why do people still send cards through the post?

[riskllama]

seriously, just stop.

[Dukasaur]

seriously, just stop.

Why?

[riskllama]

because it's stupid & pointless and more than a little irritating because if you happen to get one, or worse, several... , the implied social contract is that A) you should have already sent one to the sender, or B) are now expected to contact the person & thank them for it. well f*ck that noise - this ancient practice needs to end. now.

[HitRed]

Pens haven't replaced pencils yet.

[mookiemcgee]

seriously, just stop.

The answer to your title question is 'women'.

[Dukasaur]

because it's stupid & pointless and more than a little irritating because if you happen to get one, or worse, several... , the implied social contract is that A) you should have already sent one to the sender, or B) are now expected to contact the person & thank them for it. well f*ck that noise - this ancient practice needs to end. now.

I'm sorry that you're upset by social norms. Etiquette is the glue that holds society together. Without small courtesies, people are just animals in the same cage.

As for card sending. I come from a mostly non-card-sending family. My wife, on the other hand, comes from a massively overcarded family. They exchange cards for Christmas and for each other's birthdays, but also cards for Thanksgiving and Mother's Day (even the ones that aren't mothers) and cards for the graduation of every kid in the whole damn extended family. So I let her take care of that end of it.

I think that's how it's actually done in many families. One of those things that's still considered women's work, even in the age of equality.

When I was single, I didn't send any cards. I did receive them, however, and I was always happy to get one. I suppose I wasn't fulfilling my end of the social contract, which was why I got relatively few. But the ones I did get always brought a bit of joy. "Oh look, Cheryl thought of me! Oh look, Jim remembered me! Oh look, George and Maureen invited me to visit over the holidays!"

When I was in my darkest days and thought that nobody on earth cared if I lived or died, the occasional card would bring a couple minutes of happiness, knowing that someone out there thought of me after all. I can't imagine a world where people don't do that any more.

[riskllama]

ever try picking up a phone?

[Dukasaur]

Doesn't have the same impact.

Plus, it used to cost a lot of money. Now that phone calls are cheap, I suppose it's not a big deal any more.

[riskllama]

environmental impact or impact on already overburdened postal systems which are struggling to keep up w/the demands of the meteoric rise of online shopping?

[mookiemcgee]

ever try picking up a phone?

My issue is more with never putting my phone down.

[Dukasaur]

environmental impact or impact on already overburdened postal systems which are struggling to keep up w/the demands of the meteoric rise of online shopping?

Seriously?

People are ordering a life-size replica Sherman tanks through the mail and you think little 4X3 pieces of paper are the problem?

[HardAttack]

because it's stupid & pointless and more than a little irritating because if you happen to get one, or worse, several... , the implied social contract is that A) you should have already sent one to the sender, or B) are now expected to contact the person & thank them for it. well f*ck that noise - this ancient practice needs to end. now.

[riskllama]

what is 4X3?

[HardAttack]

what is 4X3?

size

[riskllama]

got a link for that tank, duk?

[jimboston]

because it's stupid & pointless and more than a little irritating because if you happen to get one, or worse, several... , the implied social contract is that A) you should have already sent one to the sender, or B) are now expected to contact the person & thank them for it. well f*ck that noise - this ancient practice needs to end. now.

Grinch Much?

[jimboston]

environmental impact or impact on already overburdened postal systems which are struggling to keep up w/the demands of the meteoric rise of online shopping?

The US Post Office loves cards and catalogs and other Christmas related crap.
It’s revenue baby.

[armati]

I send cards.

One year I sent a wind up butterfly inside the cards, when they opened the card the butterfly would fly out.

Scared the crap out of everybody, money well spent.

I still send cards, not so many any more.

[riskllama]

because it's stupid & pointless and more than a little irritating because if you happen to get one, or worse, several... , the implied social contract is that A) you should have already sent one to the sender, or B) are now expected to contact the person & thank them for it. well f*ck that noise - this ancient practice needs to end. now.

Grinch Much?

certainly not, jimbo - it's just cheaper, faster & better to deal w/stuff like this via electronic devices. i don't think anyone here is suggesting to not wish friends & family a merry xmas or a happy birthday - at least i'm not, it's just that there are far better ways of doing it than w/some card w/a generically thought up sentiment that you can sign your name to and fire off via the post office...

[Dukasaur]

what is 4X3?

Four inches by three inches. Standard size of a postcard.

I realize most holiday cards are probably bigger, but the point stands.

[HitRed]

I guess you could send a girl a picture of flowers instead of the real ones.

[Dukasaur]

because it's stupid & pointless and more than a little irritating because if you happen to get one, or worse, several... , the implied social contract is that A) you should have already sent one to the sender, or B) are now expected to contact the person & thank them for it. well f*ck that noise - this ancient practice needs to end. now.

Grinch Much?

certainly not, jimbo - it's just cheaper, faster & better to deal w/stuff like this via electronic devices. i don't think anyone here is suggesting to not wish friends & family a merry xmas or a happy birthday - at least i'm not, it's just that there are far better ways of doing it than w/some card w/a generically thought up sentiment that you can sign your name to and fire off via the post office...

No, an image on a CRT is just not the same as something tangible that you can hold in your hands.

I get those retarded "e-cards" all the time. Just click delete. If you send me a real card, I'll hold on to it for months.

Same thing with news. I read news on the computer all the time now, but when I can get my hands on an actual printed broadsheet, it feels so much more real. It can be the same article, same font, same graphic, but holding an actual printed page in your hand feels so much more real than pixels on a screen.

[riskllama]

i will concede that i much prefer real, printed books over the whole kindle(?)/e-reader experience, for sure.

[riskllama]

I guess you could send a girl a picture of flowers instead of the real ones.

why would anybody send flowers through the post, HR? they'd be all dried up & ugly by the time they reached their intended recipient.

[riskllama]

i mean, couldn't you just get your "god" to make them a nice bouquet & have it appear on their kitchen table?