The Cell Phone; A great example on how morons destroy...

[Thespeckledkiwi]

A great invention.

The cell phone. One of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century. Or rather it is proof that we are great at taking different things and piecing them all together to make a greater thing. In this case, we take a telephone, some computer parts, and later on a camera, some more chips, throw them together and create a portable media device. I know this is a very simplistic outline and that the actual cell phone is much more complex but it is an amazing invention and a handy device for anyone and everyone. It is essentially making phone companies die, slash prices, or convert. More and more people are now using cell phones as their primary phones instead of a line. And yet with the invention of the cell phone, certain things have died off including courtesy, privacy, and simply common sense in many cases.

Personally, I am of split mind of people who drive and talk on their phones. I do it, yes. Occasionally because someone is in dire need to get a hold of me for some odd reason or because I'm freaking lost but usually I'll pull over on a side road. I tend to zone out and focus on driving as well if I am on a highway and someone gets a hold of me or I simply let it roll over to my message. That isn't the problem. Nope.

I work in retail (for the time being). And I've noticed cell phones more and more. It wasn't a major problem until people come up to the register chatting on their cell phone and not paying attention or even talking to the cashier. A little rude but we usually make their transaction a little longer and force them to talk to us.

But one of the other issues is privacy. Personally, I don't care about your love life, your sex life, whatever. That is your personal matter. And frankly we got kids walking around our store, so could you please do that at home? We don't need to have kids hearing about how you banged this guy you picked up at the bar or that girl with amazing boobs.

I am amazed that people even have these conversations out in the public. Do they not notice people around them? Even better is when they have it on a speaker phone.

If I am out and talking to a friend over the phone, I usually go outside and talk. And it's usually at night and I do it away from people. Or I go in my car. It's easier. And I don't like people listening in on my conversation.

Sorry but cell phones have become a big nuisance. Useful but also annoying.

 

[Trekker4747]

Ugh the cell-phone.

I agree it' can be a handy and useful device but I also think we got along fine without it. You don't need to be encommunicado 24 hours a day.

Talking while driving? Stop it. It makes you drive like an idiot and it has been statisticly proven that doing it is just as bad as driving while drunk.

No. You're not good at it/better than everyone else. So stop it.

If I'm behind someone driving slow, weaving in their lane, and otherwise driving like they're not paying attention 9/10 they're on the damn phone.

People are rude with them. Look, I'm here to help you and serve you. I'm also a human being. Treat me like one and give me your attention. Pointing at the case, giving me the "two" fingers and mouthing your words isn't helping me help you.

Cell-phones have turned people into assholes.

 

[jimternet]

If my phone rings while I'm with people, I'll try to excuse myself and leave the room to take the call... but my family all think this is really odd. They seem to think I have some fear of talking on the phone while other people listen, when really I'm just trying to be polite.

 

[JoeZhang]

Get better jobs.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

You don't need to be encommunicado 24 hours a day.

I'd say you mean "incommunicado," but I doubt you mean that, either.

As for the rest, I agree, for the most part. The worst is the "boredom call." I've seen people on the train scroll down their phone book looking for someone to call.

Bring a frigging book.

 

[Deckerd]

I've seen people on the train scroll down their phone book looking for someone to call.

Bring a frigging book.

Yes, and how many hundreds of people have you seen phoning someone on the train to say "I'm on the train"?

I wish I had some sort of interference device, to block the signal every time someone says that.

 

[Neroon]

We use our cell phones but only at a minimum. That's why the pay-as-you-go plan is the most economic for us at the moment. When I think about it, the two work in concert to keep us from using them too often, avoiding much of what seems to piss people off about their use.

The thing that really gets in my grill is the chatting away while driving a vehicle. I understand that there are isolated cases of needing to talk to someone immediately - you're lost, it's an emergency, etc. But nearly every week I will see a close-call accident, one that doubtlessly occurred because they were on their friggin cell! Honestly, I'd like to know how driving and being on a cell compare to drunk driving as far as operation of the vehicle goes.

