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There I was,
On the 8:20ayem commuter train out of Danbury,
Seated next to a guy with a cell phone glued to his ear.
I knew I was trapped again,
By what new technology has wrought: captive eavesdropping,
listening to one end of a conversation from which
there seems to be no immediate escape.
I thought, do I really need to be subjected to second-hand
chatter? After all, I have little or no interest in the activities of
people
I don’t even know.
This time it was a long-winded discussion over a theater party for
that night. Balcony or orchestra? Who’s invited. Who’s driving
Where to eat afterwards.
More than ever, the cell phone is a key social tool. In a wireless
culture
where daily lives and schedules are played off in keypads, Where many
won’t leave home without it.
From the beginning, the cell phone justified itself as a life saver in
getting
emergency help.
Or making a sudden change of plans. A necessity to make life easier
and more secure.
Let me add, more infuriating.
.
Bad mannered users can strike anywhere,
In poll after poll, two out of three Americans place phone rudeness
near the top of the list of public annoyances. Etiquette has taken
another hit.
A Sagat survey calls it far and away the number #1 gripe among diners
The worst offenders are self-absorbed, oblivious to their
surroundings, caught up
in their own cellular world. They talk non-stop, not knowing when to
shut up.
In crowded restaurants, stores, on board trains and buses, waiting
rooms, check out lines.
Even rest rooms. No way do they ever try to “keep it short.”
Check these out. A woman in California phoning during a funeral.
Another while taking communion, A third in a doctor’s office during a
gynecology exam.
It all began back in the 1980’s.
First, pagers. Then the prototype cell phone, a bulky five-pound,
battery operated,
wireless wonder. Technology was on a roll. Manufacturers ran a
four-minute mile
trying to keep ahead of the competition.
Restyling and innovative ideas came along regularly, but never fast
enough for
the public.
Today’s single lightweight device has all sorts of innovative
features.
Taking pictures, Text messaging. Using a calculator. (see “D” for
distraction,.
“D” for driver).
Would you believe one model comes with a breathalyzer?
More than 203 million Americans now own cell phones. Including fifty
per cent
of our children. An estimated ten million cells in New York city
average
seven hours of “anywhere, anytime ”minutes every month.
Public debate swirls over the question where the behavior line should
be drawn,
if it can be drawn at all. Many believe cell phones are a public issue
and should be
legally restricted in most public areas. Others are doubtful,
contending
you’ll never get anything written into law. Still, they once laughed
at the idea
of ever coming down hard on smoking.
Meantime, ring tones are ringing everywhere.
Some psychologists believe that cell phones can dull a person’s skills
in dealing
with face-to-face situations. That we could be paying a price, not yet
realizing
long-term health implications.
Recently, a team of microbiologists warned that constant handling of a
cell phone,
combined with the internal heat it generates leaves the instrument
crawling with germs.
The researchers conclude that it probably contains more bacteria than
the soles of your shoes.
Or as the New York Post delicately put it, “more than your toilet
seat.”
Is this rock bottom, or what?
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Gene Farinet, an award winning veteran newsman, spent much of his long
career at NBC News as a writer and producer working with Frank McGee,
Ed Newman, John Chancellor and Tom Brokaw, covering space, politics
and special projects everywhere in the world.
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“
I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.”