People Have the most personal conversations on their cell phones.

[leftyladyfrommo]

I find that so hard to fathom. Having a very personal call right in the middle of 15 people using the computer at the library.

Do they just not even care that everyone is listening - you kind of have to listen because they are sitting right on top of you.

Sometimes I really, really hate cell phones. They are just so invasive. But I carry one for work.

And I have to admit that sometimes I just turn it off because I just don't like being connected all of the time.

[notadmblnd]

1. I know what you mean.

I tell people it is a tool, not my leash.

[Warpy]

2. The worst thing I ever had to carry was a voice pager

in the hospital, and only when I was on the code team. I can't imagine being tied to a damn cell phone.

I do know what you mean about those conversations in public places. They're always at top volume as people yell into the phones and sometimes the subjects are hilarious.

Most of the time it's just unbearably banal.

If any good comes out of the present economic meltdown, I hope it's a decrease in people yelling into cellphones instead of dealing with the world and people around them.

[leftyladyfrommo]

5. And how do people afford all of this communication stuff?

I just have a cell phone and a land line and its about $70 a month - maybe a little more. I don't have a computer at home or cable.

This stuff really costs a lot.

[Fumesucker]

17. No land line, no cable TV/satellite..

All we have is a cell each and DSL, we watch TV on the computer now, most of the shows my wife likes are available online. We have a digital converter box for our old TV to watch local channels, total cost was under $20 with the govt coupon.

Just dropping the satellite saved us over $60 a month.

We get "free" long distance on our cellphones, I never use it but my wife talks with her family quite a bit.

Since I make most of my living online the DSL is more than just a convenience, that we can get all our entertainment that way is just a major plus.

[NeedleCast]

32. Ditched the land line years ago

One less expense. But really, between my cell phone bill, high speed cable internet and TV, I still only pay about 120 bucks a month.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

3. Don't most libraries have policies about cell phone use?

Particularly at the computer stations.

My favorites are those who talk on cell phones WHILE IN THE STALL or while munching on lunch/dinner when dining out. I don't mind it so much if I'm at a sub shop/deli/etc., but if I'm dropping a hefty chunk of change on a meal, I don't want to have to listen to some yahoo yapping on his/her cell phone.

[leftyladyfrommo]

7. I think if someone was really disruptive the library would ask them

to take the conversation somewhere else. Mostly they just ignore it where I am.

[justabob]

11. re restaurants

I knew a waiter who once had a table whose occupant was on the phone from the moment he sat down. The waiter kept going by to get the guy's order and was shooed away. Finally my waiter friend wrote his own number on a ticket, gave it to the customer and said, "call me when you are ready to order". LOL

[Lerkfish]

4. its a trade off

yes, you lose some privacy, but you also gain convenience.
I remember when there were no cell phones and trying to hunt down a working telephone booth when you needed to call the wife was inconvenient and sometimes impossible.

and, when I had a car accident and broke my collarbone, I was able to call my wife, otherwise, she would have had no clue what happened since the paramedics took my phone right after that and would not have called her until I made it to the hospital, which took a couple of hours.

[waiting for hope]

26. I know what you mean -

we have two kids, one in Elementary school and the other in Day Care. My husband works in the field on Construction jobs and I am not always at my desk. I have gotten a few calls over the years from school and Day Care and it was by cell. I would hate to think if one of my children had gotten hurt of fallen ill and neither one of us couldn't respond quickly.

[CoffeeCat]

6. I used to work for a high-tech company...

...in PR--and I had to be available 24/7. I had two cell phones, a Blackberry and
a laptop at home.

Then, I took my maternity leave, and oops...I didn't return to work!

I've stayed at home with my kids for 8 years, and I think I'm the only person I know
who does not have a cell phone.

I feel so uncool.

My husband bought me a cell phone several months ago, and I was kinda playing with it and I said, "Ok,
how do I turn this thing on?" and my husband said, "OH my God, a few years ago, you were pitching
virtual prototyping software to Ford and GM, and now you can't even turn on a cell phone???!!"

