What if……………..

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Was getting gas and the person on the other side was on her phone ‘Swearing’ up a storm about WHAT her son was doing with THAT girl! And how Dare he talk back to her like THAT, SHE is his mother! And when she gets home HE will NOT be very happy with what she has planned! Ends with “You are 14 years old and I said Stay THERE until I get home!" Swears again and hangs up.

 

 

DID I need to hear all that?.............................. NO!

 

 

Then I got thinking about that call when we went to Aldies(groceries) next and 3 different people were shopping ALL on cell phones talking so load you could hear them 2 aisles over! One was complaining about paying a bill that was WAY overdue? One had a friend on the other end as she told her all about her ‘woman’ trouble she was having. DID I NEED to know THAT! Or even hear about it?......... NO!

 

Then we went over to the park for a bit too just sit and watch the birds – But there was this girls STREAMING into her phone about so boy that did her wrong and IF he finds out that She KNOWS what he did, well he was going to regret it! I bet if he was ANYWHERE in a ½ mile radius he heard her?

 

DID I want to sit and listen to all that instead of a quite sit with Lori……..NO!

 

AND I don’t even want to start on all the people driving while on the phone! And it is illegal in New York State!!!!!

 

 

BUT THE BEST one was when we were at camp and there is the main road that goes around the pond that everyone walks around to get to main house or visit or just walk. Well one day here comes two girls (10 – 12 maybe) and they both have cell phones and are talking and laughing away (load) as they walk along. AS they past our site I look to Lori and she rolls her eyes with the “Kids’ look. Then as they are right in front of us and walk together I realize THAY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER!

 

Oh, give me a break!

 

 

So what if………………………………

 

 

[indy gal preps]

I have turned around so many times when in stores thinking someone is talking to me and they are just on their cell phones.Don't they know anyone can hear them? I wish stores would require them to be turned off when you are shopping.I don't have one and don't want one.If people can't call me at home when I'm there then they don't need to talk to me.Cell phones would be good to carry if you have an emergincey,but only then.There is still a contraversy about them causing cancer so why take the risk?

[Virginia]

We wouldn't miss ours, since we rarely turn it on.

 

I am also sick of such public use, and can't figure out why they TALK so LOUD.

 

Have your noticed that they also "love you" everybody they talk to?

[AMarthaByHeart]

Yes, this does cause problems. What about going out to eat with someone and they talk on the phone more than with you. Or other people talking on their cell phone constantly even though they are with other people.

 

What about call waiting? It really irritates me to call someone, they get beeped, they say just a minute and talk to someone else for a few minutes (especially long distance). Now I hang up. I have call waiting (only because DH can't get caller ID without getting call waiting and unlimited long distance) but always say, when that person says "Do you need to get that?", I say no I will call them back. If it is really important, I hang up with that person (which is not very often) before I call the other person back.

 

As for cell phones, most kids now a days had rather text. My grandkids don't answer their phones, but I can text them and they answer right away. My kids don't have land lines now. They answer cell phones only when they want to, BUT if we don't answer the phone when they call it bothers them. Go figure. I tell them I raised them better than that. They do eventually call us back. We don't call but about once a week, usually on Saturdays.

 

Oh well, Michael you opened a can of worms. What did we do before the days of 'being connected'?

[mommato3boys]

I hate cell phones. I have one but hate it and don't like using it. The boys know that if they are out in public with me they better have those things on silent and if we are eating out they had best not take them out of their pocket especially if I am paying for the meal. One didn't believe me, he texted all during dinner then when it came time to pay I handed the check back to the waitress and said his meal needs to be on a separate ticket. He was livid but learned his lesson.

[Jeepers]

I got my cell phone to use if I have an emergency while in the car. Living alone and taking quite a few day trips, I really don't feel safe without it in the car especially if I'm going out of the county. Every once in a while my son will call me on it if I'm out and he 'needs' to know where I am.

 

I've had one over 8 years and there is still only two people who have the number.

 

I can't stand to hear people talking on their phone. They talk so loud. It really burns me up when I'm in a line and they are right behind me talking like they are the only one in the room. I always give them 'the look' and they never get it! They just look back and keep on talking.

 

I was in the library yesterday and a man was sitting there talking on the phone in his regular voice. You are supposed to turn them off when you go in. Maybe it's the places I go but I see/hear more obnoxious adults than teens.

[Ambergris]

I used to carry a really loud recording of a flushing toilet. I played it four times one day. I need to get new batteries for that player.

[lau3turtle]

I think there are certain places where talking on cell phones is not appropriate, such as a theater or library, but having a conversation at all/in a normal voice is inappropriate in those settings anyways. Of course, that doesn't stop some people from doing so with physically present human companions.

I don't find it irritating when people talk on the phone at the store or another public place, unless they are ignoring the cashier or someone who is helping them in person. People tend to talk to physical companions while shopping, it doesn't make a difference to me if they are talking into a phone instead. People being excessively loud can be irritating, but they certainly don't seem to require a cell phone to achieve that.

People also don't need a cell phone to air their dirty laundry in public.

I don't see why people saying "love you" to someone on the phone is necessarily something to complain about.

If a friend or date spends nearly the entire time we are together tending to their phone, I wont make a point of making time for them anytime soon. But someone answering a few messages once in a while doesn't bother me, especially if we are spending hours together.

Leaving someone on hold for call waiting is inconsiderate, especially if it's done excessively. This hasn't happened to me in a long time, but when it was more common I would ask the person receiving another call to please call me back rather than put me on hold.

 

I find it somewhat puzzling that these behaviors are so irritating just because a phone is involved. If all the cell phones broke at once there would be an unfortunate economic impact, and a social adjustment. Plenty of people would still be loud, rude, distracted and immodest. They'd probably just bring someone along to the store, etc to be loud with them. The loss of cell phones wont magically make rude people gain manners.

 

(Btw, I'm not one of THOSE people... I'm not wild about talking on my phone at all, I prefer texting. Most people I communicate with are comfortable doing the same and I do my best to accommodate those who can't handle the technology. I rarely encounter people talking on their phones in public anymore, especially people under 40, as most kids, teens, 20's and 30's seem to text, from what I've observed.)

[themartianchick]

If the cell phones went down, I would cry!

 

We no longer have a landline at home. Instead, we each have cells. With 3 to 4 adults in the house all going in separate directions, a cell phone is the only way for us to stay connected. We are far more likely to text than to actually call each other. I only carry on full-fledged conversations with a few folks. Our cell phones have saved us from many unfortunate & difficult situations and have helped me to coordinate at-home activities when on business trips. Most of that was done through text messages, though. I rarely answer my phone in public. If the kids call or if my parent's call, I will usually go ahead and answer. If the kids are calling and I don't feel free to answer, then I will respond with a text. The phone is usually set on vibrate/silent. I used to work in a call center and cannot stand the sound of a ringing phone. It's kind of funny... The call center phones beeped in a headset and didn't actually ring but they still turned me against the ringing sound.

 

I have seen a lot of rude people on cell phones and I have to agree that most seem to be grown folks who really should know better. I find that people who seem to have an inflated sense of their own worth are particularly rude when in the proximity of a cell phone. When a call comes in, they seem to feel that they are sooo important that the call must be taken immediately. My experience is that the people who are truly important know how to delegate authority to others and work gets accomplished whether they are available by cell phone or not.