Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
Going out into the wider world, especially into another country as a guest, and protecting ones ego by tabulating and quantifying the ways one is morally superior to the locals is pretty dope shit.
He's lived there 25 years.
Funny, I remember back in the day when smartphones first reared their heads, a lot of the news media fascinated on the novelty of the Japaneses' relationship with the devices. They were not commonplace in the states, I feel like it was early 2000s. I personally didn't even get a flip cell until mid late 00s, and I thought the coverage out of Japan was completely "alien" to me. Always felt really weird, and it's strange just how endemic cellphone addiction is, worldwide, these days.
Anywhere people have to wait these days, one can be assured the majority are absorbed in their devices. It's not good, wherever it happens.
I'm around a lot of parents and young kids, I see some gross stuff. 😐
This guy is making assumptions that I am looking at this situation as me as an American reading a book vs Japanese people glued to their devices. That assumption would imply that I choose to read a book because I am American, whereas they choose to caress their touch screens because they are Japanese. I made no such qualitative assertion and was commenting on people in general in mass transit. I am sure that a similar scene in a NY subway wouldn't be any different. (The difference is that in America, people bother each other on the train and talk loudly to each other. Seeing foreigners on trains here with zero self-awareness as they talk loudly and draw attention to themselves is rather embarrassing.) OverQualified is just being a prick for the sake of being a prick, and reading into my observation more than is necessary.
It doesn't matter to me where one is doing it or how long they've lived there. If I walk out my door today and begin a headspace where I'm validating the notion that I'm superior to people i see, I'm just fantasizing. It's worse than looking at a phone.
I know for people that are really wanting more control of their neighbors desires and inner thoughts that it must be frustrating to be thwarted by Big Phone.
You have fair points.
Still doesn't make it any better to see people in the thralls of addiction.
♥️🙏
I said nothing about being morally superior, nor anything about people who use smartphones being somehow immoral. I just refuse to fall into the temptation of having instant access to the internet at my fingertips wherever I go. It's just sad that people get dependent on this and knowing myself, I know that I would get sucked into that as well. It's not about ego.
When we believe our time spent is better than others time spent, we are making a morality judgement.
Also, I agree with you. About addiction etc. But I loathe to hear the guy on the internet that does internet better or at the right time, or somehow correctly, compared to people on The street.
Feel free to loathe me then. DILLIGAF?
Oh, no. You're fine. One understands it's a silly proposal to imagine taking personal these exchanges of ideas and perspectives. Speaking generically, of course.