Indianapolis, IN

Tue 25 September 2007

So, I’m thinking about cell phone etiquette. I can’t live without my cell phone. I have my life in it. But there are some things that irritate me about how people treat their phones and their usage. Today, I was waiting in line at Starbucks, and there was a woman in front of me talking on her cell phone. She wasn’t talking very loudly, but she barely stopped talking long enough to even order. I think it’s rude to the cashiers. Then she was still on the phone after I had ordered and was fixing my drink. How antisocial are we becoming that we can’t even stop talking on our cell phones long enough to order a drink or pay for our groceries? Whenever someone calls me, I always tell them, “Can I call you back in 2 minutes? I’m getting ready to pay.” Last week, I was at Wal-Mart and there was a woman who was talking really loud on her phone, so that everyone could hear her conversation. I really don’t care. And what’s worse is that she was having an argument with whoever was on the other end. Why can’t you take it outside? Why couldn’t she just say, “You know what? I’m not having this conversation right now.” There was a time that we kept our dirty laundry at home, but nowadays, it’s aired out for everyone to see, and they feel like it’s their right to. And another thing about cell phones that irritate me is 1) when people have annoying ring tones, and 2) they let their phones ring when they don’t want to talk to whoever is calling. I don’t mind when people have songs for their ring tones (I have “Daydreaming” by Lupe Fiasco/Jill Scott), but the ones where there are weird sounds and stuff are dumb. Over the summer, I was waiting in line at the gas station, and this woman was behind me who had one of these “weird sounds” ring tones, and she obviously didn’t want to talk to them, so she just let it ring. Well, they just kept calling, so I had to listen to this for 5-10 minutes. Why can’t you just either put your phone on silent or answer it and say, “I don’t want to talk right now.” It just irritates me. And I don’t trust the camera phone thing. I love my camera phone and love to take pictures of my daughter to send to my mom. But there is a paranoia that comes with them in the fact that I don’t trust other people with them. (I still think that my husband and I are probably on some anti-interracial couple website, stemming from an incident in Chicago two years ago.) Cell phones are a good thing, but with them come a responsibility and a consideration for other people that it seems that most people don’t get. So, the next time you use your phone in public, remember this: 1) change your ring tone to something less irritating, 2) not everyone wants to listen in on your conversations, 3) don’t have arguments, 4) be careful what you’re taking pictures of.

: cell phone etiquette, cell phones, camera phones, cameras in public