GUEST BLOG: Bryan Bruce – Balanced Journalism
My apologies for not commenting much at the moment. I’m working on two big projects that are gobbling my time . One is the Trade Secrets doco which has become such a multi-headed monster and another I can’t talk about for a few months.
However I do have a couple of minutes this morning before I seize the day for a quick grumble.
Maybe I have just become more aware of it lately but people walking slowly across pedestrian crossings while txtng,reading their cellphones or having a phone conversation are really starting to annoy me and I have been trying to figure our why.
Yes there’s the safety thing – they should watch where they are going because pedestrian accidents world wide have increased as a result of using smartphones while walking.
And yes I know for some people it’s addictive behaviour.They are so hooked on screen life they are not only missing out on real life but many will pay for their obsession in later life with neck and back pain. So I am not without some understanding of their issue.
Why then do I get grumpy when people stroll across the crossing in front of me while working their phone? Well, I suspect it’s the arrogance that gets to me. It’s the ME people who don’t give a damn about what’s going on around them because they think that life is all about THEM that gets to me..
It’s that self absorption that has become the norm in our self- centred economic and political world I find annoying, because the ME society of neoliberalism is ultimately doomed to failure and I want a return to the WE society where we help each other and, as a by product , we help improve our own lives.
On the other hand there are lots of folk who walk across the pedestrian crossings at my local shopping centre who give a small “thank you” wave and a bit of a smile to drivers who stop for them.
So there you go – balanced journalism
Elements of the MSM propping up neo liberalism is, of course a part of the problem but its also fair to say their are those who like it and vote for it for that reason. Probably because they were self absorbed to start with? Probably have mobile phones for different days of the week and to suit their mood?
And yes people who use smart phones on crossings or worse in cars (yes that still happens) annoy the hell out of me too. Its simply inconsiderate and risky behaviour. When they do come unstuck and yes I’ve seen that once, its the public health system that has to put them back together again….. at everyone’s expense.
“True happiness is only obtainable if you become completely disconnected from reality”…
They are escapists, vid attached illustrates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnml7sd5Gps
Vaping is annoying as hell. I’d rather watch them smoke actual cigarettes etc.
At first I thought it was the annoying trailing smell getting me riled, but like the
phone issue it cuts off people around them socially. Who wants to talk to
anyone in the middle of thick fog?
This is odd comment, mainly because it’s last sentence totally contradicts it’s first two. Do cigarettes create less of a thick fog than vaping? My experience is quite the opposite. But also because it has so little to do with the piece by Bryan and seems to have been posted purely as an excuse for an illogical beatup on people who vape in favour of cigarette smoking. Why is this important enough to anyone to bother?
Lols, Why do you think anybody owes you thanks for stopping and not running them down on a pedestrian crossing where they have right of way?
Do you go around mouthing thanks to every motorist who gives way to you when legally required to at stop lights or give way signs?.