I don't know why anyone else has not thought of this idea. Maybe others have but have been reluctant to voice it, but I will not be reticent. In a series of nested ifs, I am suggesting the following:
If the national agency in charge of traveler safety remains firm in its policy to have its agents aggressively pat-down travelers who choose public groping over X-rated see-through machines, and if the traveling public revolts, choosing the X-rated see-through machines over public groping, and if airport security lines become hopelessly snarled, thereby causing travelers to miss flights to get home to family and loved ones, then why not choose a Skype-familiy dinner and get-together over crowded airports, congested and unsecured airport security check-points, cranky travelers, rude airline employees who have had it with complaining and also-rude travelers, weather-related delays, and tired youngsters who would rather be sleeping in their own beds anyway?
We all know the feeling of that unmistakable draw that most families feel to be together at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is one of the strongest, unidentifiable connections in the universe, making gravitational pull and polar attractions pale in comparison. It is what caused my SO and I to endure all-night drives through two states and dangerous winter-driving conditions to get 'home' for holiday gatherings in years past. However, if situations preclude getting to Uncle Harry's and Aunt Hortense's home for that fabulous Thanksgiving meal, then consider Skype-dining.
While there can be no substitute for hugging Uncle Harry and Aunt Hortense in person and taking in the aromas of her thirty-two menu offerings, Skype-dining does allow for a few alterations in tradition that could be seen as positive. With Skype-dining, all the participants would gather around their own dining tables, snack bars, tv trays, card tables, patio deck tables.....wherever they chose to eat......connect the little camera to their laptops, and.......presto......have instant, live communication. Participants could remain in their pajamas and no one would be the wiser. All you have to do is keep the angle of the camera high and all the other people can see is your face. Every participating family could serve their own cuisine choices and, if Uncle Fred really prefers to eat two dozen oysters on the half-shell, well then, he can. Or, if cousin Smiley prefers to eat a pound of limburger cheese on saltine crackers, then, he, too can eat to his heart's content and no one's nose needs to be offended. Even cats and dogs could have seats at the table and no one would ever know. Cleaning before the big dinner? No problem, since the camera could easily be pointed at the one neat and shining area in the home. Clean Fluffy's litter box? A chore of the past, too.
I just don't see the need for traveler tension, when the solution can be sitting right on top of your laptop, staring you in the face. Let the little camera bring people together if air travel becomes too frustrating. After all, since we humans are beginning to substitute texting, tweeting and messaging for voice-to-voice phone calls, why not Skype-dine together, too?
Ancora imparo
