My new pet hate in the city

[BegintheBeguine]

People don't care that they can't improve upon the silence

I have a cellular telephone for several reasons:
1. I am a girl alone. It's safer when driving, walking, waking up in the middle of the night and the bad guy is in the other room.
2. Have you tried to find a pay phone? One that works? One that is not in the path of a gale force wind? No one can call me back on a pay phone anymore, either, the drug dealers have seen to that.
3. My hubby is in the Army, stationed in a different state. I want to be able to talk to him when he gets a chance to call me.
4. I am weird: I actually want my friends and family to be able to call me without me sitting by the home phone!
Of course I don't use it rudely, though, nor while driving. There are even people who carry on conversations rudely in person, ususally right outside my bedroom window while I am trying to sleep, or near my desk while I'm trying to work.

 

[LizzieMaine]

i KNEW we'd get on Baron... i don't have one either.

Nor do I. (I don't even have a touch-tone phone, let alone a cell.) I just don't like them and never have -- I look down from the projection booth and see those little blue screens flickering in the balcony, and I wonder what kind of "progress" it is when people can't even sit still and watch a movie for two hours without feeling like they have to be calling/messaging someone.

 

[BellyTank]

when BK gets back to the UK we should form a vintage dissident group (of three).

Well, I have never had one... until last Friday... still haven't used it...

Having a baby and me and my Lady both working- it's kind of a necessity now.
But cell phone culture is no friend of mine either.


B
T

 

[Lady Day]

I have no desire to hear other peoples' gimicky ring tones or conversations that are just as obnoxious. And I won't even get into talking while driving. My blood pressure is already starting to rise just thinking about it. :rage:

That is why I wear my iPod everywhere I walk or take the bus. Lesser of two evils, but at least Im choosing the noise I feed into my head

LD

 

[Willi_Goat]

Benny, Koop, I had the same thing happen whilst using the facilities. Guy came in and went to a urinal. I can not remember if he answered the phone or came in talking, but, a guy a few stalls down had a gaseous emination that echoed throughout the room. It sounded like some sort of business call and I almost fell over trying to keep from laughing.

I have had a field phone for several years and for two years it was the only telephone I had until last month. We now have a home phone so the other one gets little use. If driving and I do not have a hands free I will not answer it or park to use it, if practical.

I decided to get one when I was driving a stake body truck to Charleston AFB and we blew a heater hose. The guy with me had one and we saved hiking to the next exit to call back to the motor pool. Now we have phones we can sign out if necessary.

I have agree that most people are at minimum a nuisance on thier phones. Most speak like they are trying to be heard over and aircraft engine. After hearing a report on NPR about why most people are like, no built in reverb like on a land line, that I try to check myself on that.

 

[Twitch]

I love escapism probably more than most but with all the "devices" at hand we're becoming a society of rude, autistic ghosts. Rude because we're not actively parcipating in life and culture in the present going about ignoring everything. Autistic because we are lulled into such a catatonic state that no one can get through to us as we live in another auditory world in another place or time. Ghosts because those of us who do this are there but not there, visible but unable to communicate with the here and now.

 

[Viola]

I have no desire to hear other peoples' gimicky ring tones or conversations that are just as obnoxious.

I don't mind a ring in most settings; i.e. outside or at the mall. But, for instance in a class or seminar, TURN THAT TO SILENT!

And if you can't, at least choose a clean song, okay? No one in class, least of all a professor, wants to hear the lyrics to "What's Yo Fantasy" by Ludacris.

The professor is old; a good booming "I wanna lick lick you from yo head to yo toes -!" as you race out of the classroom clutching it will distract/confuse/offend him and make him lose his train of thought.

 

[John in Covina]

Park Place

Cell phone zombies!

In the "City" I detest the parking situation, hunt and hunt or pay thru the nose to park. Here I have already made a commitment to buy from the store(s) I am visiting and I have to pay for the privilage of being there.

 

[Phaedra]

Ha Benny I love it....I had a similar thing happen in LA airport. This Clyde's phone rang while he was in the cubicle and I heard him say to the guy that he was in the Bar waiting for his flight. I couldn't help myself, I walked into both cubicles either side and flushed the toilets....man did he look like a liar.

That's funny! But if he had been a fast thinker, he could have said 'pardon the noise, that was a jet taking off.'

