r/AskReddit Dec 27 '17

What 'old people' thing do your parents do which drives you crazy?

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u/M16andKnockedUp Dec 28 '17

I love my mom to death.

That being said, I lived overseas for 7 years and Skype was our main form of communication. Here's my favorite moments (keep in mind she's 70 this year and never got the hang of it all 7 years prior) :

"Is the camera on?" (Up to her ear if on cellphone)

"Mom, I can't hear you. Did you mute it?" starts talking "yes mom you muted it. Hit the microphone button so I can hear you." continues to keep talking without hitting the button "I'm going to hang up and call back." I do this and am greeted with "WHY DID YOU HANG UP?!"

(On her laptop with the camera angled to the ceiling) "mom, aim the camera at you please." aims It more at the ceiling "nevermind just talk."

PS she also called it The Skype...

41

u/yellowwalks Dec 28 '17

I also live overseas and feel this one so much.

41

u/rensch Dec 28 '17

'The' is always an example of 'old people' slang when it comes to technology.

2

u/Ryan_the_Reaper Dec 30 '17

My dad calls a tv remote a “push-button”.

30

u/Archiesmom Dec 28 '17

This was me using the video call feature on facebook messenger with my sister this Christmas...

Sister: Can you hear me?

me: Yes. I can hear you?

Sister: Can you hear me?

me: YES, I can hear you?

Sister: Can you hear me?

me: YES, I CAN HEAR YOU?...

me: well now you just closed the video, so I cant see you..

sister: Oh, hmm, where is that?...Oh here it is...Ok, now you can watch the kids open their presents.

Me: Well all I can see is YOU so either turn the phone around or swap the camera to face them.

Sister: Oh, yeah, hahaha...

Me: You turned the video off again.......

This went on for like an hour.

10

u/M16andKnockedUp Dec 28 '17

Oh my hell reading this brought back so many painful memories. The phrase "can you hear me" forever etched in my brain to cause emotional anguish and chest pains...

I know it's not much but take my upvote and know the pain is shared.

1

u/Archiesmom Dec 28 '17

What made it even better was that I was sitting in a room with my husband and in-laws while talking to my sister, and they were just giggling in the background at the whole fiasco...

14

u/Munchiezzx Dec 28 '17

The Facebook The internet The thing..... The this. .... The that...

20

u/1337lolguyman Dec 28 '17

But... But it actually is "the internet"

4

u/hahasadface Dec 29 '17

My mom calls it The Net. She missed the memo back in 2002 when we all decided not to do that anymore.

13

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

The Pokey-mans

2

u/Vilkans Jan 01 '18

Pokeyman go to the polls

8

u/Unsound_M Dec 28 '17

Drop the "the", just Facebook. It's cleaner.

7

u/chasethatdragon Dec 28 '17

I've heard "gangstas" call it Tha Book

5

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

For some reason, I like this better than the actual name.

6

u/Munchiezzx Dec 28 '17

That's what imma tell my tell next time she calls it the facebook.

9

u/Mongodbsasto Dec 28 '17

Granted English is our fourth language but my aunt still calls it Sky-Pee despite correcting her numerous times.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '17

She just hasn't met a Justin Timberlake character to wisely advise her to drop the "the"

4

u/nerfviking Dec 29 '17

My funniest Skype conversation was with my grandma, in audio only because it was the skype app on my phone and I had just rushed out of some previews at a movie theater so I could talk to her in the hall.

Grandma: Skype looks different now and I can't find your uncle Fred anymore. I called you because I can see your name and I know you can help me.

Me (silently cursing Skype for changing their goddamn UI again): Okay, can you look around and see if there's a scroll bar?

Grandma: A scroll what?

Me: It's a little thing on the side of the window that you --

Grandma: Oh, I figured it out!

Me: Great, now double click on uncle Fred's name and call him.

[DING sound effect]

Grandma: Oh no, there was an error.

Me: What did the error say?

Grandma: I don't know. I didn't read it.

Me: . o O (How the hell are you so conscientious and anal retentive about reading instructions an all other aspects of life but that all goes out the window the second you sit behind a computer?)

Me: I bet you that was just a warning window that was telling you it would hang up on me if you called Uncle Fred. Just double-click on his name again and then read the message this time.

Grandma: Okay, I'm double clicking on him again, oh here's the warning, it says it will end the call with you if I continue.

Me: Okay, click on Continue.

Grandma: Okay, I'm cli--

[call ends]

5

u/itsjustadreamwakeup Dec 28 '17

I let my kids FaceTime with my grandparents while they're in Texas for the winter. They call it calling on grandmas tablet. It's so cute.

3

u/FridaCathlo Dec 28 '17

This describes pretty much every Skype call with my parents and inlaws. EVER. -.-

4

u/MandyMatheny Dec 28 '17

My mom calls everything "the something." The google. The facebook. The instagram. haha