April 2, 2010--Texting

Barack Obama was in Portland, Maine yesterday. Promoting the recently passed health care reform bill. It was a campaign style rally with the hall filled with folks chanting "Yes we can. Yes we can." He fed that enthusiasm, challenging Republicans to try to repeal the legislation and then go on the road before the November elections to tell Americans why they want to take health insurance away from children and adults with pre-existing conditions and why they want to take tax credits away from small businesses who provide health care for their employees.

He said, "that's a fight I welcome." And the crowd went crazy.

Except for a young man who was standing right behind him.

My mother called to ask if we had seen the rally on TV and did we notice what that young man was doing. We were out food shopping and missed it. "Is there some way you can watch it on the computer. On that Tube, or whatever it's called."

"UTube," I said, "I'm sure I'll be able to find it there."

"Then watch it please and call me back."

I did as you can by clicking on the link below. The young man, is front and center, to the left of the screen, right behind Obama. He's the 18 year-old in the T-shirt that has Eagles printed on it.

Almost immediately I understood why my mother noticed him and had called me.

All during Obama's speech, throughout the President of the United States' speech, he couldn't stand still, talking in turn to the woman on his right (I suspect his mother) and the one on his left. And when not talking with either one of them he was looking down at his hands which were busy text messaging.

As requested, I called my mother. "So, what do you think?" she said, clearly upset.

"He looked to me as if he's hyperactive. He couldn't stand still. He couldn't stop fidgeting."

"Please don't make excuses for him. The whole speech lasted, what, half an hour and he couldn't stand still for a second and show a little respect?"

"I don't disagree with you. One of the women should have stopped him and told him to turn off his BlackBerry."

"No one should have needed to tell him that. He waited for hours to get into the auditorium and then somehow got picked to stand right beside the president and he couldn't pay attention because he was busy fiddling with that cell phone?"

"I assume he was texting his friends. Telling them to turn on their TVs so they could see him on television."

"What is it with so many of these young people that they can't stop doing that? I see them walking around like zombies. With wires coming out of their ears while they play with those contraptions. I'm afraid they'll get run over by a car."

"I'm sure some of them do or if they are doing the same thing while driving will run over one of us."

"What could he have been typing that's more important than what the president was saying? If he didn't care, which is fine, he should have stayed home. Call me old fashioned, but I disapprove."

"As do I," I said. "But I think I can tell you what he was most likely texting."

"This I want to hear."

"Hey man. Check it out. I'm on TV with the Pres"

"Now?"

"Yeah, on TV. With OBAMA"

"Gotcha. Looking cool"

"See you later man"

"Where later"

"Catchin a bite with my mom"

"She's cool. Who's that other babe? On your left"

"Don't know. But she's cool"

"You look good"

"Thanks man"

"Get you hair cut?"

"Nah. Just some new product"

"Looks cool"

"I'll let you give it a try"

"That's cool"

"What's the dude talkin bout?"

"Health or somethin"

"He's cool man"

"Yeah. Check it out. A pix I took of him. Back of his head"

"Got it. Really COOL He looks cool"

"He's some dude"

"Yeah. I think he's finishing"

"Later then man"

"Yeah later"

"Cool"

After I concluded my imaginary dialogue, all I heard on the phone line was static. "Are you still there mom? Did we get disconnected?"

"I'm here."

"Are you OK?"

"Now you've really got me upset."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Are you telling me this is what he was doing that was so important while the president was speaking?"

"What he might have been texting. That's the sort of thing people do who are, how else to put it, addicted to their iPhones and BlackBerrys."

"If that's true, I'm glad I'm almost 102. I don't want to be around that much longer to see where all this is leading."

Though the thought of her no longer being here distressed me, again I couldn't disagree.