then again I went to a really screwed up high school. And this was not that long ago!

[winston89]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 12:06pm

When I was in high school if you got caught with a cell phone, they would take it away till the end of the day. Then you were able to go get it back. However, some teachers were more strict about the no cell phones rule then others.

And, no foster and Adam, I knew what these kids were talking about. What bothered me about the situation the most was that I was aware of what they were talking about and so were a couple of other kids in the room. Yet, they acted as if no one knew. But, the point is that if they wanted to talk about something that they didn't want to share with the rest of the kids in the room, then they should have gone elsewhere.


I was working in a political consulting firm last summer with other college age kids. The guy running it said that he was scared of the future of the business because a lot of it is relied upon making phone calls and actually walking up and talking to people. Which, is something that a lot of kids my age have trouble doing. Ask a typical teenager to make a phone call to a random person and they would have trouble doing it. Asking them to send an email or an IM to a random person and they would have no problem doing that.

[Q]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 12:09pm

RE: Cali woman getting six years.

Let me get this straight - we put people away for years and years over drug use or badly timed blowjobs, but this idiot who made the very conscious choice NOT to take responsibility for her own actions as they would affect others - and ended up KILLING someone - gets SIX YEARS?!?!?!?

I just can't imagine the thinking behind this situation. But, then again, I don't understand much about the 'thinking' that goes on these days.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 12:25pm

I hate texting. I've never done it, and I don't think I ever will. But I agree, people text constantly. I don't remember the last time I sat in a class at my school without seeing at least five people at a time texting. The school's given up on punishing kids for texting because literally EVERYONE except for my sister and me do it.

I went to homecoming at my friend's school, and there were at least fifteen kids who were just sitting in the hall in their fancy dresses and suits, with their eyes glued to their laptop computers and not looking at one another.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 12:34pm

I may be old fashioned but give me a CD over an IPOD which I do not own

I also perfer reading books & newspapers instead of listening to them. These are like reading a Cliff Notes version of Moby Dick and thinking you read the novel.

Cell phones are nice but we now give up privacy . People turn into robots and I am suprised more people are not run down by cars as you see people walking against a light, not looking & blithly talking on the phone. No call is worth your life.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 12:36pm

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[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 12:41pm

Sublety & compassion are not traits you possess

Having said that,I do a great impression of old Andy

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 12:53pm

I may be old fashioned but give me a CD over an IPOD which I do not own

I also perfer reading books & newspapers instead of listening to them. These are like reading a Cliff Notes version of Moby Dick and thinking you read the novel.

Cell phones are nice but we now give up privacy . People turn into robots and I am suprised more people are not run down by cars as you see people walking against a light, not looking & blithly talking on the phone. No call is worth your life.

I actually completely agree with Mr. Roxy. But I've always been behind the times. In second grade, I was the only kid in my class who didn't like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Now I'm the only kid in my class who doesn't own a cell phone or iPod.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 1:06pm

My school was actually considering putting in a Cellphone jammer before they found out that it was illegal. I'm all for punishing for having them out in class but now no one can have them out at all during the day, it is extremely stupid. It's all because we have teachers who won't grow a pair & punish the kid for it, they would rather just take the phone, WHICH SOLVES NOTHING.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 1:38pm

I don't understand the "texting is bad!" rule so many people have. Of course it has its drawbacks, but it can be very useful. In limited forms...

Texting is really only useful, IMO, if it's too noisy an environment to call or talk, or if you're in an area with crappy reception, where a text will get through and a spotty phone call won't.

I have to pay 20 cents per text I send OR receive. It keeps me in check and it's nice. Even though I don't like talking to people anyway.

Updated On: 4/5/09 at 01:38 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 1:42pm

texting is annoying to me, but that's b/c I'm not very adept at it.

The thing is, I don't really have a choice at times. There are people I need to communicate with who only respond to texts.

As far as casual conversation goes, I text very seldom.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 1:44pm

Oh, I see why texting can be really useful for adults. But most kids see it as an opportunity to chat during class without being caught instead of paying attention. I mean, I'm a high school theatre critic, and I keep seeing other critics texting during the shows that we're supposed to review later! And I have a hard time paying attention to almost anything, so I don't think I'd need any more distractions.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/5/09 at 1:48pm

Yeah, I guess I don't have that life experience of HS texting. I got my first cell phone when I was in college in 1995 and it looked like this. It didn't text and it only stored 3 numbers (and you couldn't attach any names to it).


At family gatherings my 15-year-old cousin does nothing but text or play some kind of hand-held game in his lap. He's kind of surly anyway, though, so it's annoying but in some ways I'm grateful.