The Spoken Word ??

[R.Morehouse]

Do you still have conversations on the phone with friends and family, using the spoken word? I remember it wasn't all that long ago that I would carry on long phone conversations with distant friends and family. Now, from what I see, it all has been reduced to talking with your thumbs through the little hand-held box for the most part, using quick info phrases to get a point across then moving on.....My Son ( 35yrs. ) says "If someone I know actually calls me on the phone they had better Be On Fire". This is the reaction I get from many and it seems to be getting that way for folks approaching my age ( 66 ). I personally don't screw with cell phones except to make or receive an occasional call.....Over these last years ( mostly since Covid ) it has left me pretty much an enigma and a recluse hermit.......And I am O.K. with that......I think it's a shame that the " art " of conversation through the spoken word is largely becoming a thing of the past.............Happy Shooting

Regards
Rick

 

[perazziguy]

I'm guilty of the "they'd better be on fire" or only if I know the number before I'll answer. I do still call mom and dad. It's easier to go to the house, they only live 4 miles away and they don't hear too good anymore.

 

[NorCalMikie]

No smart phone and I DON'T TEXT!! Don't really like to talk on the phone but will if it's someone I know.
I hate to talk to someone with/on a Cell Phone. There's that slight delay and you end up stepping on each others conversation.
The wife has a couple of close friends that have moved away so they will get into LONG conversations that can last for an hour or so. Good for both of them!!
Land line with an answering machine. Power goes off and the phone will ring till you pick it up.
Last one was St Jude asking me why I donated to them and if I wanted to donate each month???
May not donate to them again just for THAT reason.
Don't call me, I'll call you if I want you !!

 

[Kracken McGraw]

I really like it when I’m talking to someone and they get another call and it always must be a more important call than mine.

 

[JMayo]

I was one that said I'd never text.... Now with swipe and speak spelling on my phone i find it easier to get to the point and get an answer without "being taught" the skill.

I do occasionally call & get calls to/from my shooting friends. We'll talk for hrs !
I feel the guys still working are busy so i don't want to bother them.
I've lost contact with non shooters .... Nothing in common anmore.

 

[rwj]

Do you still have conversations on the phone with friends and family, using the spoken word? I remember it wasn't all that long ago that I would carry on long phone conversations with distant friends and family. Now, from what I see, it all has been reduced to talking with your thumbs through the little hand-held box for the most part, using quick info phrases to get a point across then moving on.....My Son ( 35yrs. ) says "If someone I know actually calls me on the phone they had better Be On Fire". This is the reaction I get from many and it seems to be getting that way for folks approaching my age ( 66 ). I personally don't screw with cell phones except to make or receive an occasional call.....Over these last years ( mostly since Covid ) it has left me pretty much an enigma and a recluse hermit.......And I am O.K. with that......I think it's a shame that the " art " of conversation through the spoken word is largely becoming a thing of the past.............Happy Shooting

Regards
Rick

I like the speed and convenience of digital communication tools. But I miss the body language and facial expressions that are of equal, sometimes more, importance.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I would rather talk than text. Hate when I have a problem and the tech is available to "chat", which used to be TALKING.

 

[jimmymac]

All you had to do was call Rick, and I would have met you for wings.

 

[R.Morehouse]

Please do not misunderstand me, I am not lonely or sad. My post was just more of an observation that I was curious if it was shared by others. I am retired and drive high school kids 10-11-12gr to and from their Vo-Tec education. One of the things I pass on to a number of them is how to shake a person's hand and look them in the eye.......Also a lost art......It is definitely ON ME to get out and about and reach out to others, and I do. Thanks for the great responses.....We are surely not alone.

Regards
Rick

 

[hpshooter]

Neither my wife or I text. We still have a land line and flip phones. 76 closing in on 77 and pretty much stuck in our ways and like it that way.

 

[SEM]

My flip phone now goes with me everywhere when I leave home with no more pay phones it is my only way of getting help if needed, I do not approach strangers to ask if I can borrow there phone any longer either, Apparently I scare people when I say Hi how are you today. From this site and several others I have spent many hours reminiscing about the good ole days ( talking on the PHONE) when we were still young enough and dumb enough to live well, As well as get a good deal on something else I will probably will never get around to using LOL,

My doctor and some other services text reminders I don't mind that, My kids try to get away with a text to me I call them right away I know your close enough to it to hear it ring besides I still PAY FOR IT as they have grown and gone we do talk a lot more, Hours at a time for one of them I don't get to see much, She makes me smile LISTENING to every WORD

 

[Uthink Uknow]

Count me among the old fuddie duds who despise texting. One exception to my not using a text is one grand daughter. She never calls back on phone calls and messages left to her. She never looks for those messages either. So, I seldom call her and never leave a message any more. Every phone today have a page where she can see who called. We seldom answer the phone if the caller isn’t on our “phone book” list. And if that phone call doesn’t leave a message, well, we weren’t all that important to them anyway. We do call and receive phone calls from friends and family.
Was this a poll?

 

[K22]

I absolutely hate texting. So much is lost in the translation. So many misunderstandings. It seems we live a robotic and virtual world.

I am the very "old man" of the family and my family uses texting extensively and does not like to engage in conversation. This is sad from my perspective, but it is what it is. So, my life principle is: "God grant the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and the courage to change those that I can and the wisdom to know the difference."

With the passing of my beloved wife of 48 years in 2021, I too am a hermit of sorts. Many of my friends have passed on or moved away. I grew up watching Lassie and Gunsmoke, attending deer camps, roaming the woods with my 22 rifle in a rural area of western PA. You can imagine how lost I feel in this new age world that is filled with evil, crazy ideas and morals and lack of personal responsibility.

If I was of better health, I swear I would get a cabin in the mountains, go off the grid and live the life of a mountain man.

Sorry for the vent but this forum is my only outlet other than the walls of my house and they don't listen well or respond, at least not yet.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I'm old school too, Rick. Still prefer to talk to a live person on the other end of the line and still do my business this way. I'm all thumbs and that just doesn't help with texting. Heck, if I need something now, phone is faster than typing out a message.

 

[TTE]

I would much rather talk to someone that text with them

 

[swd]

I have friends I to to just about every day.

 

[Greyfox]

While I enjoy talking with folks, I find that texts save a lot of time and unnecessary conversation with people I either don't know or care to talk with. Same with cell phones. Most of the time I'm not around a land line and don't own one myself. Both cells and texts save me time and aggravation. But that's just me. I have several friends who don't seem to be able to drive without calling someone to talk, lots of times that's me. Most times I enjoy that, but with some folks, not so much.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I call customers all the time. It's much easier than texting or PMs here on the forum.

I've had some people completely freak out that I dared to call them. I mean, they get hostile.

Eh...

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I call customers all the time. It's much easier than texting or PMs here on the forum.

I've had some people completely freak out that I dared to call them. I mean, they get hostile.

Eh...

Lol! Kinda like knocking on someone's door used to be welcomed and now people freak out over it.

 

[Lifesfordeath]

I usually enjoy just texting my friends or acquaintances as it's easier and usually quicker, quieter too for those that would be on the other end of the phone as we have 3 young boys.

I call my folks a few times a week. We usually FaceTime or video chat so they can see their grandchildren. They all love it and we usually talk for 15 minutes or so. Just catching up.

My mother's parents, I would call a few times a week when I was driving home from work. One way was 1.5 hours so we would talk about all kinds of things. I loved it and miss it dearly. They would always say at the end they loved me and thank you for calling, that always kinda hurt me because I knew that they were lonely and looked forward to hearing from someone. I wish I could call them one more time!