Cell Phone Use

I do not know what the rest of you think about this.... A couple of days ago, I was riding in the front seat, the driver also took two young ladies who rode in the back. One of the girls cell phone rang and she answered and kept talking, laughing, got loud and the whole nine yards. Meanwhile I was watching the facial expressions on the drive who got very annoyed, and rightfully so, specially that none of us had any idea what she is talking about or even what language whe was speaking.

When my cell phone rings when I am riding with someone I do the following:
- I look to see who is calling to see if it is even important enough to answer.
- If I answer, I talk in ENGLISH, even though I speak other languages fluently.
- If I answer, I am brief and tell the caller that I will call him or her back in a few minutes.

Common courtesy seems to be a fantasy now a days...

While I am very anti-cell phone in this situation, I have also been in situtations when the slug DRIVER was the one who was yukking it up on the phone the entire ride, making me feel that my personal safety was at risk. I personally cannot wait until it is against the law to use a cell phone while driving. I don't care what cell phone users claim -- these days I have all too often been in situations where I narrowly escaped a near-death situation while on the road, and when I glance at the driver of the other vehicle to figure out what cereal box they got their drivers license out of, 95% of the time I see that they have a cell phone firmly implanted to the side of their face. Worst of all, a majority of those incidents ended up with them simply speeding along, oblivious to the heinous accident that they almost caused because they're too engrossed in their conversation!

Forgive my rant, but it had to be said. And of course, a flurry of pro-cell phone sentiment is sure to come my way. Which will be followed by more anti-cell phone sentiment, and then the debate will begin anew.

Anyway, I also wanted to add that while I am a big believer in speaking the native language in ANY country, I also recognize that it is absurd to expect two people from the same native land to speak ENGLISH to one another, for in most cultures it would be an insult to do so. Therefore I think that the expectation for someone from another country to speak on their cell phone only in English is a bit much.

K.O.

Edited by - kortegel on 08 Aug 2002 07:42:15

Enough of the PC crap. Let's use the "Golden Rule". If a dude is snoring in the car I'm driving in, whether I'm the driver or not, it's an elbow to inform the dude/dudette that they're sawing logs and to save it until they get home. Nobody has to put up with that. That's what I would expect for people to do with me. I don't care if it embarassing or not to the individual. You give up some rights when you slug and one of them is not to be a Pain In The @$$ (P.I.T.A) to everybody else.

I agree with bags, it simply comes down to the "Golden Rule".

I read somewhere that we're especially annoyed with overhearing the conversations of cell-phonists, because we can't hear the OTHER SIDE of the conversation :) I can partially agree. I also agree with other posters who don't feel safe as their drivers yackity-yack for the duration of the ride. I've listened in on many a one-sided conversation, and have come to the conclusion that ALL of those calls received or placed, could have WAITED until the slugs were deposited at their destinations.

Just this morning, the phone of a slug sitting in the back seat chirped away. (I was the front seat slug.) She answered and began talking to a co-worker, who she'd obviously left a message with earlier to call her. She wanted the co-worker to run her off a form. The slug stated she hadn't been able to fill in the form the night before on her computer, because it kept locking up on her. And now, alas, she'd have to fill in the blanks on a typewriter. I ask you, could not the slug have simply gone in to work and run the form off herself?

I've also listened in on conversations ranging from plotting the demise of a co-worker, to emergency-type calls to a kid waiting at home for a ride to soccer practice -- Dad wouldn't be able to make it in time. Most calls can, and should, wait. I personally think it's particularly rude of a slug to take or place a call, under normal circumstance. However, I was once in a car after 9/11 on the way to work, and we were stuck in awful traffic approaching the Pentagon. A passenger asked the driver if he minded the passenger placing a call to his work to let them know where he was, and that he wouldn't be able to make a meeting. When the driver okay'd it, I too asked if I could do the same, and did so. I think we'd been sitting in traffic for about 1/2 by that time. That's the only time I've ever placed a call, and have always kept my phone turned off when riding in someone's car.

To be subjected to people blathering away about what he said-she said, hair, nails, clothes, shoes, and you'll-never-guess-what-happened is so annoying to me that I've envisioned myself snatching their phones away and chucking them out the window. I might just do that one day during a bout of extreme PMS (combined with a full moon, this could actually happen.) :)