 

[Benny Holiday]

I love escapism probably more than most but with all the "devices" at hand we're becoming a society of rude, autistic ghosts. Rude because we're not actively parcipating in life and culture in the present going about ignoring everything. Autistic because we are lulled into such a catatonic state that no one can get through to us as we live in another auditory world in another place or time. Ghosts because those of us who do this are there but not there, visible but unable to communicate with the here and now.

Very well put Twitch! :eusa_clap

Willi, that's a hoot! Once, people considered that there was a time and place for everything. Doesn't the word 'appropriate' appear in our dictionaries any more?

 

[RadioHead]

"Needs must" as they say in the UK.

Hiho everyone:

I too resisted getting a cell phone until about 4 years ago. My brother was in a horrific car crash and spent some time in intensive care. In the first couple of days I had to be in almost constant communication with the hospital, the police, my wife and work.

I really had no choice about getting a cell phone. Well, it has come in very handy since then; I've called 911 several times when I've seen something warranting such a call, have used it to find out exactly where my bus was while standing in the rain at 6:30am (it had broken down...), and a few other things.

The big thing with me is that only a very few people have my number (brother, sister, wife, work), and when I don't want calls, I turn it off. I almost always carry it, but don't always have it turned on.

For me, it's not so much a leash as a lifeline. There when I need it.

"RadioHead"

 

[canarsie]

And at the check out counter making the cashier and the people behind you wait while you finish your call! At least some stores have signs asking that you not use a cell when you're checking out.

 

[Twitch]

BTW- if you dial 911 on your cell you'll get the highway patrol in most areas. They encourage you to drop a dime on dangerous or drunk drivers too.

 

[koopkooper]

OK,I've got another one......

Here's an oldie but a goodie, I'm on my way to work today and I'm waiting for a coffee at a busy coffee shop in Pyrmont in Sydney.....here's this guy in front of me getting served when his phone rings and instead of moving off to the side to take the call he keeps on talkin, unbelievable, we've all got places to go, all in a rush in the big ol city and this inconsiderate son of a motherless goat has to take his damn call while we all wait. It seems to me that people become oblivious to the rest of the world. I would love to write and direct a skit which would be a running gag using this principle.
For example a guy is walking through a war zone talking on his mobile phone, walking through a minefield, walking in the middle of a racetrack.....and in all of them he just keeps focused on his phone, grinning and laughing, wildly gesturing from time to time.

 

[John in Covina]

Don't forget he has to talking really loud so it also annoys everyone.

Other people lined up to get on Noah's ark held up by the guy taking the cell phone call. Sorry the door's closed.

A young man proposing at a nice restaurant, interupted by loud cell phone guy talking loud taking call.

I was in church during a special meeting about our new hymnal, some guy looked like a contractor has his really loud ring tone go off and starts talking like he's half deaf during the presentation.
I really was hoping to see him get hit by lightning or something.

 

[Dinerman]

wait- hold up- I can't post right now, my cell's ringing
brb

 

[koopkooper]

or how about this.....a guy has just died (probably from being hit by a car whilst walking across the street talking on his cell) is about to be judged by the big guy when his phone rings (ringtone-stairway to heaven) and interupts God as he is decieding where he goes..up or down!

 

[Lady Day]

Very well put Twitch! :eusa_clap

Willi, that's a hoot! Once, people considered that there was a time and place for everything. Doesn't the word 'appropriate' appear in our dictionaries any more?

Appropriate...I miss that.

LD

 

[Mojito]

Driving while talking on a phone is something that makes you want to swat the speaker over the ears. We had just come up out of an underground carpark and were checking traffic before turning into the street, when a young woman hooned down the road and - without slowing down a notch - swung her car into the carpark entrance, narrowly missing us. Her control wasn't fantastic, you see, because not only did she not slow to make the turn...she only had one hand on the wheel. The other was holding a phone up to her ear so she could chat away.

I carry a phone for safety reasons - since I was grabbed on a run, I have now have small harness that fits over my shoulders and can hold both a mobile and a panic button.

 

[koopkooper]

Yeah those people driving with one hand is really annoying, a few weeks ago I am cruising in the 57 Chrysler Royal to see my good buddy Benny play in his band when some chick in a 4WD almost took out my left fender as she drifted onto my side of road on the m5 tunnel. I hit the anchors just in time, then sped up next to her,she had her window down, I got right next to her, yelled at her to get off the phone then gave the Chrysler's mighty loud American horn a nice burst which possibly almost gave her a heart attack as it's so loud and we were in a tunnel. Don't think she will do that again!