Have You Changed Your Positions or Opinions on Things Over The Years?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
Have you ever thought one way about an issue, and then a few years later change your position or opinion on the matter?

Years back, before I even owned a cell phone, I heard talk on the news about them wanting to ban the use of the mobile phones while in your car. At the time I felt that it was none of their business as long as the person using the phone was not causing accidents or driving recklessly. In that case, they could just pull over the driver and give them a ticket.

Now, in the days on heavy texting and taking on the phone while driving, I've heard a lot of negative cases in the news of accidents happening and people dying while texting or talking on their cell phones. I personally have witnessed and been affected by drivers who were in their own little world while driving on the highway, so engrossed in their texting or conversations that they completely ignore all that's going on around them, causing a serious safety hazard to all.

So, now I've changed my thoughts on this and feel there has to be some serious legislation against texting while driving or being preoccupied with phone calls while traveling on the roads with other vehicles. I don't really use my cell phone much, and don't text. I tell my husband that if he tries to call me while I'm driving, I won't pick up, but I'll call him back when I'm parked somewhere. I guess if people have a hands-free device, it's a little bit better.
 

I agree that cell phone use in vehicles is troubling. But texting & talking is done all the time by Uber/Lyft, taxis, some delivery services, and they also use GPS.

Bottom line: drivers are not focusing on the road.

ETA: it's been awhile since I've ridden a bus, but I assume bus drivers also use cell phones. I recall a few accidents where school bus driver was using cell phone.
 
Cell phone use, while driving, has replaced drunken driving as the biggest hazard to other drivers on the road. I have Zero tolerance for those who are playing with their phone while driving. If I am ever in a wreck, and survive, I will hire a lawyer to have the other drivers phone records subpoenaed, and if it is found that this person was on their cell phone, I will leavy a lawsuit that hopefully leaves them penniless.
 

SeaBreeze said:
Have you ever thought one way about an issue, and then a few years later change your position or opinion on the matter?

Years back, before I even owned a cell phone, I heard talk on the news about them wanting to ban the use of the mobile phones while in your car. At the time I felt that it was none of their business as long as the person using the phone was not causing accidents or driving recklessly. In that case, they could just pull over the driver and give them a ticket.

Now, in the days on heavy texting and taking on the phone while driving, I've heard a lot of negative cases in the news of accidents happening and people dying while texting or talking on their cell phones. I personally have witnessed and been affected by drivers who were in their own little world while driving on the highway, so engrossed in their texting or conversations that they completely ignore all that's going on around them, causing a serious safety hazard to all.

So, now I've changed my thoughts on this and feel there has to be some serious legislation against texting while driving or being preoccupied with phone calls while traveling on the roads with other vehicles. I don't really use my cell phone much, and don't text. I tell my husband that if he tries to call me while I'm driving, I won't pick up, but I'll call him back when I'm parked somewhere. I guess if people have a hands-free device, it's a little bit better.
Click to expand...

Was it your intent to make this yet another tedious "I hate cell phones" thread, which is what you are getting, of did you really want to know if our opinion/position on a particular issue had evolved?

Assuming it is the latter, I'll volunteer that 30 or 40 years ago, gay marriage was unthinkable to me. Now, I see it as valid as any other marriage, and was the "best person" at the marriage of 2 dear lady friends of mine a couple of summers ago. I doubt if I am alone in this evolution of my beliefs.

edited 9:12
 
Hoot N Annie said:
Was it your intent to make this another "I hate cell phones" thread, which is what you are getting, of did you really want to know if our opinion/position on a particular issue had evolved?

Assuming it is the latter, I'll volunteer that 30 or 40 years ago, gay marriage was unthinkable to me. Now, I see it as valid as any other marriage, and was the "best person" at the marriage of 2 dear lady friends of mine a couple of summers ago. I doubt if I am alone in this evolution of my beliefs.
Click to expand...

No, that wasn't my intent Hoot, I just wanted to know if people here had changed their positions on anything over the years. Good that you changed your opinion on the gay marriage, I hope your friends are very happy together.
 
Anyone have data on the number of arrests for driving while texting/talking? I seldom see drunk drivers but perhaps 100+ per day of the latter.
 
When I was a lot younger I used to see people my age and think, "damn that person is old"......now that I'm old, wrinkled and from a 'time left' standpoint I've pretty much got one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel I've changed my mind about what old is.

