Another Victim of Technological Progress

We’ve all witnessed the march of technology, and for the most part, we’re all thankful beneficiaries of new gadgets. But let us not forget the unsung victims of this progress.

What of the 8-track? The BetaMax? What, my friends, of the CB Radio?

Do you think today’s youth have any understanding of the phrase “Breaker 1-9”?

I was listening to 70’s on 7 – an XM channel – when the delightful old song “Convoy” came on the air. All the talk of “bears” and “smokeys” and other CB lingo brought a smile to my face... Do you think that jargon’s gone the way of Esperanto?

“[on the cb]
Ah, breaker one-nine, this here's the rubber duck. you gotta copy on me, pig pen, c'mon? ah, yeah, 10-4, pig pen, fer shure, fer shure. by golly, it's clean clear to flag town, c'mon. yeah, that’s a Big 10-4 there, pig pen, yeah, we definitely got the front door, good buddy. mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy...”

I went to my local artsy-fartsy video store – they rent just about anything! They carry weird French films, classic cult films like Shriek of the Mutilated: you name it, they got it. But did they have the movie Convoy, a 1978 gem starting Kris Kristofferson that was based on this song, on their shelves? No, they did not. I think it’s because the CB has gone the way of the dodo. (It certainly can’t be the quality of the movie.)

Everyone should go out and ask your local video store to carry a copy, lest the CB Radio be forgotten.

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