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The Couple

Yesterday, while watching football, a couple sat down next to me. They knew a woman at the bar, normally a bartender, who was out for the Giants game. He ordered the chili and she had the soup of the day. Each had one drink.

They weren't there more than twenty-five minutes total. He appeared to have had a few earlier, while she commented on not feeling well. He immediately engaged in conversation with the young women at and behind the bar; then she did. There was non-stop chatter from both parties, and my only inclusion in this, was when the bartender asked if I minded if she changed the channel on one of the televisions. I did not.

So where's this story going? Well, it didn't really stick out until they left and I had a conversation with another customer. When he left, I checked the time on my phone and ordered another beer. As I put the phone down, it hit me. Each time the man spoke, his wife did not take part and simply stared at her phone, checking her Facebook. Each time the woman spoke, the man stared at his phone, checking his Facebook. At no time, did both of them take part in the same conversation or engage the third party simultaneously. What struck me wasn't that this happened, but that this is the third time I've witnessed this the last ten days. A seemingly "happy" couple, who have no interest, not only in what their partners have to say, but what others have to say to those they love. The true oddity is that the topic stayed the same throughout, which makes this lack of social grace even more difficult to fathom.

I know I rip Facebook a lot, and it's warranted. Facebook has taken over real life for a lot of people, but when it actually obstructs one's ability to function within the social construct we've created over thousands of years, one has to question, not only its power but its usefulness. While it can allow us to connect to those we like and love, tens, hundreds, even thousands of miles away, it draws us away from those who are right next to us, many times right in front of us. One really has to question the purpose and power of connection, when it disconnects us from what we see every day.

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