Communications Gap

[Frank E Gibbard]

Today is the ultimate age,

The apogee of mass communication

Every body wired for sound;

Neighbours may speak with ease

Across a global divide.

A group of men I saw at a table

Each of them phone in hand:

A study in absorption,

Talking but not talking to each other.

Aristotle and his contemporaries

Could only speak face to face

But did not waste their words.

[Aleksandra]

Hm very political mater Frank. It gives to me an imagery with the rulers of the world maybe some free masonry?

This poem I like it a lot. Well expressed and very clever written, with many views inside.

 

thank you for sharing Frank

 

Aleksandra

[Frank E Gibbard]

Thanks Aleks, socio-political I suppose. Non-communication the subject really. Frank

[goldenlangur]

Hi Frank,

 

 

The irony of it all - so much technology and gadgets for communication and yet we remain incommunicado, locked in our own little world of devices! Your poem captures this very effectively! The wry note here is perfectly pictched:

 

^{Frank E Gibbard wrote:}

.....

Aristotle and his contemporaries

Could only speak face to face

But did not waste their words.

 

 

If you won't mind I wondered if your title as just Communication might not convey better the irony ? Just a thought for you to consider or ignore.

 

goldenlangur

[tonyv]

It's difficult to pass judgement on the men with the phones. Were their conversations meaningful? If they were to engage in a face to face conversation with each other, it's conceivable that their discourse could be entirely meaningless, never touching upon philosophy or anything remotely close, like ideas.

 

The world is just different. Technology has given man new options. Is man himself better ... or worse? I dunno. Probably the same.

 

Tony

[pawn shop]

You could have EASILY expanded on this subject.....as it is, It's still a provoking read !

"a group of men I saw at a table"

was one of those lines that brought me smack down to Earth......

I bet 10,000's of married people are getting divorces

why? because they spend more time on the internet....than with their spouse.....

[Bloodyday]

 

But did not waste their words.

 

Quantitatively it’s not true, sometimes digital divide requires something like that if you talk about emotional feelings!

 

but the expression is nice.