Take Anything You Want from Me but Please Leave My Cell Phone!

I'm really not a curmudgeon. I truly don't oppose technology or want to return to rotary phones and teletype machines. But one can't help but notice that some of the by-products of technology take the form of suspending good taste and propriety. I'm not sure that I want to see some of that vanish into ether space as a necessary consequence of our remarkable technological developments.

The cell phone is the best example I can ponder. Kudos to states such as California that make it illegal to drive and talk on a cell phone without a hands-free device. Although I don't have the need to drive as much as I have in previous stages of my life, one can't help but notice the direct correlation between the frequency of weaving, tailgating and speeding to those on cell phones.

I conducted my own study of this recently, driving to and from work. During those two journeys, I observed four drivers who were grossly discourteous and hazardous to other drivers on the road. In all cases they were women with cell phones slammed into their ears, talking at a speed commensurate with that of their vehicles. By no means do I suggest that women are the only drivers who pose dangers on the road. Nor do I mean to indicate that people without cell phones never drive poorly. But the prevalence of this connection is obvious.

Beyond this phenomenon is the change in acceptable behavior in public places. It seems a twist on traditional courtesy that those attending worship services, no matter the locale, should have to be reminded to turn off their cell phones. We all have them but why is it not obvious that they should be mute or off in a sacred space?

You can see signs asking you to turn off or sedate your cell phone in all sorts of places where that protocol should not need to be mentioned. I've recently seen a sign at my doctor's office, requesting that patients not use cell phones while standing at the reception desk. Hmm. What happened to us that this is not a given? Similarly, you can see these at airports, certain service providers, hospitals and a variety of other locales. I don't know about you but I would just as soon keep my cell conversations to myself. To expose the rest of us to your business deals, lab reports, babysitter problems and dating anxieties is simply tacky.

Some of the other manifestations of our cell phone proliferation are more sublime. I've lost track of the number of situations where I had to wait in line for service behind someone who couldn't complete his or her transaction because of a lengthy cell phone call. I'm also aware of the many times that my own lunch or dinner conversation in a restaurant was inaudible due to a neighboring table's cell phone activities.

And if it would be a breach of good taste to operate a lap top while in someone's home, in a restaurant or at a social gathering, why is texting something that we do in another person's face? I had the misfortune of having to hear a phone conversation recently that was replete with obscenity. It seems to me that we wouldn't use such language in conventional conversations but I am disappointed that it's acceptable on a cell.

You'll hear the disclaimers - sorry, this is an important call, I have to get back to this person or I hope you don't mind. It bothers me that we've suspended our manners and our basic common sense. It used to be that we would never think of making our private affairs public, making others wait for us to do what they do for us or postponing activities that constitute business while in social situations. So many of these situations are unique to cell phones and were never issues in our previous lives.

No, I don't want to sacrifice the convenience of calling while on vacation without a card, being able to view emails from wherever at any time. But I do mourn some of the habits of pre-cell phone days. Places of worship were quiet during worship. Private communications were subdued and intimate. And our younger users were busier with puzzles and books than texting thousands of messages in non-English. I may have become an anachronism but I'm happier there, thank you.