Let the youngsters look and deal with it......I may be old but I've earned every one of my wrinkles.

bloodhound-wrinkly-15.jpg
 
yes , like Linda, I've changed my opinion about so many things over the years, some for the good some for the bad!! My biggest disappointment is people... I used to like everyone, as I got older, I've just come to realise that there an awful lot of people out there who are thoroughly dislikeable, regardless of how much I start off trying to like them

As an aside with regard to the OP... here in the UK it's illegal to drive while talking on the phone, unless it's hands free, and the fine is up to £200, and a licence endorsement of 6 points ( 12 points means a ban) ..doesn't seem to stop people tho', I see it all the time, and it makes me furious!!!
 
When I was still working,I would walk 8 blocks to work in the dark during the winter months,I never thought of buying a cell phone.
My siblings and co-workers kept nagging me to buy one in case of emergency.A couple yrs before I retired,I finally bought 'pay as you go' cell phone.
After I retired,got in the habit of taking it with me when I took my early morning walks,continue to take it with me everywhere I go
Around 15 yrs ago,I bought a 'gizmo' called 'mail station'.I hooked it up to my phone jack.I could email people but it didn't accept attachments.I was happy with it for a couple of yrs
Once again,my siblings started to suggest I buy a computer, because they thought I would really enjoy 'surfing the web'.I used a computer at work but just to read interoffice emails,never did any personal stuff like some co-workers did.
After thinking about it for awhile,I finally bought this computer a month before I retired.In the beginning,I really didn't know how to use it.I learned as I went along.
Lenore,our wonderful graphic designer in the business office at my church,has been the person who has taught me so many computer skills I never thought I could do.
Thanks to her,I do a lot of communication with family,friends&church related things on my computer.i know I would be a different person if I didn't have my computer Sue
 
hollydolly said:
yes , like Linda, I've changed my opinion about so many things over the years, some for the good some for the bad!! My biggest disappointment is people... I used to like everyone, as I got older, I've just come to realise that there an awful lot of people out there who are thoroughly dislikeable, regardless of how much I start off trying to like them

As an aside with regard to the OP... here in the UK it's illegal to drive while talking on the phone, unless it's hands free, and the fine is up to £200, and a licence endorsement of 6 points ( 12 points means a ban) ..doesn't seem to stop people tho', I see it all the time, and it makes me furious!!!
Click to expand...


Its illegal here also unless its hands free. I don’t see a lot of that where I live so maybe people don’t want to get fined.
 
I used to be pretty disgusted with the number of undocumented immigrants (who used to be called illegal aliens) pouring into this country. I thought, "Why can't they just get here legally, like all the previous generations
of immigrants managed to do?" Either we have rule of law, or we don't. And I felt that, no matter what their reasons for wanting to come here, we can't just throw out laws; that would lead to chaos. Maybe the laws could be changed to allow more immigrants to get here legally?

Since then, I have become more liberal on the subject. Hearing and reading some of the horrifying stories of families fleeing from from gang terrorism, endless poverty, no hope in sight for them, I've decided that sticking
strictly to the rule of law is a little bit like the character Inspector Javert in Les Miz, who spends years tracking down Jean Valjean for a minor violation. Maybe sometimes, the humanity involved is more important than worrying about legal pieces of paper.

On a less important subject, I've recently started liking jazz music a lot more than I used to. I always liked classic rock, and classical music, but jazz was somehow outside of my domain. Lately, I've begun appreciating it.

Interesting question, SeaBreeze.
 
I was never/ever into Motown or that much Oldies...…….until I met my wife. Now, huge fan of Motown and the Oldies!

After I got out of the Navy, I knew this guy, and we use to hang-out together, who had been in the Army and had dozens of tats on him. Both arms, some on chest and back. I never once gave a thought about how he looked, but my feelings have definitely changed today. I wouldn't say so much toward a person that has one or two small ones, but all the rest...…..nope. Anyway, all of you folks know how wife and I stand on this subject.

I use to smoke cigs, very little though, and use Copenhagen and Skoal Smokeless Tobacco and Red Man Chewing Tobacco, but no more. Stop cigs back when I met my wife (early 2000) and stopped "dipping" and chewing in 2006. Wife and I simply avoid/don't get around any smokers today at all.

