Bullard is not the first to notice the isolating effect of many innovations, nor is it just modern conveniences that take us away from other people. Against Convenience references a famous Kurt Vonnegut anecdote in which the author ignores his wife’s advice to keep a box of envelopes at home and goes out shopping every time he needs a single one. On the way, he meets people, he enjoys the scenery of the neighborhood, and he has “one hell of a good time.” “We are dancing animals,” Vonnegut wrote. “How beautiful it is to get up and go out and do something.” But sacrifices are inevitable when we pursue convenience. Many of these exchanges are clearly worth it—I keep a box of envelopes at home—but Bullard convincingly argues that the costs of convenience, social and otherwise, have crossed a worrisome threshold in the 21st century.
Convenience Is Lonelytheatlantic.comFar too many innovations keep us from other people.