Social Media is not a new invention - A humorous view ??? | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Social media is more than a forum to espouse your political views or post your latest selfie. It is a business where you are the product. You may think that Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google+ are trying to give you a forum for expression, but they are really using you to make money. All of them know more about you than you probably ever thought. They in turn are willing to sell your profile to various advertisers and who know what for $$$$$. I see nothing wrong with that. In the truest Win-Win tradition, each side can and should benefit from any negotiation. Have you ever noticed that when you buy something on Amazon, the next time you are on Facebook there is an advertisement for the same or similar item? (http://www1.cbn.com/700club/herb-cohen-master-negotiator)

    If you think about it, the social media forums are just an extension of the barroom discussions that occur in millions and millions of barstools throughout the USA and world. The bar owner provides the forum, you pay for the drinks and in return you are allowed to pontificate on everything from sports, politics, religion and the solar system. There is no limit to the subjects and opinions offered over a glass of "Lubricating Fluid." Perhaps the millennial creators of these social media sites are closet capitalists. I am pretty sure that they are Elitist Bourgeoisie even though they do not produce anything. They are definitely not proletariat since most of them never worked. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletariat)    (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoisie)

    My closest circle of friends (The Gang) and I have been debating every subject for over fifty years. We got an early start as you can tell by the picture on the right. To the best of my knowledge, none of us ever found a way to monetize our social forum meetings. It was the other way around, they usually cost us money. All this despite the fact that we mostly agree on every subject. It is not that we isolate others with differing opinions; it is just that somewhere long ago we formed a bond that has endured multiple marriages, jobs, living locations and the occasional drunken brawl. Most of us now have been married over forty years. In the early days before we lost control of the wives, we would hold court in bars and taverns. For the past 30 years or so we convene at each others homes. Now we have two non drinkers and a few slow learners. I say slow learners because their arguments are not nearly as persuasive as they were when we all partook of the Nectar of The Gods that lubricate the mind.
Click here for a larger version of the picture.

    Some of you may ask how can you maintain a discussion for that long when you basically agree on most subjects. Well, here is the secret. We change sides from time to time. You see, it is not the solution that is important, it is the debate. Our weekend get togethers often gravitated to the boys in one room and the girls in the other room. I have no idea what the girls group discussed in their consultation, but we boys solved several of the world's problems. It was almost like the old joke about everyone knowing everyone's else's jokes. They just assigned a number to each joke and that solved the problem of retelling the joke. Another possible reason is what my buddy Reg says. "It is easier to get a new audience than a new act." That is why we sometime invite new prospects into the discussion. Since all our kids are now in the mid thirties, some of the stories have become a legend in the Gang's mind. To be sure we still have a few stories that are not appropriate for the audience. We take turns on who will be the umpire on that point of order.

    I don't know about your crowd, but for us the fun was in telling the joke. Each of us had a favorite, which we recited. It was usually introduced to the groups with the disclaimer. "Don't stop me if you have heard this, I just enjoy telling this story." We no longer have those discussions and I suspect it is because we have all reduced our intake of "Lubricating Fluid" over the years. Kids and grandkids have also altered the discussion among us guys, but I am pretty sure that the girls are still discussing the same subjects. I know that some of you are thinking, "Why don't you just ask the girls what they are talking about?" Well, either you are not married or you are somewhat naive in the human interaction between the genders (that used to be a neutral word). Does the phrase, "Just never you mind" ring a bell?

    Over the years the girls have developed a sure fire technique to end the boy's discussion. I do not remember who first came up with the idea, but we all know that the party is over when the wife says it is time to go home. It starts out with a gentle nudge and a quite aside. As she gains more control of the relationship, it becomes more assertive as in "Wind it up, it's time to go home." Well in our group, it the bosses found a sure way to end the discussion and depart.

    Since all our arguments wandered around on both sides of any issue and there was never truly a resolution to the argument, the phrase "Shoot the Judge and go" became part of the final act. Over the years, we shortened it to "Shoot the Judge." That was the final sign that it was time to go home.

    It has been several years since I have heard that phrase from any of the girls. Now is just seems that all they have to do is stand up and get their purse. Oh how I long for someone to utter that phrase just once again.

    This last year's election did not even rise to the level of a debate. I have a theory that is not based on research but on observation. There is a conspiracy to water down or dilute the "Lubricating Fluid." Do you think that is because most of the discussions by the women occur in the kitchen and most of the men's discussions occur on the deck or patio? I suspect that they were not discussing recipes in the kitchen anymore. I will admit that many of our discussions occurred in the kitchen as well but that was because that is where the refrigerator was.

    On the other hand, most of us carry a pill bottle in our pocket that clearly has an alcohol warning label., but I have never met a man who thinks that reading the instructions is supposed to be done 'BEFORE' doing a task. Certainly, that is legal warning just to get the drug companies off the hook. It surely is not a medical warning.

    Nevertheless, some spirits also carry a warning as well, but is does not warn about endless arguments and debates. It merely points out the dangers of operating machinery, and that is only the second thing in the warning list . I once had an idea for a new beer label. "Hey guys watch this." It never got past the planning stage, which as I recall took many years of market research.


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( February 26th, 2017 @ 9:42 pm )
 
I often think we would all be much better off if we still communicated that way in a predominate manner.

Bobby Tony, you have lived a most interesting life.



The Passing of Music Icons - Buddy Greco, January 10, 2017 Somebody's Laughing, The Arts The Bobby Tony Theory of Evolution = Humor ???

HbAD0

 
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