Perhaps I should've said "Dark Ages method". I was conceiving of it as "personal courier carrying cash" without getting hung up on the mode of transportation.
Yeah, I can see both sides of the disagreement as well, but you really should've seen how over the top the response was. The cracks about her ingratitude went beyond the pale. Moreover, they laid bare the assumption that none of us had made any material contributions during those times when Mom was responsible for hosting. We've been "paying our own way", as it were, for years now--and why not, seeing as we're all adults?
That's another faultline here, a purely generational one not readily ascribable to technological change. The fact that the aunts and uncles didn't feel there a need to consult with any of our generation before they changed everything around (despite the fact that we outnumber them and are most inconvenienced by circumstances, being more likely to live out-of-town, work full time, and have small children) reveals how they think of us and our opinions. It's not surprising to find them more than a little defensive about having this pointed out, even obliquely; I'm sceptical how receptive they would've been to perceived criticism even if it was delivered in accordance with their personal preferences.
(And that's all it is--a preference. There's nothing right or wrong about discussing something on social media versus discussing it via a round robin of private phone calls. Both have benefits and disadvantages. It comes down mainly to what you're used to. But, again, that's not up for discussion because it would require recognising the habits of those who you've always felt comfortable viewing as your juniors as equal in validity to your own.)
no subject
Yeah, I can see both sides of the disagreement as well, but you really should've seen how over the top the response was. The cracks about her ingratitude went beyond the pale. Moreover, they laid bare the assumption that none of us had made any material contributions during those times when Mom was responsible for hosting. We've been "paying our own way", as it were, for years now--and why not, seeing as we're all adults?
That's another faultline here, a purely generational one not readily ascribable to technological change. The fact that the aunts and uncles didn't feel there a need to consult with any of our generation before they changed everything around (despite the fact that we outnumber them and are most inconvenienced by circumstances, being more likely to live out-of-town, work full time, and have small children) reveals how they think of us and our opinions. It's not surprising to find them more than a little defensive about having this pointed out, even obliquely; I'm sceptical how receptive they would've been to perceived criticism even if it was delivered in accordance with their personal preferences.
(And that's all it is--a preference. There's nothing right or wrong about discussing something on social media versus discussing it via a round robin of private phone calls. Both have benefits and disadvantages. It comes down mainly to what you're used to. But, again, that's not up for discussion because it would require recognising the habits of those who you've always felt comfortable viewing as your juniors as equal in validity to your own.)