Walked into a diner last week and nobody said a word to each other

I stopped at Mel's on Route 9 for a late breakfast, same place I used to go with my dad in the 90s. Back then you could hear three different conversations from the counter, but last week it was just the sound of forks scraping plates and phones buzzing. Has anyone else noticed how quiet public spaces have gotten?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlienelson19d ago

Yeah that hits hard. I remember going to the local diner with my grandpa and he'd always get into a chat with the guy next to him about the weather or the ballgame. Now when I go out it feels like everyone is staring at their phones or just keeping their heads down. It makes me kind of sad honestly. People used to actually look at each other and smile. I try to be the one who breaks the silence by saying something dumb like how good the coffee smells. Sometimes it works and someone laughs and then we talk for a minute. But most of the time it just feels like I'm interrupting something.

thomas27519d ago

Man I gotta push back on this a little. I'm 35 and I go to my local diner like three times a week and I see people chatting all the time. Maybe it's just the spots I go to but the regulars at Mel's Diner still shoot the breeze about the game or the weather. I think past generations say the same stuff about every new thing. My dad told me when he was a kid people said nobody talks to strangers anymore because of TV dinners. I think the phone thing is real but people still want to connect. It just takes a little effort from both sides.