The Invisible Revolution (Pokémon and the Digital Divide)

A movement is afoot, revolution in the air. It's happening all around us — visible to those in the know, but invisible to others among us. Like, for example, my dear wife. We took a walk this morning along Chicago's lakefront. We walk because we can't run — too out of shape.

At one point I asked if she’d heard about Pokémon Go. "What? Poke go who?" As if I were speaking Pikachu. I was tickled by her blind spot, knowing that Twitter and Facebook are jealous of its half billion downloads, nations have banned it, and men are falling into the oceans while playing it but not paying attention to the annoying analog world that gets in the way of digital fun.

In the near distance I spotted a fellow walking toward us, head down. I took a chance as we crossed paths. "Hey, tell my wife what Pokémon Go is."

He looked up, as if caught red-handed, held up his phone and said, "I'm on it." Bang! You know the rest.

Some of us gotta catch 'em all. The rest of us are just trying to catch our breath.