I never thought of myself as being too technologically savvy. Far from it. I proudly wear the label "Neanderthal". Then I read about Larry Rogers and his wife Joan in the local newspaper. We'll just conveniently skip over the fact that they're 86 and 84 years old respectively.
To quote Larry, he doesn't have a "computer, cell phone, iPhone, uPhone, myPod, yourPod, hisPad, herPad, answering machine,VCR, cable TV," etc. He still uses a rotary dial telephone, a manual typewriter, and watches TV on a boxy 19-inch model. He did have to break down recently and buy a digital converter box so he could keep his antique Magnavox TV up and running. He's never used an ATM machine. When he buys something and the clerk expects him to swipe his credit card, he just hands it to them instead and says, "Here, you do it." He said "I tried a time or two, but after twisting that credit card around every which way, putting the stripe on this side and that, I just started saying 'you do it'".
He drives a 1992 Ford Crown Victoria. It has a cassette player and cruise control, neither of which he has ever used. He says he doesn't own a tape, and "the idea of sticking the gas pedal open just sounds nuts. Why, I wouldn't feel in control." And Joan doesn't even own an electric clothes dryer. "I get out there in the sun and hang clothes on the line. It's good exercise."
Understand, these aren't poor people, and they're certainly not dumb. Larry, a veterinarian, retired 30 years ago thanks to his smart investments, and since then they've traveled all over the world. (By airplane?) He still manages his portfolio with spiral bound ledgers and a hand held calculator. He did, however, recently buy a new calculator after his decades-old TI model finally died. (Whoa.....slow down there, Larry!)
So you see, next to Larry and Joan I feel like an absolute techie. I have an iPhone with lots of apps, several of which I can actually use. I have a Kindle and a computer and I know how to blog. I have a digital camera and, yes, even an electrical clothes drying machine.
No, I'm not making fun of the Rogers'. Deep down I actually envy them. Imagine being happy with what you have and where you live and what you drive. Do all these modern whiz-bang tools we have today really make our lives easier and less complicated? I think I know how Larry and Joan would answer that. I'd be willing to meet them half way. ;)
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I really really want an iPhone - wouldn't it be cool to look up the answers to things as we're tooling along on a road trip & can't remember who played who in that movie with the monkey in it?
ReplyDeleteBut I had a stern talk with myself that if that was the only reason to triple my cellphone bill, then maybe I should just pass...
I think I can relate to how these folks feel. Our son, who would place his parents in the same category as these folks, is dragging us kicking and screaming into the nineties. This new century will just have to wait.
ReplyDeleteI can remember when I was given my first IBM Selectric electric typewriter at work and how I fought the blasted thing.
ReplyDeleteMy in-laws are almost the opposite - they are 87 and 85 and email, are on Facebook, download e-books from the library and so on.
ReplyDeleteWhile I totally understand the yearning for a simpler life, I do like the modern trappings like antibiotics, novocaine at the dentist's office, and international phone calls that do not cost the same per minute as minimum wage per hour.
And while we here in the U.S. tend to think of ourselves as the most technically advanced nation, my sister always cringes when she sees someone writing a check here. Nobody in Germany would still do something so old-fashioned!
Your post reminds me of the pictures someone at work printed out recently:
http://www.mattcarlisle.com/socialweb/vintage-posters/
Made me laugh!
Peeper...I'm wondering if Larry and Joan Rogers aren't just marketing ploys dreamed up by Matt Carlisle? (He's got some really funny stuff.) :)
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