“From my cold dead hands” is a commonly heard phrase uttered by firearms enthusiasts. However, it has also been used many times by the hopelessly addicted mobile phone junkie. I will include myself in both of these groups. One is a civil rights matter, the other a matter of personal preference. The passion and commitment of both is astounding.
From the time black powder was invented man has held on to his firearms until death chills the body. Charlton Heston made those five words a battle cry of unity amongst firearms enthusiasts during his speech at the 2000 NRA Convention. I could go on all day about the Second Amendment and what it means to each of us as citizens of the United States. I will save that for another day. It is my personal opinion that Mr. Heston was making a statement about ideals, values and personal rights.
Over the course of the past year I have noticed a trend toward ‘die hard’ brand loyalty among smartphone users. It is not uncommon to read a message on a forum or a tweet on Twitter that reads something like “I’ll change from ‘xyz’ to ‘abc’ when hell freezes over” or “You’ll have to pry ‘xyz’ from my cold dead hands before I use ‘abc'”
I suspect this sense of brand loyalty to the extreme is rather funny. Yes, I am personally guilty of it myself. I have a list of firearms that I simply will not purchase even though I know they are fine brands. There are certain hand tool brands that I will not stray from. Not long ago I had the same opinion on smartphones. I was completely against the thought of even trying another brand. That was until I literally woke up one morning and thought to myself ‘Why are you being so hard headed? Go look and see… You may just like what you find.’ And so it goes. My eyes were opened to something new and different. Better? Well, that’s a matter of personal opinion.
From my cold dead hands
I see there are only a few things to which I would justify using this phrase. Those few things are the things that truly matter most in life. Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All these things are secured by the God given the right to personal protection afforded us by the possession of modern firearms, not smartphones.
While there are still certain brands I will not own, I will no longer be heard to say “I will give up my Android when it’s removed from my cold dead hands.” A statement such as this makes me look both narrow minded and foolish. I may have a preference toward one brand. However, I will always remain of the opinion that a mobile device is a matter of personal choice. This choice is not to be made fun of or looked down upon. Each of us have different needs and financial means.
Hi,
My name is Qball45 and I’m a recovering BlackBerry addict turned Android junkie. It’s true, I have poked fun at some other BlackBerry owners. Please accept my apologies if I have offended you and your choice in mobile devices. Your decision was made for reasons which I may never know.
p.s. I regret giving up my BlackBerry every time I try and type on this software keyboard. Well, ok maybe not.
Banner image thanks to @Adam80460