 

[jamestyler]

I feel like one of the few people who don't care that my phone can take pictures and I can play games etc. I barely even answer my phone in public - unless it's important I tend to communicate by text and email only. I'm social that way

One of my ex's was terrible for using her phone all the time. If we were out for a drink together and someone called she'd answer and spend half an hour talking. It always felt really isolating and insulting when out for dinner.

The worst I've seen from the whole mobile phone thing was while I was waiting for a bus with some friends. There were kids kicking about that couldn't be older than 14. One of them offered us some sexual favours on the the condition they filmed it... they were promptly told to leave... then they did it all by themselves. In plain sight with the phones out.

It really bugged me when kids were carrying phones about to text their mates all the time. That took the annoyance a step up.

 

[Trippy]

I love my cell phone, and it's the only phone I have (I don't have a land line)

That said, it can still take a message if I'm out

 

[Kestra]

You don't need to be encommunicado 24 hours a day.

I'd say you mean "incommunicado," but I doubt you mean that, either.

As for the rest, I agree, for the most part. The worst is the "boredom call." I've seen people on the train scroll down their phone book looking for someone to call.

Bring a frigging book.

Ugh, I was sitting behind someone like that on the train yesterday, and the ride was 90 minutes. I can usually put up with it, but he was so loud and even the content of his conversation was rather obnoxious. I finally just got up and moved when I could.

I hate using my cell phone, but I love having it as an option all the time. I felt totally lost when I couldn't use it for several hours yesterday. I had to resort to pay phones which were absolutely disgusting. Ick!

 

[Triskelion]

Oh you went and did it. You went and got me started.

I'm a teacher. Now students not only leave those annoying ringers on, they actually take calls in class. I'm talking about adult business people here. Thing is, if I tried to do something about it I would be having the issue interrupt my class EVERY DAY. So I just let the wind blow and go through the motions.

But people who should know better - the friend who meets me for coffee and then takes a call from another friend, proceeding to have a prolonged conversation with them, while I sit patiently wishing I was alone so I could get some reading in.

Or the people in the gym locker room or the office, who leave their phones behind with ringers on full blast - always on the most insipid music, what happened to a low-key ring, do we have to use the polyphonic mp3 ringtone as a rule now? Does it have to be pop music? And the idiots who call them, let them ring ten times, as if they've got to run for it when it's either in their pocket or not. And after ten rings they leave three instant messages.

But please, please, please, stop using the phone in the public bathroom, and if you're playing a game on the can, for the love of Mike turn the sound effects off.

And stop texting when you're walking in a crowd! I run square into these jackholes and pretend I didn't notice.

There are signal blocking devices that mimick cell phones - but their legality is questionable.

But yes, I agree with the OP, cell phones have turned public society into a parade of obtuse jibbering egostrokers. And 99% of the conversations are not necessary.

I will never, never, never accept public cell conversations as socially normal. I will, however, probably start going mad and shouting into my own phone so the other idiots can't hear their own insipid conversations.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

My cell phone makes phone calls when I want it to. If I'm lost, stranded, helpless, or in trouble, and I have a fully charged phone with me, it can be of great use as an initial tool to help get me out of dire situations. Anything beyond that is merely superfluous.

 

[Neroon]

Ugh, I was sitting behind someone like that on the train yesterday, and the ride was 90 minutes. I can usually put up with it, but he was so loud and even the content of his conversation was rather obnoxious. I finally just got up and moved when I could.

This begs an interesting question. If you're in just such a situation, what would be the most advisable way to address it? Sure, you can move somewhere else on occasion, but what it it's on a train or in a restaurant? I've tried to give a gentle reminder to some folks that their conversation can be heard at quite a distance. Some people take it well and politely end the call or go somewhere else. Others just become indignant.

 

[ancientone51]

Use mine so little daughter thinks I should just forget it.

Students are the worst...how can some of mine who are on "reduced lunch fees" afford the phones they have?

It used to be that if you were influential and important you had several layers of "people" you had to get throught to be talked to. Now you have to be instantly accessible.

Many people today do not understand the need for down time or quiet time. They ar so busy IntERpersonal relating 24/7 they have forgotten the need for IntRApersonal communication. They have to have to be hooked up to either a cell phone or a music player.

As for books...don't get me started on my students lack of ability (for many, not all) to understand the joys of that source of entertainment.

