The Great Disconnect

“Well, this is going to be a long journey,” I said aloud as the music died without warning.

The batteries died on the ol’ portable gaming console in the middle of my daily rounds, which meant a couple of hours on the city bus without Me & My Katamari to keep me company.  When this happens, I am forced into experiencing things I would be much happier without.

We all have pet peeves which we don’t mind being distracted, if not completely shielded, from. I wholeheartedly offer   the following arguments and scenarios in support of electronic disconnect.

1. People asking the driver of the “northbound” bus if he’s heading south.  When did they decide that reading the bus marquee (which plainly states the destination) is unnecessary?

2. The noise made by the crappy music coming from the earphones of the guy in the back of the bus.  Yes, I’m actually saying this… turn that noise DOWN!  When did they start making headphones with speakers facing outward?  I don’t care what you’re listening to, thanks anyway.

3. “Anyone got change for a dollar?”  They knew they were taking a bus.  They know what the fare is.  There is a store mere steps away from the bus stop.  How difficult is it to make change before boarding?

4. Anyone sitting together, speaking in elevated volumes.  Did the batteries in their hearing aids go out?  Sometimes, the yelling drowns out what I’m trying to listen to, even with the volume pushed to the max.

5. One-sided cell phone conversations.  Need I say more?

Yes, it’s a big, irritating world out there with little way to change it.  It’s reasons like the aforementioned which necessitate the need for a disconnect such as a handheld gaming machine.  It might result in the occasional missed bus stop, but you still have something to do while walking back to where you were supposed to get off.

Sure, an mp3 player might be easier to carry than a handheld gaming device, but on long crosstown commutes it pays to have a visual distraction as well as aural.  At the very least, you can control what the characters do (unlike the guy behind you who has his window open in spite of the air conditioner attempting to cool the elevated temperatures). You can also pause when you have to change your real-life environment.

There are those who will argue that modern technology provides us with nothing more than ways to avoid the “human experience.” At the end of any long day, however, I butt heads with the human experience.  It is  only when surrounded by that which annoys me the most that I am distinctly reminded of what a worthy investment disconnection truly is.  At times like this, a round of GTA: Liberty City Stories isn’t such a bad idea.