Did internet kill the High School reunion?
This is an honest to god question. Many of my friends are coming up on their 10 year reunion sometime this summer or in the next couple of years. But I'm not hearing much talk. Mine will be later this year in September back in good ole Topeka. Earlier this year I was so-so about going, but thought I might. However, every conversation I've had with fellow alum have pushed me towards a French-like response to the EU - NON!
No one who I care to regularly have contact with post-High School is going. Some are adamant about it and others simply don't care. To be fair, I don't know who IS going beyond the list of organizers, none of which would be on my small talk rotation if I did go.
I consulted with Mr. Jim who is also having his reunion this year. Mr. Jim went to a small and specialized high school that graduated about 70 in his class. His reunion committee put the thing up on evite so he can tell who is and isn't going. About 13 people have confirmed, 25 said no, with about half of them making comments such as "Hell No!" or the equivalent, and 1 poor confused 'Maybe' person. So the total response rate is about half, and those that care to respond are 2-1 against going. This might come as a shocker to some, but Mr. Jim is in the 'no' category.
So are reunions passe? Has the internet, cheap flights, and cellular phone service allowed us to break away from the bonds of proximity induced relationships to choose our friends from a far greater and far less restrictive pool of potential? Or am I just part of a large group of introverted techno-nerds that would rather blog about life than be around real people?
I suppose the answers aren't mutually exclusive, but I'd love to get some feed back on this one.
No one who I care to regularly have contact with post-High School is going. Some are adamant about it and others simply don't care. To be fair, I don't know who IS going beyond the list of organizers, none of which would be on my small talk rotation if I did go.
I consulted with Mr. Jim who is also having his reunion this year. Mr. Jim went to a small and specialized high school that graduated about 70 in his class. His reunion committee put the thing up on evite so he can tell who is and isn't going. About 13 people have confirmed, 25 said no, with about half of them making comments such as "Hell No!" or the equivalent, and 1 poor confused 'Maybe' person. So the total response rate is about half, and those that care to respond are 2-1 against going. This might come as a shocker to some, but Mr. Jim is in the 'no' category.
So are reunions passe? Has the internet, cheap flights, and cellular phone service allowed us to break away from the bonds of proximity induced relationships to choose our friends from a far greater and far less restrictive pool of potential? Or am I just part of a large group of introverted techno-nerds that would rather blog about life than be around real people?
I suppose the answers aren't mutually exclusive, but I'd love to get some feed back on this one.
posted by Bill Gilles | 10:58 AM
6 Comments:
Bill - do you really want comments?
I hate real people. They're always driving in front of me, or going to the same restaraunt with me. They aren't pretty for the most part, and hygiene is always in question.
Bill,
I will not be attending my ten year reunion in eight years. I hated most of the kids I went to high school with. I made more friends in a week of college than in four years of HS.
ABS.
I'd just like to point out that Bill chose Mr. Jim as his measuring stick for "real people."
He may as well have chosen Marty.
From a friend in a personal email:
...anyway, the HSR used to be a big deal, but if you take a historical
look, education used to stop at the high school diploma. I would say
that most of my friends i have now are the ones from college. You and
jason are about the only HS people I keep in touch with.
I would go to a reunion of my scholarship house, but i could give two craps about HS.
It seems now that more people go to college now. The "formative"
years for interpersonal realtionships are shifting to later in life.
I would expect those classmates of ours who didn't go on to college
will be getting sloshed at the ol' HSR.
that and we are nerdy anyway, found
more like minded people in
college. Thus we and most people we know are like minded and probably
didn't have the time of our lives in HS. College would be a different
story. A house full of geeks for me. The potato gun making
competitions were memorable, as well as some of the other geeky
passtimes.
Maybe the HSR is a big deal in small towns, where geeky or not, it still is a formative, memorable time. I had about 160 people in my graduating class, and didn't even walk in my college graduation. Most of my friends now are from college or later, but our Cloquet High School clique is still strong, and we all keep in touch. I'm definitely looking forward to my HSR.
Post a Comment
<< Home