To any parents/guardians here...

[Feba]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Yellow Mage: Says the person on the internet? Why are you using electrical things at all?

[Yellow Mage]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I was merely stating my opinion and responding to the OP.

Honestly, I really think I'm probably the only non-Amish to think that way.

Quoted for emphasis, in case you were serious.

In the more likely scenario that you weren't, it's really all about choice. It's a pet peeve of mine that everybody thinks everybody else has, or should have, stuff like Cell Phones, iPods (or Zunes, or whatever), etcetera. Well, they don't. Whenever somebody expects me to have that sort of thing (because everyody else does), I just stick my tounge out and move on.

Really, it's my choice not to have these things: I view them as totally unecessary to my life. I have every right not to get in to all that stuff without being called Amish.

I am well aware that I didn't communicate my feelings about this as well as I should have, but I hope you get it anyway.

[Murphie]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Most rational people aren't going to expect those things. I don't know what circles you move in, but if anyone I know expected me to have a piece of technology just to have it, I'd tell them that they were being ridiculous.

Most people I know don't have land lines any more. We just have cell phones, because they are cheaper, portable, and more convenient. But that's not always necessary, and in those cases, it's a perfectly valid choice to stick with a land line.

Music players, again, are about convenience more than anything. When I was a teenager, I carried around a Walkman with a bunch of cassette tapes. Then I upgraded to a Discman with a bunch of compact disks. An iPod (or any MP3 player) means that I can carry one thing, and it has all of my music on it. I don't have to lug around a bunch of disks or tapes, and I always have exactly what I want to listen to right when I want to listen to it.

That's why a lot of people were interested in the iPhone (or phones that also play music/browse the internet/whatever). Devices like that enable them to carry less things, but still be able to do a bunch of stuff, should they choose to do so.

[Caspian]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I agree, Feba and Murphie. It dies lie heavily on how the parents raise their child. I've just been around way too many teenie boppers who won't get off their damn phones in the movie theatre or other just as inappropriate place to be on the cell phone (church, I've nearly broken the whole murder commandment several times because of this). Ofcourse its not always kids that are to blame either, they just do it more often.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Most rational people aren't going to expect those things.

In that case, about 90% of this thread's content isn't rational.

. . . I bet half the people here didn't even consider the fact that somebody was without a cell phone and mp3 player by choice before I posted.

[eticket109]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I don't agree with lumping a cell phone together with an mp3 player though. As I mentioned before, cell phones are moving closer and closer to necessity as society moves along. I know a lot of people, including myself, that don't even have a 'home' phone and use a cell phone exclusively.

Mp3 players are still firmly in the 'luxury' or 'want' category as opposed to 'need'.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I don't agree with lumping a cell phone together with an mp3 player though. As I mentioned before, cell phones are moving closer and closer to necessity as society moves along. I know a lot of people, including myself, that don't even have a 'home' phone and use a cell phone exclusively.

And that's exactly what I'm talking about!

[Mhurron]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Find one person that posted who thinks an MP3 player is necessary. In fact, I'd bet you could find a great number of people that don't want one at all and have a cell phone because of some other reason then they had to have the 'latest' thing.

<- Only knows 2 people with an MP3 player.

[Murphie]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

In that case, about 90% of this thread's content isn't rational.

. . . I bet half the people here didn't even consider the fact that somebody was without a cell phone and mp3 player by choice before I posted.

Well, I did. Because, well, read my post you just quoted.
------------------------------------------

I don't agree with lumping a cell phone together with an mp3 player though. As I mentioned before, cell phones are moving closer and closer to necessity as society moves along. I know a lot of people, including myself, that don't even have a 'home' phone and use a cell phone exclusively.

Mp3 players are still firmly in the 'luxury' or 'want' category as opposed to 'need'.

I dunno. There is obviously a market for it. You don't have to buy a combo Cell Phone/MP3 Player. My cell phone doesn't have one, and I'm perfectly happy with it. But there clearly are people who do want that, and since the technology exists, there isn't any reason not to make them.

[Eiyoko]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

If I ever became a parent (which I hope I never do -.-), I would not let my kids have Cell Phones unless they proved to be responsible young human beings. This is mainly because of two reasons:

#1
A little while after I moved, I had to put my mother's number on my resume when applying for jobs. I asked my mother to stay off the phone because I'm trying to get called up for an interview that way. Next thing I know she's talking on it all. The. Freaking. Time. Good grief....

#2
My new phone didn't work for a while, so I had to use my mother's to call up some friends of mine on the game. I'm all alone up here with no one to talk to so I had to do it for my sanity's sake, y'know. I call them again later only to have them tell me that my mother had tracked the number in call history and called my friends, and I won't get into that further because it gets rather personal and crap. Thank heavens they weren't there to answer and she had to leave a message. /stagger

Now that I think about it, it's kind of reversed in my family when it comes to cell phones. My sisters and I (okay, maybe not my older sister, my twin sister is A LOT better about it) are very responsible about using our phones, but our Mother will get on that thing and she usually won't get off unless we resort to drastic measures. @.@ I rarely use my phone for chatting purposes if I can avoid it (I have the internet for that!) and I save it for IMPORTANT stuff.

[Vyuru]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Find one person that posted who thinks an MP3 player is necessary. In fact, I'd bet you could find a great number of people that don't want one at all and have a cell phone because of some other reason then they had to have the 'latest' thing.

<- Only knows 2 people with an MP3 player.

MP3 player = necessary for me, well, almost necessary.

Sorry, but I love music too much, and when I can fit 8+ CDs onto one little portable MP3? That is pretty cool, you gotta admit it.

Those MP3 player/phone things though, now THOSE are luxury items that I would not buy for my kids. I don't want them draining the batteries listening to music and then have no power to make the important phone calls with.

That is one thing I liked with the old bar phones, they had way more battery life than the razors nowadays, I normally have to recharge my razor about every 4-5 days, I could get about two weeks out of my old phone.

[Murphie]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Well, realistically, how often are you out in the wilderness for weeks away from an electrical outlet with your phone? I just charge my Razr every night while I sleep and I never run out of battery power.

[Feba]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Murphie: Actually, my old phone had insane battery life. I could leave it for like a month without getting it anywhere near a charger. It can be useful.

About mp3 players, I have one, but I don't know why the hell anyone would consider them something you 'need' to have. I do use it as an edumacational tool, however.

[Caspian]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

My razr used to be pretty good on battery life. Until the last couple months. Now it dies after a 5 hours of just sitting at work and a 10 minute phone call. Got the iphone now, so far the battery life seems to be better.

[Murphie]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Murphie: Actually, my old phone had insane battery life. I could leave it for like a month without getting it anywhere near a charger. It can be useful.

I'm well aware that older phones had a long battery life. But my point still stands. Very few people are away from civilization and its ubiquitous electrical outlets for long enough to need a phone that has a month long charge on it.

That's not handy, that's superfluous.