I never even used the phone so we got rid of it.

I speak Elmo now...I ain't got time for technology.

I kinda like it like this. I guess that makes me pretty unhip. Oh well.

[MineralMan]

12. I carry a cell phone, but it's off unless I want to make a call.

I don't even know its phone number, so nobody else does, either. But, I go fishing a lot and want something I can use to call for help if needed.

As for personal conversations by others, what I do is to participate in them. I pretend the cell phone person standing in the checkout line at the supermarket is talking to me, so I just talk to them. It can be really amusing. Here's one that happened in such a line a few weeks ago:

Woman on cell phone: Jeez! You would not believe how drunk I was at Billy's party!
Me: I can just imagine. Was that on Saturday?
Woman: Wait...some guy's talking to me in line.
Me: Is that a guy on the phone? Was he drunk too?
Woman: Do you mind?
Me: Not at all. You're free to talk to any guy you want?
Woman: Susan, you would not believe what's going on here.
Me: Oh, my name's George, not Susan. I mean...really...
Woman: Fuck off, asshole!
Me: Wow, that's not very nice to say to that guy on the phone.
Woman: (says nothing...moves cart to another line.)

[rrneck]

15. Hahahahah! Who's on first?

[Catherine Vincent]

37. LOL!

[Blaze Diem]

14. lol...I speak Backyardigan these days, I do have a cell phone, but could exist without it.

Two yrs ago I traded the 8-6 multi-task lifestyle for caring for my granddaughter while her parents go to work.
This all works very well for me & though I miss some of what my career offered, I feel I got the better end of the deal after all.

Not so bad to just step off the hamster wheel.

[leftyladyfrommo]

8. I cannot imagine having to be available all of the time.

I am such a loner by nature I would just hate that. And I think it would make me a nervous wreck.

[dmallind]

13. Well it IS possible to leave a cell phone at home

or turn it off, or silence a ring.

I use a cell phone for MY convenience, not the convenience of those who want to call me. So while I CAN answer it anywhere or take it anywhere unlike a land line, it doesn't mean I DO.

[rrneck]

19. Agreed. But I need it for work. One thing that helps a lot

are the designated ring tones so I already know who is calling, and of course voice mail. That is some consolation.

The device itself seems to become the focus of resentment (at least for me and I suspect for others as the issue seems to crop up with fair regularity) as a part of the demands for attention from modern society. Connectedness is wonderful and convenient but frequently at the cost of privacy and quiet contemplation. I know, a walk in the woods is best, but a few moments of peace from a world filled with bells and whistles designed to demand one's attention, even in a busy restaurant, can be a welcome relief from a day in the mix master.

[rrneck]

9. I wonder how long before

the constant demands for attention from institutions and people become torture under the Geneva Conventions? Seems like everywhere you go someone is jumping up and down yelling "lookame lookame!"

In a library no less. I almost never redirect strangers obnoxious behavior but in that case it would have been perfectly appropriate for even me to tell that idiot to kindly shut the good god almighty fuck up.

Time was you could just leave the house and not be able to hear the phone ring. But now the goddamn thing is in your pocket, and everybody on the planet with an index finger seems to know it.

[Sal Minella]

36. As somebody said decades ago, The problem with portable TV is, you can take it with you.

[dmallind]

10. One thing I've never understood

is why people object to cell phones more than in person conversations.


They SAY it's because cell phones are annoying and intrusive (and of course they certainly can be - but no more than in person conversations in the same scenarios would be), but why is hearing a person talking into a phone more intrusive and annoying in and of itself than two people talking? I suspect some of the angst comes from the fact that listeners - involuntary or voluntary - can only hear one part of the conversation, and subconsciously resent this more than they would hearing both sides.

Yes SOME people speak louder into phones than in real life, but you don't need to and in fact quite the opposite is also possible as much of the phone mic pickup is not from the mouth but from the internal speech organs (hence why bluetooth headsets several inches from the mouth work just fine).

And yes specific examples like the OP suggest s are invasive anyway (but of course so would an analogous personal conversation on the spot be the same).

