Louie CK TV Show Appearance Leads to Smartphone Rant
Last night, as a guest on "Conan," actor and comedian Louis C.K. discussed why he doesn't give his children smartphones. The father of two daughters spoke with Conan O'Brien about why he thinks the phones are not ideal to grow up with, and may not be great for the lives of adults either.
"I think these [smartphones] are toxic, especially for kids," "They don't look at people when they talk to them and they don't build empathy. You know, kids are mean, and it's 'cause they're trying it out. They look at a kid and they go, 'you're fat,' and then they see the kid's face scrunch up and they go, 'oh, that doesn't feel good to make a person do that.' But they got to start with doing the mean thing. But when they write 'you're fat,' then they just go, 'mmm, that was fun, I like that," the actor and comedian said.
He went on to say that smartphones may occupy people to an excessive extent.
"You need to build an ability to just be yourself and not be doing something. That's what the phones are taking away, is the ability to just sit there. That's being a person. Because underneath everything in your life there is that thing, that empty - forever empty. You know what I'm talking about? That knowledge that it's all for nothing and that you're alone," he said.
Louie C.K. guesting on "Conan" was something of a reunion, as he wrote for the show along side Conan O'Brien during the show's first season.