As far as illegal immigration: Fleeing their country due to gangs, drugs and such...…….well, we have the same thing here in America, so they really aren't fleeing anything. IOW, the words "enter legally and become legal" is the best thing to do.

Never use to bother me hearing foreign languages, but, where we live, we hear Spanish, India and Asian being spoken in public. Enough!

Absolutely "NO" to gay marriage also. Our great niece, who was a Flower Girl at our wedding in 2001, is planning on marrying her girlfriend. She's already been married to two men, so we don't know, or understand, what happened. We, however do know, we definitely won't go to the wedding nor do we communicate anymore with her on Facebook. When her grandmother, my wife's sister, found out that she is know a lesbian, she was very, very unhappy, but in order to keep her granddaughter in her life...…….
 
RadishRose said:
Yes, I've changed my mind about several things.

(an aside to the cell phone issue- there is NO reason a person should be talking on a phone while driving ; hands free or otherwise, imo)
Click to expand...


I seldom do but know many that take care of phone calls on a long drive to work, etc. if it’s coming thru your car speakers than it’s really no different than talking to a passenger in your car...if you have one.

Just my opinion. :)
 
CeeCee said:
I seldom do but know many that take care of phone calls on a long drive to work, etc. if it’s coming thru your car speakers than it’s really no different than talking to a passenger in your car...if you have one.

Just my opinion. :)
Click to expand...

That's true, Cee Cee, but I find myself distracted when someone is in my car talking to me/asking questions, etc. while I am driving. I guess my attention has been damaged by all that pot I smoked years ago!
 
RadishRose said:
That's true, Cee Cee, but I find myself distracted when someone is in my car talking to me/asking questions, etc. while I am driving. I guess my attention has been damaged by all that pot I smoked years ago!
Click to expand...

I don’t like talking in the car on the phone because I tend to miss my exit.

I will take a short call but that’s about it.
 
Background noise while talking to someone on a cell phone. My SIL has a very bad habit of calling us while leaving her tv sound up. I have to end up telling her to turn her tv sound down.

Then, there are also those that will call someone, while they have company, and will try to talk to company and the person on the cell at the same time.

Cell phones are nice, but all of us did make it in life during the years before they came out. Problem was, trying to find change for a payphone.

Now, there are those Seniors that really do hate computers, as my brother does. However, wife and I love them! Of course, we know the keyboard and don't have to do the "hunt and peck" type typing.
 
IKE said:
When I was a lot younger I used to see people my age and think, "damn that person is old"......now that I'm old, wrinkled and from a 'time left' standpoint I've pretty much got one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel I've changed my mind about what old is.

Let the youngsters look and deal with it......I may be old but I've earned every one of my wrinkles.
Click to expand...

I've changed my mind too in that regard. I always respected my elders when I was young, but used to think some of them were really old and couldn't imagine myself getting that way. Well, I'm blessed to be old now and not the alternative, so I'll take my wrinkles, etc. in stride. I don't look or feel like I imagined, so that's a plus....stay young mentally and your body will follow. Tell mama to keep after those banana peels, don't want to lose you before your time. :D :love_heart:
 
CeeCee said:
I seldom do but know many that take care of phone calls on a long drive to work, etc. if it’s coming thru your car speakers than it’s really no different than talking to a passenger in your car...if you have one.

Just my opinion. :)
Click to expand...

My husband has a hands free in his car and everything comes through his speakers as you say, so at all times he has both hands on the steering wheel. That's ok IMO, no different to chatting to passengers in the car... although that brings me to another annoyance, why do some drivers feel it necessary to look at their passengers to chat while they're driving? Have they forgotten what they look like?.....They're not looking at the road!! It takes only a few seconds to create an accident when eyes are averted elsewhere...

I just drive and talk, but always my eyes are on the road
 
hollydolly said:
My husband has a hands free in his car and everything comes through his speakers as you say, so at all times he has both hands on the steering wheel. That's ok IMO, no different to chatting to passengers in the car... although that brings me to another annoyance, why do some drivers feel it necessary to look at their passengers to chat while they're driving? Have they forgotten what they look like?.....They're not looking at the road!! It takes only a few seconds to create an accident when eyes are averted elsewhere...

I just drive and talk, but always my eyes are on the road
Click to expand...

Hahaha, that's true.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top