The DU Lounge

DFW

(60,439 posts)

30. What a difference 20 years makes, but I can understand the scenario only too well

Tue May 19, 2026, 02:43 PM

Tuesday

Every day when I'm in Paris or Brussels, I see groups of tourists (not just American, also Japanese, whatever) walking past great scenes like Paris monuments, or the Grande Place in Brussels, and to a last person, they all have their faces buried in the cell phones. Unbelievable!!

20 years ago, my younger daughter was in her last year of undergrad in D.C., age 18, and looking to get a summer job to raise some money for later travel. She somehow found a German lawyer working in DC who was desperate for some help translating legal documents so that he didn't have to stay up until 2 A.M. doing it himself every night. She "auditioned" with a document or two, and he was so happy with her work that he paid her $25 an hour (not bad twenty years ago), and offered her a full-time job when she graduated (she passed, but thanked him for the decent pay while she was there).

If she had had her nose buried in her cell phone while texting the whole time, it's a fair bet she wouldn't have gotten that job, either.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

46 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Note to parents with teens looking for Summer work... [View all] 634-5789 Tuesday OP

I would not have gone past the doughnut tray. OldBaldy1701E Tuesday #1

And yet.... OhioBack2Blue Tuesday #2

About two years ago - local ice cream store. Kid was on the phone. 3Hotdogs Tuesday #3

If you have time to lean, you have time to clean. multigraincracker Tuesday #5

It's been long time since I heard that expression MIButterfly Tuesday #19

I usually got "get your ass to work" No cute slogans. Lochloosa Tuesday #27

LOL! MIButterfly Tuesday #29

Or pretend to work (Bill Hicks clip) cannabis_flower Tuesday #31

First thing I thought of.... lol nt Shipwack 23 hrs ago #44

My most hated saying from my Dad..... SergeStorms Tuesday #36

That's a good one! calimary Tuesday #42

He hated seeing me..... SergeStorms 15 hrs ago #45

I think he would indeed be proud of you. calimary 11 hrs ago #46

Maybe this was her first interview ever. Did you tell her that the texting needed to stop? irisblue Tuesday #4

No. hamsterjill Tuesday #13

17 is not an age blessed with an overabundance of employment related intelligence tho irisblue Tuesday #18

But you learned, didn't you? hamsterjill Tuesday #21

Told her twice. She was there a total of ...maybe 15 minutes. 634-5789 Tuesday #16

Then, IMO, with that info you were right. Thx for the reply irisblue Tuesday #17

This message was self-deleted by its author WinstonSmith4740 Tuesday #34

17? She was probably just out of high school, or going into her senior year. WinstonSmith4740 Tuesday #35

That is a funny story...It is sad at the same time. Escurumbele Tuesday #6

Likely no exaggeration... Trueblue Texan Tuesday #11

I think your point is that the parents need to tell their kids FakeNoose Tuesday #7

The parents may be modelling this behavior! RockCreek Tuesday #8

I would have done the same electron_blue Tuesday #9

Does anyone remember the articles a few years ago? Mothers accompanying their sons on job interviews? 3Hotdogs Tuesday #22

I was at a local fast food restaurant when I noticed Dr. T Tuesday #10

I grew up in the 80s with that same environment - TBF Tuesday #14

Were they on their lunch or15 minute break? wnylib Tuesday #26

Or early... cannabis_flower Tuesday #32

I don't believe they were on break. Cars backed up at the drive-through, Dr. T Tuesday #37

Sounds like the manager didn't have authority with the staff. wnylib Tuesday #38

I would've told her straight up to put the phone away TBF Tuesday #12

same Skittles Tuesday #41

A teenager, who works hard at our bistro Zackzzzz Tuesday #15

The employees collecting carts from the parking corrals at the grocery store stand in the corrals and use their phones, chia Tuesday #20

Kids also take notes on their phones Bettie Tuesday #23

Why didn't you demand she put her phone away? Picaro Tuesday #24

My kids were raised to respect work. byronius Tuesday #25

Let me just tell you what I saw today... BWdem4life Tuesday #28

What a difference 20 years makes, but I can understand the scenario only too well DFW Tuesday #30

The addiction starts early Remball Tuesday #33

We have severely underestimated the addictive power of mobile devices at the peril of our children's futures and ... littlemissmartypants Tuesday #39

It just not the teens ms.pamela Tuesday #40

The new clerk at the store put the potato chips in the bag, first Ponietz Tuesday #43