 

[Naira]

I also hate it when I am out with someone (like in a coffee-shop) and while they talk to me they look at their cell-phone all the time playing some game or browsing. Or even better, they just play with their phone and don't even talk.

Also, some people use their hands-free while walking but they speak *very* loudly and they seem like those people talking loudly on the street because of some mental problem. I realize it's just a habit of speaking loudly but it is just weird...

 

[Maestro]

Two weeks ago I was at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. It is the world's largest convention for Band and/or Orchestra teachers, regardless of teaching level.

They always have a major US military band give a "keynote" performance. So I'm listening to the US Army Field Band, and I see people -- BAND DIRECTORS -- texting! What the hell?! If people did that during their school concerts, they'd be furious!

And it wasn't just during the Field Band's performance ... it was during all of the concerts offered. Penn High School out of Kishiwaki(something) Indiana is performing. A semi-important name in the profession comes in late sits down next to me during the second piece, and proceeds to send two text messages before he diddles about his menus to shut the phone off. What? (The he snorted his snot for the rest of the concert). Don't think I'm interested in studying at his university.

The Air Force Band of Flight gives a "new music reading clinic." It's not a concert. It's a clinic session with live musicians. I accept that the decorum is much looser. Even I sent a text during a different clinic session earlier in the day. However, the Band finishes a piece, the conductor gives a brief synopsis of the next piece, teaching points, what to listen for, etc., and this woman behind me pulls out her cell phone to take a call. Then, while they're playing the next piece, she keeps babbling!.

No wonder I drank so much that evening.

Christ All-fricken-mighty! Shut those fucking things off!

 

[LaxScrutiny]

Something that really got to me over Christmas, my neighbour gave me her number in the laundry room so we could get together for egg nog over the holidays at some point.

So she doesn't have a land line, just her cell phone.

I made a point of trying to call at reasonable times, but I always got her at times when she was out to dinner with friends, etc. I would have preferred to leave a message on her land line, like "Why don't you pop over on the 26th around 1pm?" but it wasn't possible. So I never know when to call, it's always awkward, and we never got together.

 

[MNM]

^^ Should have just sent her a text saying the time and date, problem solved!

 

[Searider Falcon]

Maestro, that's terrible! My band teacher would've practically had an aneurism over that!

It does remind me of the problems we had during my community theater's production of The Wizard of Oz, though. Those phones create make quite a mess with sound systems. Our director made an announcement every night we performed that phones had to be turned off. Not just on silent. Off. OFF, dammit. Of course, our director wanted to be cute with the request (jokes about the flying monkeys carrying away those who did and such), so people didn't take it very seriously. Unfortunately, the signal a cell phone receives for incoming and outgoing calls and texts even when on silent still can screw things up significantly.

Every single night, especially in the first Act, the mics went wonky and the music went in and out. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion had to do a LOT of compensating. I played Aunt Em; one night I ran on stage for the tornado scene just in time for the music to go out and ended up hollering mic-less for Dorothy to a completely silent auditorium.

The worst was during the Munchkinland scene, the one scene I think most directors don't want to have sound mishaps. Fifty small children running around, many participating in theater for the first time and don't necessarily know to keep going no matter what? Eek. Luckily, it went down right about the time the Mayor and the Barrister start going back and forth, and both were older kids who held the scene together beautifully and led our younger cast mates onward despite it all.

The director then had to make another, significantly less cutesy announcement at the end of every intermission, letting the audience know that they'd just witness the affects of the those muted phones and will would they please turn them off now? All the second acts had very few issues, strangely enough.

 

[Maestro]

I almost turned around and chewed the woman out.

I almost never carry my phone in public, and if I do (and I needed to at Midwest to coordinate with my roomies) it's on vibrate. In a concert, it's not going to mess with the sound, nor will anyone hear the vibrate. However, at a play or musical, if I have it with me, it gets shut off. When I saw Wicked prior to Thanksgiving, I was appalled at the 50+ set who had their phones on and texting during intermission. I would still be annoyed if the kids were doing it (and oddly enough the students I had with me weren't too bad), but middle aged folks who should know better?