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Mommy, Could I Get An Espresso?
On a 50° January morning, I walked into Starbucks with a copy of the New York Times brought directly from home tightly secured under my arm. It is a habit that I have picked up to ensure the latté aficionados that I am not beating the system by swiping one of their weekday editions. In this middle-aged, middle-class location I noticed something particularly unsettling. A woman, babbling away on her hot pink cell phone had left her car door open as she prepared herself for what presumably would be the usual 9:30 caffeine jolt. Normally I would see nothing unethical about the neglect of a car door. However, this particular SAAB 900 wagon was not parked in any old spot. It was blocking in another customer, and, more importantly, it had a newborn in the passenger seat strapped into a child seat. It just so happened that I was third in line behind this thirty-something blond, pony-tailed mother of an exposed and unsafe child. Naturally, I manifested a befuddled demeanor as I pondered how anyone could simply leave his or her child in such a predicament. What was truly enervating was the manner in which she ordered her beverage. As she continued her loud and overbearing conversation she paused and told the individual on the other end of the conversation if she could e-mail he some picture she made reference to. Being a somewhat inexperienced “technostic,” I figured she meant when returned to her desktop at the office. I was in for a rude awakening… She paused her dialogue and pressed some button that sent the picture directly from her phone to her counterparts computer as she asked for assurance from her friend that the image was clear on the computer screen. Immediately after receiving official confirmation, without even looking at the jovial and welcoming barista, she commanded the creation of a double-shot espresso. I gave a glance to the woman second in line, an aging and fading blonde white glasses professionally adorned in a business suit clearly on the charge to the office. She began to whisper to me, “Did you see that?” Instantly I responded, "You mean the baby in the car?" I had been curious to see if anyone else had noticed and was greatly relieved that someone did. I did not suddenly find myself in a carte blanche neighborhood where parents did whatever they pleased. This was not California and I was not headed to Las Vegas. The older woman uttered out of frustration with a younger generation, “Unbelievable.” I then ordered my “skim café mocha with no whip” (I am not ashamed to say that I can speak those five words without hesitation. What this mid morning scene allowed me to recognize was the changing digital world in which we live. I will personally attest to the fact that technology often gets the better of me. Nonetheless, I genuinely make an effort to take advantage of perks instilled in all of the iPods, Palms, mobile camera phones, and the many other innovative widgets of the world. What I witnessed on this day was a blurring of technology and reality. This woman had lost grip on her function as a parent and the environment surrounding. The phone had become her reality and she was consumed beyond consciousness. It is a story that is being seen all too often in this age of globalization and digitization. We are enamored with technology. We should be focusing on the people, places and events around us. Instead, we are focused through our laptops, cell phone updates and Blackberry messages. Surprisingly, our technophile Mom was able to sustain her connection on her phone in the time she ordered coffee, took a picture and e-mailed a digital image and was ready to drive away in her silver Swedish station wagon. When she realized her folly, as she did not have to unlock her car let alone open the door, she briefly paused, glanced around to see if anyone noticed and picked up right where she left off with the digital friend. I have some advice for this new generation of techies, of which I am included. Keep your eyes open and take your headphones off every once in a while.
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