The downside of being ‘always connected’ is that many people have forgotten how to think. People appear to lose what little intelligence they have the minute they have a cell phone on their ear. I see it every day. At the shopping centers, at the grocery – heck, even in the local movie theater (witness the annoying shmuck who has to, every 10 minutes, flip out his cell phone in the darkness of the theater and SMS someone for the entire duration of an evening show.)
As a cyclist, I have had more than a few close shaves with people yammering on their cell phones instead of paying attention to what’s in front of them.
The mobile phone is now the social crutch. Bored? Fiddle with your cell phone. Want attention? Pick up your cell phone and talk loudly. Cell phones are the 21st century equivalent of cigarettes. And now there’s talk of lifting the ban on using your cell phone while in-flight (a ‘toon idea if there ever was one). Imagine spending a cross-country flight next to some bozo babbling on her phone throughout.
No thanks.
I had to get this off my chest. No doubt, I’m sure each of you have your own tales of cell phone madness to share. Feel free to spill your guts in the comments below.
-Krishna
Recently I got a cell phone where I can talk using my headphones. I was pretty happy with this feature and would use it to talk to my wife on the phone while I walked home from work. Then I started noticing everyone looking at me funny. Apparently I was talking really loudly like someone who is listening to music (which is what it looks like I’m doing) yet to their eyes I was talking to nobody.
I use the headphones that much anymore unless I’m listening to music on the way home and the wife calls. Then I try to talk as quite as possible :blush:
What about when you are minding your own business talking to someone on the phone and someone you know walks up to you and starts talking to you like nothing is going on!
For two years, it happen in Strasbourg/France, there was a young man killed with a knife in the tramway , because he was talking to loud… you can find an article about it in the DNA.
And of course, if I phone in public, I do this very silent and if my speak-partner does not understand, he has to call me another time.
My telephone call are MY PRIVATE thing!