Paris is an amazing city, I don't deny that, and I am sure that by living here, I am the envy of millions of people living in lesser cities, towns, or villages.  That said, Paris shares a major drawback that one can find in any alternative burg - people!  Here we are in the 21st century, with technology evolving at a mindboggling pace, enhancing our lives in untold ways, and yet many people seem to be stuck in the Stone Age - grunting in response to a simple request, blowing smoke in your face, bumping into you on the sidewalk as if you are invisible, resting their filthy trainers on metro seats, spitting and urinating in public, and in many cities, like the one in the US where I grew up, shooting, stabbing, maiming, punching, drowning, and whatnot, just for the hell of it.  What to do, yes, what to do?  Perhaps the obvious answer to how to cope with the caveperson formerly known as 'human' is just in front of our noses:  stay home!

According to a recent infographic, among several offered up by Peter Kim, who claims to have taken a fancy to this site, the computer and the Internet have made the 'never leave home again' coping mechanism increasingly possible.  You be the judge.

I personally think there is something to be said for leaving the home from time to time.  One reason is to chase after my cat, who is not yet 'connected.'  Another is to go to work, which I still can't completely do from home, although it probably won't be too long before most teaching is done via a computer screen - I've already exploited that possibility with some video teaching I did for TEC students sitting in a Monterrey, Mexico classroom.  Another is to actually meet up with people you like - that is, the non-cavemen types - in actual bricks and mortar settings, to converse around drinks, catch a live band, visit an art gallery, attend a baseball game, and my personal favorite, to have an original meal in a restaurant (without which my Paris Restaurants and Beyond blog would be lame indeed).  Not that these activities can't be accomplished virtually (although I'm a bit stuck figuring out how to accomplish the restaurant feat in virtual life), but from my perspective, something is clearly lost in translation.  What's scarier than not having to leave home at all are all those device obsessed persons in the real world who psychologically are nowhere except in their devices.  Watching many young Parisians walking around town while frantically texting, checking their messages, talking on the phone, etc. - don't tell me they are in Paris.  They are in the device, which for many, might as well be home.




Created by: College At Home