Commentary

Several articles have looked into and much has been made of the iPod phenomenon in the culture. Many older people have also whined and complained that this new idea of people like me plugging in their headphones and ignoring others is a bad sign for us as a culture.

However, as an introvert (who is thoroughly annoyed by most extroverts) I find these complaints are only somewhat accurate.

Everywhere I go, the majority of people are not on their headphones, tuning out the world. In fact, most are either with other people, or even worse, they are attached to their cellphones like lepers.

I accept the possibility that I may have an emotional sickness because I am indeed an extrovert, thought I don't believe I am "sick."

However, I do believe that these extroverts are sick. They crave human attention, they cannot be without it. They would almost rather die than to have to do something alone. They fidget with their cellphone the minute their buddy leaves the subway and they start checking their e-mail, their text messages, their voicemail to see who is trying to reach them. Their lives wouldn't be complete without someone needing their attention.

This is a real sickness. I know of people who, for example, want to go see the latest big movie, and they really want to see it bad because their favorite actor/actress is in it, but they will not go without someone. They can't have fun, they can't enjoy things if they aren't with someone.

They incessantly talk about their day, a process of complete self-flagellation, thinking they are SO interesting that this other person must want to know how it went.

Yes, indeed. There is a societal sickness going on here and it is only getting worse. I am one of a dying breed because I choose to be alone most of the time I am not teaching or working at school. For we are a picky lot. We will not just be with someone because we can't be alone. We must have meaning. It's an extroverts world out there, and I loathe to survive in it at times.