Cell Phone Symphony
I have a major whine that is getting louder in my head every day. Noise! It is everywhere; it never stops; silence seems to have become extinct. Doesn't anyone ever spend time alone with no T.V., no I-pod, and no telephone glued to his ear? Is it possible for people today to drive their cars without having talk radio and c.d.'s blaring, or talking and texting on their cell phone? When did multi-tasking become something to be so proud of?
The other night I was in a restaurant and so many people were having major out loud conversations on their phones, that I was completely distracted from my dining. I felt that I was eaves dropping on their conversations, hearing things that were more information than I ever wanted to receive from complete strangers. Of course, the speakers were totally oblivious to the diners around them, and there is absolutely no way to turn this noise off. Once again, all that was important was their doing what they wanted to do no matter where it was. I don't think people think about "appropriate" or "inappropriate" anymore. I kept thinking, why did they go to all of the trouble of going out to eat with friends or family if they needed to have a major business or social conversation on the telephone with someone else.
And then I became angry about the situation, feeling that my dining space was being invaded. It was as if some uninvited stranger had decided to sit at our table in the middle of our intimate little group. How dare him interrupt my party? Why aren't restaurants now providing a talking space (like a smoking space) for people who receive calls to go, after politely leaving their table, to talk in private to whomever telephoned. Why don't people care anymore about keeping their conversations with others private?
I feel the same thing when I go to the grocery store or a department store at the mall. Everyone is walking around talking incessantly on their cell phones as if they are scared to do anything without creating the sense of having someone with them every moment. I am not talking about quick, administrative phone calls where one is checking what time the movie is going to start or where to meet someone. I am talking about lengthy conversations about the psychological state of every mutual friend and colleague, serious problems with spouses, or major sports debates that never end. