Blogson Jeff of Au Fait is defending the honor of cell-phone users who yammer away in public:

As long as the volume level of their voice is reasonable, what's the beef? [...] If a close friend and I ride that same metro-rail, isn't it reasonable and expected that we will carry on a conversation while riding? With a cell phone, it should be even LESS bothersome, as you are only having to put up with one half of the talking.

That sounds reasonable on the face of it, but I'm having a hard time with this one. I don't like cell-phone talkers, but I'm not sure why.

I guess it's because I've always thought of phone conversations as private things that ought not be done in public. For example, if you're at your home entertaining guests, and you MUST take a call, you take the phone into a quiet area away from other people.

Public phone talkers just seem like public masturbators. They don't care who's around, they're just indulging their own pleasure because they can.

Frankly, I resent this verbal exhibitionism. My momma raised me to be polite. If I'm in an area where someone's having a conversation that I'm not involved in, I feel socially obligated to at least pretend I'm not listening in, no matter how audible their blah-blah-blah-ing. Public phoners impose on me by forcing me into applying my manners, all because they're too self-indulgent to either

A) Wait until later (like in the privacy of their car) to make that call,

OR

B) Find a quiet corner of the building, hang out there, do the talking & THEN re-join society, instead of standing in line next to me, jabbering away, and expecting me to pretend that I can't hear a single word they're shouting.

Finally, what about the person on the other end of the call? Do they have any idea how big an audience they're performing for? Would they continue to blather away without inhibition if they knew?

In short, people who use cell phones in crowded public areas for non-emergency purposes are self-absorbed twerps who desperately need a good whack on the nose with a rolled up Miss Manners newspaper column.

EPILOGUE: Yes, I know this is probably just me being a technophobic old coot who just hasn't adjusted to a new social norm and still owns a turntable so he can play his 78's. So if you can direct me to some etiquette guide wherein the norms of proper cell-phone usage are laid out, I will defer to its pronouncement.

UPDATE: Blogdaughter Teresa of Technicalities supports my contention that some people simply have no shame (or sense) when it comes to their public cell-phone conversations.

Posted by: Harvey at 08:45 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 I don't mind cell phone talkers, as long as they keep it quite. I hate those loud talkers, those people I will mimic, make fun of and listen into their conversation and comment on it. On the other hand, sometimes their are places that you can not take a personnel call in private. I am thinking of my small office that has 2 other occupants in it with me. We have personnel phone calls and you can not help but hear. We have no choice but to take them with others around, but we recognize it and don't make too much fun of the other when they hang up and do the kissy noise or say "love you".

Posted by: Machelle at February 01, 2005 07:18 AM (ZAyoW)

2 I'm with Machelle, I like to comment when those really loud talkers are standing next to me. If you really need to take a call, be discreet at least, but the loud ones, I like to pretend like they are talking to me. The other day, one really loud talker was standing next to me in the baby diaper aisle, trying to find a product, and getting angry at the person on the other end of her conversation. I took it upon myself to tell her, she was in the wrong aisle, the TAMPONS are over there! he he he

Posted by: Oddybobo at February 01, 2005 07:29 AM (6Gm0j)

3 Just last night a woman ordered popcorn and soda at the concessions while talking on her cell phone the entire time. Perhaps people think it's the new equivalent of being able to chew gum and walk at the same time?

Posted by: Susie at February 01, 2005 08:04 AM (MYr06)

4 I think it's basically rude. Anyone else besides me walk by a person on a headset and not realize that they've started a phone conversation? Instead you think she's smiling and talking to you! "Hey there fella! I missed you!" I'm thinking, "Um, sorry, I know you?" As soon as you get "Hi" out of your mouth, she starts talking again.... I agree, you gotta take a public phone call, take it to the side unless you're stuck in line. And if you have to stop to talk to someone else, tell the phone people you've got to halt the phone talk for just a sec. Common courtesy folks!

Posted by: TBFlowers at February 01, 2005 05:06 PM (2hMYS)

5 OK... you definitely win on one point, Harvey. When I'm on the phone, I generally have the expectation that the person on the other end is keeping *BOTH* halves of our conversation *reasonably* private. When the person on the other end is doing their public cell phone thing, they're showing a certain lack of respect for my desire for some privacy. And, I have to admit, I like big, older, solidly constructed public buildings, where people are forced out to the parking lot just to even have a hint of decent signal strength to the tower. My BIGGEST pet peeve with cell phones (this as an avid talk radio junkie) - people that call into talk shows with crappy reception and waste two minutes of my listening time with a buch of static until the show host finally has to dump their sorry ass.

Posted by: Jeff (Au fait) at February 06, 2005 01:47 AM (cM6rZ)

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