BUt in a situation where conversations are normal - in a line or at a reastaurant - there is only one reason I can think of where a normal cell phone conversation would be more annoying thatn the same conversation between the calling parties right there in person - and it's the unfulfilled curiosity of teh listener.

General musing only - not directed at OP.

[Fumesucker]

18. I think you are at least partially correct.. n/t

[Erin Elizabeth]

33. I've never understood that either.

I mean, it's a person talking. People talk all the time. I was in a coffee shop with a friend and a woman was in line behind us talking on her cell phone. She wasn't talking very loudly at all, in fact, until my friend pointed it out, I didn't even know she WAS talking. But my friend was all upset and bitched in a whisper to me about people who think they're so important they have to be on the cell phone all the time.

I honestly didn't get it. A) How in the world could she know this woman was on her cell phone ALL the time? B) What difference did it make if she were quietly speaking into her phone or quietly speaking to the person standing next to her?

It sounded more like jealousy, but that would be weird, too, since my friend has a cellphone and uses it frequently. WTF?

Now the bluetooth things freaked me out for a while, because I am one of those idiots who answered people back as though they were talking to me. They were looking in my direction and saying something and that's generally the social cues for someone talking to you! (Grocery store) But I'm used to it now.

[juno jones]

35. Sounds weird but

A)The volume does tend to go up.

B) The conversations tend to be incredibly banal (and certainly not conversations that can be justified in situations such as driving or sitting down to a multi-course meal in a real restaurant. Or a library). Usually it's gossip or 'mom' talk, ie: "If he does that Billy, tell him I'm gonna come home and kick his ass. He ain't gonna get chicken and soda pop if he keeps this up." Moms yell at their kids. But busses and shopping queues are really not the place.
b) banal subset: I ride public transportation. There is NO reason to be giving too much 411 about your eviction, arrest, former or current problems with drugs, medications or booze, etc loudly in public. NONE. We don't allow boomboxes on public transit, time to curtail cell phones too.

C)People's obnoxious ringtones get me. Some incredibly bad piece of tinny modern music with the volume hiked up full pitch because the user also utilizes the phone for an alarm (I know a few of them) especially in a small quiet space like a library or theater. It's incredibly annoying.

I don't know why real-life conversations are more tolerable. Maybe it's the pleasure of eavesdropping on both sides of an overly loud and dramatic conversation (so few and far between compared to the phones) that gives me some pleasure

[leftyladyfrommo]

38. Oh, its perfectly fine to disagree with me.

I am amazed by people who go thru the whole grocery line, get their stuff rung up and bagged and head on out the door and they never interrupt their cell phone call. That seems a bit rude - to never even acknowledge the checkout person.

[elfin]

16. I ONLY use my cell

for emergencies or absolutely necessary calls. Hence, I use pre-paid and still use land line for everything else. I NEVER have it on, unless am expecting important news.

For a time during a personal upheaval, I needed to adopt the "cell phone life" for a few months - I hated it and cringed when an important call came in while I was in a store.

If I were keeping track of young kids, it might be a different story.

[OneBlueSky]

20. there probably aren't many of us left, but I don't have a cell phone . . .

don't want a cell phone, and have no need for a cell phone . . . when people ask me for my cell number and I tell them I don't have one, they give me this look like I'm from outer space or something . . . kinda funny, actually . . .

[ellenfl]

21. having your cell phone always on does not necessarily mean

you have to be inconvenienced. i give my cell phone number only to family and close friends. mine is on all the time but i get maybe 5 calls a month . . . other than 'honey' calling to see if i want him to pick up something for supper, of course. :smoke: i originally got it 14 years ago for emergencies, since i had to drive through a part of town in which i would not have liked my car to break down. i actually DID break down once and was happy to have the phone. now it is for my convenience.

ellen fl

[blondeatlast]

22. I was once in a grocery line behind a woman audibly discussing her friend's abortion plans.

Giggling about her friend's predicament with her other "friend." When she departed, the three people behind me, the cashier, and I could not contain ourselves from thanks that we weren't the woman's "friend."

