Fear of a Wired Planet

I know I am a bad mother ... yeah I said it. I know it's wrong, just plain mean, to say to your daughter, "If you don't put away that cellphone I am going to throw it in the garbage." Actually it was more like, "IF YOU DON'T PUT AWAY THAT CELLPHONE I AM GOING TO THROW IT IN THE GARBAGE." And it was wrong to bark that out in front of her friend but I have reached a technological saturation point.

TIFF really highlighted for me how addicted we have become to technology. Which is the more probable scenario during the festival do you think?

a) People texting beside you / in front of you / rows ahead of you during a film?

b) A man sorting out his washer/dryer warranty problems on the phone beside you in the theatre?

c) A woman having a personal phone call while on the toilet in the next stall?

d) How about ... all of the above? All of these specimens could be found at TIFF this year.

The TIFF audiences were lousy with Blackberrys and Iphones this year, like glittering, poisonous jewels in the darkness of the theatre. The younger the audience (Jennifer's Body, Chris Rock) the more obtuse they seemed regarding textiquette (texting etiquette).

A la vecchaia! (oh old age! - a new blog post category for me) ... how I am reduced to murderous impulses when I encounter these individuals. I cannot emphasize how intense my rage is but I fear (I know) that I am waging a lonely and losing battle.