WELL, I GINE TELL YA, the cellphones, or should I say technology, has taken ovah completely. I would like tuh be able tuh express what I thinking right now, but I know some people would read it and have a good laugh at me because I ain’t all o’ dah savvy when it comes tuh the lot o’ gadgets dat duh got nowadays and by the time I barely catching up pon one, something else does be staring ya in the face and dat one does be outta style.
Now look, it is common knowledge dat people my age, middle-aged people, ain’t grow up wid nuh computers or cellphones or nothing so. We ain’t even grow up wid a calculator. We had tuh do evahthing mentally, outta we heads and fast too, but nowadays nuhbody like duh doan use duh heads again. Well, fuh one not the young people – you or the computer does have tuh read and spell fuh dem soul.
Changes
When I look ’round and see how things have changed in such a short space o’ time, I am amazed. First of all, if or when you ask some young people something, duh ain’t got nuh time tuh think ’bout nothing so; dat is wasting time – it is straight pon the Net tuh get the information. Nuhbody doan have the time tuh reason out a thing; duh does text a friend or go pon Facebook and then dem friends does do the same thing and it does go on and on so. It is what evahbody else think, not dem.
I am all fuh change, growth and development and I love the idea dat I could have a phone wid me all the time so dat while I am away from home or travelling pon the roads nowadays I could reach somebody or somebody could reach me wid-out waiting ’til I see a phone booth, which ya hardly see now; stop and beg fuh a phone call – I ain’t know how ya would do dat ’cause nuhbody doan trust nuhbody nowadays; or wait ‘til I get home. So a cellphone is not now tuh me a luxury but a necessity.
Not tuh the young people though, hear? It is evahthing. It is duh very life; it like it attached tuh dem. They does wear it in duh hand. It doan be in nuh bag or pants pocket like mine. Wha’ evah dem doing dem does have tuh have the cell phone in duh hand and if duh have tuh use both o’ duh hands at the same time.
Checking
It got tuh be right there next tuh dem dat they could see it and evah minute you would see dem checking it ’cause dem ain’t suppose tuh miss nothing. The other morningI had tuh go by one o’ my sisters very early and her big son came downstairs wid the phone in he hand.He sat down in a chair and we started tuh tak li’l bit, but all the time the man was lookingat the phone, pressing buttons and talking tuh me.
I coulda turned Chinese ovah night and he wouldn’t realize it. The man never take he eyes off the phone. At one time I had tuh ask him who he could be talking tuh dat kinda hour of the morning.
So my sister allowed me tuh know dat he does sleep wid it by he head, even go in the bathroom wid it; he doan let dat outta he sight.
You evah take the time tuh check dem out when duh wid their friends? Now a whole set o’ dem would be together talking and laughing but evah man gine got he cellphone in he hand checking it.
Conversation
Dem doan carry on conversation like people. When I see dem doing dat, I does always wonder if dem does be texting the same people who there standing up next tuh dem or all o’ dem got the same friends.
Sometimes I does just shake my head when I see dem crossing the road.
They does got the phone either pon duh ear or in duh hand reading or texting. Just now ya gine see babies borning wid duh thumbs in the position people does got dem in when duh texting.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in TheOrleans She has an opinion
on everything.
