No, no, no David. I’m sure there’s much to be said for actual interaction. But I don’t think I’m the only one who yearns to be 6 years old so I can retreat under the table when the conversation flags. Phone calls can be lovely. But sometimes you don’t want a chat. No waffling about the holiday. No awkward pauses. No watching dinner congeal while your mum talks you through the kitchen regrouting.
For this reason, the economy and simplicity of a nice crisp text gets my vote every time. The humble text message gets a bad press, but there’s a craftsmanship there that no amount of telephonic banalities can match. And don’t give me that stuff about texting and illiteracy either. According to a survey by Which?, the average mobile phone user sends the textual equivalent of War and Peace every five years. Okay, the content might be slightly er – ‘lighter’, but hey, it’s good to text :-)
5 Comments
“The Joy of Text!”
Just searching for the appropriate emoticon for GROAN. Step away from the puns, pedro, it’ll only end in tears…
How is that worse than “Textual Healing”?! And I can’t claim the “Joy of…” as an original, whereas this is first time I’ve heard Textual Healing so maybe is an E.S. original?!
Anyway, perhaps I do need help on the reduction of pun production – they’re always harder to prevent getting out when I’m tired…
Actually, part of me wouldn’t mind stepping out from behind the punning, joking aside, but I guess I fear I’d be boring. Hmmm, getting far too serious now!!
Two words – Marvin Gaye. ‘Sexual healing’ = seminal pop classic.
Pedro, have you been living under a rock?! Are you a fan of Jedward? Or have I inadvertently exposed my age..
As someone else who hides behind puns, I can relate to the fear of being thought of as boring if I cut the jokes. I can use them as a way of keeping other people at arm’s length – but often it’s me who is left feeling lonely. I’m challenged too to think about who or what is my target – a laugh’s not cheap when it cuts someone else down.
No I get the MG connection just had never heard your clever adaptation! But what’s Jedward??
Yes agreed about the arm’s length thing – recently I was reflecting on why in certain settings people relate to me in much more of a jokey/pally way than with others and realising that this is the approach I often encourage by the way I speak/relate! More thought on “is what I’m saying/how I’m saying it fostering greater reality and genuine relationship, or…”