Hell Phones

I hate cell phones.  Or rather, I hate other people's cell phones.  It's not just the annoyance of being in on the conversation between Aunt Sally and Cousin Clem regarding Uncle Larry's goiter because I'm stuck behind them in the check-out line at the grocery store.

No, what I hate is thinking that I'm enjoying a personal conversation with someone when suddenly, that person's phone starts buzzing and he or she jumps to answer it.  Or I realize that the person is not paying attention to the conversation at all, he or she is just staring at me, hands below the table.  Then it occurs to me that that faint tippy-tapping sound is the texting that's going on beneath the veil of the tablecloth.

What I hate most however, is the instant communication that cell phones afford, particularly through texting, and especially by young people.  We all tend to be less circumspect and more emotional when we are young.  I, and the rest of my generation, was kept from spewing our emotions all over the landscape by a very powerful filter:  time.  We didn't have the means to instantly say whatever came into our heads, something that is much easier to do when the head that receives the message is faceless.  It's not quite as easy to tell little Cathy that she has cooties in person; or if you have to ask for little Cathy because her mother picked up the only phone in Cathy's house.  After all, when you see her, perhaps see her lip quiver when she hears your hurtful message, you might just start to relate to Cathy as a fellow human being.  With feelings.

Try getting married and saying whatever comes to mind right at any given moment to your spouse.  You'll soon be trying divorce, that is if you're still living.

Cell phones have become weapons.  Youngsters use them to wound each other with regularity.  Cell phones have become shields because youngsters use them to remain faceless or at least safely removed from peers and parents alike.

Kids, take heed:  Someone texted you that someone heard someone talking on his cell about what he heard being said about you in the cafeteria by the kid behind him who was talking on his cell phone?  You should not only think before you talk, you should think before you listen.  If you did, you might not need a text package at all.

Comments

[Nick]

I was thinking the other day how different things were before cell phones. You could actually feel on your own when you couldn't communicate immediately with others. There is a sense of independence when you know you would have to approach a "pay phone" or even better a "phone booth". And I don't mean the Dr. Who phone booth. They were usually dirty, trashed and just not somewhere you would normally want to go. There was also a pretty good chance the phone didn't work. But, I agree with you Austin. There's nothing more rude and inconsiderate than someone you're talking with taking a call. Oh, for the old days.