My parents were born in the 1920s. Because of infirmity, in their last years, they couldn’t answer the phone.
I tried to disabuse them their old-fashioned notions, but even before that, when anyone called the house, they were polite, respectful and gave the caller a full hearing. They and assumed that the caller had something valuable to say - and would be mutually respectful to them as well.
Like air-travel, restaurant dining, and 1000 other social interactions, I take it as a measure of how far our society has fallen - and how low our expectations are now.
Dont worry, these calls are illegal
And soon the FBI, the NSA, the FEC, the XYZ, all of the,m are going to use the full expertise of Federal Law Enforcemnt to stop this illegal activity.
I understand they’ve almost completely shut down heroin and fentenyl dealing.
There are two reasons for this, which cannot be turned around.
First, when I was a child, people didn't eat out/order 2 or 3 or 7 nights a week; restaurant dining was a luxury, enjoyed sparingly, with a set ritual of manners that made it more enjoyable. The same could be said of air travel, and train travel for that matter.
Second, because they were luxuries, they were reserved for people who were at a class level that meant they learned the set of manners, made sure they followed them, and expected others to follow them as well. Today, everyone eats at restaurants and takes plane flights, so the experience has lost all its luster.
And what does that have to do with telephones? For all the money that is spent on a smartphone or the service, it doesn't matter, everyone has a phone, and so there is no sense of luxury, or manners, or gratitude.