Before there was texting and constant communication, making
plans to meet was a bit more difficult and a lot less likely to end in
no-shows. Before texts and constant communication, you met your friends when
and where you said you would because you had no way to let them know you
wouldn’t be arriving and not arriving made you an ass.
(Yes we had extenuating circumstances back then, but they
were real, so they were rare.)
It’s amazing how quickly we forget the things that used to
be day to day when their replacements arrive. We acclimate so well that we
often forget what needed to happen before the latest tool or method replaces
our old ones. And as much as I find modern communication amazing, I did get a
kick out of this particular tidbit of social etiquette. In the same moment I
was taken aback that someone had to write it down in a book because really, we
should know this.
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| Be a good friend. Just say Yes. Or No. (from Adulting) |
To be fair it did make perfect sense when the MP3 player eclipsed
the discman. I mean that thing sucked down disposable batteries, required
either listening to the same CD over and over or trying to figure out how to
carry a selection and it was kinda big – certainly didn’t fit in any pocket I
have.
I recently read an article on the demise of pantyhose, which
you might not know, specifically the flesh toned variety. They gained
popularity pre World War 2, after a shift in foundation garment use and a rise
in hemlines, and they really gained popularity after World War 2 because during
the war all fabric supplies where used to make parachutes and the women were
out of luck. Even my hippie-esque parents insisted that there were certain
situations where hose were needed and tights wouldn’t do it. I even had a job
in my 20’s that required hose as part of my uniform, and if I think hard about
it, it was rather annoying as they required a blue hue that was not available at
a low cost. Yes I didn’t have to buy clothes but did have a $20 a week
pantyhose requirement, back when minimum wage was much more minimum. Having
eschewed them since, I really didn’t notice that most department stores have
slowly phased out their hosiery sections as styles changed. If the Duchess of
Cambridge hadn’t been required to add hosiery to her official ‘look’, would
anyone under 30 even know what they were? But 75 years was a good run for a
fashion trend that wasn’t always so nice to wear.
Anecdotally the codpiece had a 75 year run too.
OK, well I found it interesting.
After I read the pantyhose article I started to think about
things that used to feel so essential to life that fell out of favour as trend
or technology passed and may or may not have met their ultimate end. Records
seemed to continue to have a strong solid following, but for the audiophile,
there’s a sound quality that can’t be beat. CD’s continue to exist as people
continue to insist on physical media but got rid of their record players. I
haven’t seen a cassette in years. Well other than a handful I kept mostly for
nostalgic reasons, most of which are homemade mixed tapes. Which I guess where
replaced by playlists. But how do you give the person you’re crushing on a
playlist?
Wristwatches is another one for me. I have three in a box on
my dresser, and I’m fairly certain all three have dead batteries in them. In
part the disuse was due to a cell phone and in part it was due to my
constantly, accidentally leaving my watch on my desk at work because I took it
off when it banged on the desk while I was typing. But it freed up my wrist for
bracelets and I can always get the time on my phone. Yes the ‘smart’ technology
has set their sights on a smart watch next, and since not everyone gave up on
the watch, this’ll be a trend to ‘watch’! I don’t really see the point of the
smart watch, but I’m in the minority I’m certain. In fact I had a discussion
with a friend about this very subject and in her case she wears the same watch
as a loved relation and finds it ties her emotionally to that relation
whenever she looks at it. So in as much as the technology may be passé there
are other, valid, reasons for hanging onto to something.
I still have an alarm clock, because I hate the idea of a
phone in the bedroom. I do have a cassette player, but only because it’s part
of my stereo. I still use pens because I like to do the suduko and the
crossword in the newspaper on the weekend, which yes I still get on Saturdays
and Sundays to read with coffee.
And what do we do every time this technology changes. Well
for those of us who faithfully changed our music collections from records to
cassettes to CD’s, we eventually stopped. Some of us hold yard sales or donate
to charity. And the rest of hold onto whatever works for us until our favourite
toys stop working. We all evolve at our own pace.
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| The other tidbit I liked from the same book. Which can also apply. |
