I remember When

I remember when computers were still something in "Buck Rogers" realm and Facebook was Grandma picking up the telephone and dialing a number that everyone on the "party line" recognized the ring as "pick up and lets catch up on what’s going on with everyone". In the old days the phone company did not have enough lines to give everyone their own line so a group of folks in the same area would share a line. Each one had a distinctive ring so you would know when a call was for you. When it wasn't your ring you were supposed to ignore it and NOT pick up the phone. If you did you would be on at the same time as the others that picked up the line. That was how many folks would keep abreast of current happenings; it was the LOCAL AREA NEWS line. Now there were some who just could not refrain from snooping, listening in on others conversations and would inevitably “share” what they heard (their own version of course) with whomever would listen. Ultimately they would earn the label “Busybody”. Small towns were the last to get updated service so while the larger cities would eventually get more lines added and get a “private” phone line the small towns were last on the list to receive upgrades or more lines so one could get a “private” line. That is part of the reason in a small town EVERYONE knew everyone else’s business. Of course the habit of “sharing” what one heard on the party line extended its self to group gossip with any kind of input, not just from listening on the phone line but overheard conversations, eavesdropping, and even sometimes making up what one would suppose was taking place from seeing bits and pieces of folks actions even though not hearing what was going on. The coined term Busybody was attached to those who seemed to have nothing else to keep them busy other than to gossip about others … thus … it was what they used to keep themselves busy. Now one could be led to the conclusion that the telephone company was the cause of all that but in actuality those Busybodies would have found a way even without the phone and this practice may have even existed in the cave dwellings of old time, who knows!!