I found the idea of the gam interesting in Moby Dick. For those who don’t remember,
here is a refresher from the novel. “Gam—noun—A social meeting of two (or more)
whale-ships, generally on a cruising-ground; when after exchanging hails, they
exchange visits by boats’ crews: the two captains remaining, for the time, on
board of one ship, and the two chief mates on the other” (216). During this
exchange, the captains and the rest of the crew tell each other the whaling
news, but they would “have an agreeable chat” (214). They were able to do this
as long as they shared a common language. “For not only would they meet with
all the sympathies of sailors, but likewise with all the peculiar
congenialities arising from a common pursuit and mutually shared privations and
perils.”
I got thinking that this is like chatting or Skyping today
in digital culture. There are two (or more) people that come from different
paths of life. One person may be starting a new journey; one may just be finishing
a journey. Yet there is common ground that is found between these people at one
point and this is where they catch up on the goings on of each others’ lives.
This is what we use Skype or chat for—the only difference is the common ground
is virtual, not physical.
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| Pardon the inaccuracies, but this was too good not to share. |
We like to share what’s happening in our lives; it’s been
around for a while. It’s just been changing mediums of communication. It’s
quite amazing that we can connect to anyone we want in the world as long as
they have an internet or data connection—or in other words, a common
“technical” language—and speak to them, face-to-face, at least artificially.