Gah!

[MineralMan]

27. See my #12 for a solution to this kind of nonsense

I just play like the cell phoner is talking to me, and join the conversation. Shuts 'em up every time.

[blondeatlast]

28. I like it!

:rofl:

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

23. It's the "Look at me daddy, look at me mommy" syndrome

Some people have a need even for complete strangers to pay attention to them at all times.

[Blue_Tires]

24. i still remember that brief time where discretion was the order of the day

people only spoke or answered calls when they were alone or in a quiet place because they didn't want everyone in line at the movies to know their business...

i also remember when if someone was in a face-to-face conversation with you, they would turn off their phone when it rang -- it used to be the pinnacle of boorish rudeness to answer the phone while talking with friends/at dinner/in someone's house/in class, etc...

[kestrel91316]

30. IMHO it's STILL the pinnacle of boorish rudeness to answer the phone

(in this case cell) while talking with friends/at dinner/in someone's house/in class, etc.

Some of my clients see nothing wrong with whipping out the cell phone to take a call while I am literally mid-sentence discussing their cat's medical problem in the exam room, where because they are paying for my time you would think they wouldn't want to waste it. And this is in spite of signs posted requesting that they turn off cells and pagers in the exam room. And they rarely even apologize.

Everyone seems to think their personal conversations are all lifethreatening emergencies all the time.

I ought to institute a special fee for being forced to listen to their one-sided personal calls, like maybe $50/minute. To be waived, of course, if it is a genuine life-threatening emergency.

[Javaman]

25. the ego centric-ness that goes along with chronic cell phone usage usually

goes beyond the current call.

with that in mind,while I was riding the bus home one night, some late teen bobble headed moron blathering on and on, in a loud tone, treated us all to the intimate details of her belly button piercing infection.

finally, some homeless guy got on the bus and screamed, "will someone tell that fucking bitch to shut the fuck up!!!"

she promptly shut her phone and her mouth. The bus applauded.

[PDJane]

29. I'm old fashioned, I admit.

I do have a cell phone, purchased for me by a techno-geek son. I use it rarely, and it's mostly to enable me to keep track of mother...who has a nasty habit of falling and being brought to my door by absolute strangers (she's 82). It's not for the world to keep track of me!

Those who talk about personal stuff, those who will sit at a table in a restaurant with friends....and take calls on the cell phone, those who talk and drive....those folks need some education. I watched a young woman talk all through a meal with friends......on her cell phone. That's just outrageously rude. And truly, I have had enough of being tracked everywhere by the cell phone or a pager...being tethered to a job and clients for too many years.

My phones are for my use. I do pay for call display and messaging; that is for my convenience. I have high-speed internet, and that's useful. I do not have a television, and don't miss it...although I do have cable, because it comes with the apartment and is part of the lease. If you really want to get in touch, there are a dozen ways to do so; if I don't answer you, it's because I don't wish to.

[shadowknows69]

31. I couldn't believe some of the phone conversations I used to hear in my taxi

Sexual talk, very personal arguments, discussions of impending crimes even. It was like: "People don't you even see me here? I don't want to know your freaking personal life."

[Erin Elizabeth]

34. The only thing that bugs me are the people

who refuse to turn off their phones/ringers during meetings or workshops, etc. I mean that's just rude. And the ones who really blow me away are those who don't even have sense enough to look alarmed/embarrassed/apologetic when it does go off. They just take their sweet time answering it really slowly while it plays some loud song over and over again. The person presenting has even stopped talking because of this and the phone owner is completely unfazed.

In a work meeting, one woman answered her phone very loudly then said "NO, it's FINE, I'm not doing anything, what's UP?" as she got up to leave the room. What the hell????

Younger adults now have to be reminded not to text through an entire meeting in my profession.

Otherwise, I find random private conversations outside of work to be intriguing most of the time. I semi-followed a woman around Target recently because I wanted to hear how the paternity test came out. IT WAS GREG!!!!