The Older Generation And The Telephone

The older generation has often resisted new technologies. When they are reluctantly embraced, they are sometimes not used in the way others do. An example of this was of an elderly man many years ago who was one of the last to get a telephone.

Shortly afterward a friend popped by to have a yarn. While they conversed, the telephone rang....and rang...and rang. The elderly homeowner made no attempt to answer it. The visitor blurted out "Well aren't you going to answer it?"

The elderly man bluntly replied "No".

The visitor was confused and said "Why not?"

The curt response was "I got the darned thing installed for my convenience, not everyone else's".