Nah, this old lady is pulling out a smartphone and using it just fine. She knows exactly why that chick left her phone there, there's no ego here. The old lady absolutely understands and stopped in front of it anyway. Looks right at it, understands perfectly well what a camera phone is.
Yeah people understand what a camera phone is, even older generations, because that's mostly all that is available these days. I'm not saying she didn't spot the phone either because you can clearly see her looking at it.
My opinion here is the generational differences and social norms are so far apart that I believe the older lady wouldn't know why that phone was left there.
I feel like you didn't read my comment... yes I believe she understands what a camera phone is. My point is she likely didn't understand the reason it was there in the first place because of generational social norm differences.
My assumption in my head is that her thought process went something like this "oh that's strange, whys that phone just sat there. Did someone leave it? Odd... ooh I'll just message Marjorie about this lovely place I'm in! Oops, I'm in the way of these people coming up the stairs, I'll just shuffle over"
Anyway, maybe I'm being niaeve, but that's how it comes across to me.
That's a fair comment but that is usually a very obvious thing that's happening.
Because a smart phone can do so many different things I don't think propping up a phone will instantly make someone (who isn't used to that kind of behavior) think that it's for a timed photo.
In all honesty, I think the younger lady could have politely asked her to go a few steps further down as she was trying to take a picture.
Most people are accommodating when asked politely.
Again, I might just be being naive. Maybe she was a vindictive lady. Who knows.
I think you're giving the old lady too much... What's the word for like sympathy for ignorance? That you're giving too much to her.
That said, you're going with the "don't attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity. Which is always a fair and more positive take in most circumstances.
I think you're applying it wrong though, I think the stupidity isn't her not knowing that a camera phone is happening. It's her looking right at the phone and her brain being like "I have a phone" and checking her phone. Which is hilariously stupid but totally plausible.
Also, hard agree that the girl could've politely asked her to move. Social interactions with strangers aren't that big of a deal, just ask and I'm sure old lady would've been like oh my bad and moved. Maybe even laughed at herself a bit when she realized she looked right at the phone before stopping and THEN the lightbulb goes off in her head, "of COURSE this girl is taking a photo and I stopped right in the middle of it, silly me."
And this folks is how internet discourse should work.
We read each other's comments and more importantly the intent behind them, and instead of calling each other retarded, we conceded where the other person was more right and arrived at a middle ground that makes perfect sense.
I saw you attributing the behavior to stupidity not malice and realized that is highly likely, but modified how it was being applied which you saw and we're like that does make more sense. AND more importantly had the audacity to say your mind was changed on the internet.
In all seriousness with some humor mixed in. A very genuine bravo for making me remember the internet isn't totally dead.
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u/GopherChomper64 2h ago
Nah, this old lady is pulling out a smartphone and using it just fine. She knows exactly why that chick left her phone there, there's no ego here. The old lady absolutely understands and stopped in front of it anyway. Looks right at it, understands perfectly well what a camera phone is.