View other columns by Mark Kennedy
We were one of the last households in our town to get high-speed internet.
Years after our neighbors were enjoying fast-loading web pages, the Kennedy family was enduring the insufferable beeps-and-whistles of dial-up.
Like Americans who kept their horse-drawn buggies long after Model T’s arrived, I believed that high-speed internet connections led to higher internet bills. I was right, obviously, as our cable/internet bill has grown to the size of a car payment.
But what’s the alternative, really? When you have school-age kids, high-speed internet for homework is essential. Plus, there is the social stigma of having kids who are unplugged. I think my two sons would sooner give up flush toilets than Wi-Fi.
I remember a childhood friend named Roger whose family, while wealthy by our town’s standards, did not believe in television. Thus, Roger – who was a whipsmart, jovial kid – was locked out of most pop culture discussions at school and seemed to lead a rather solitary life.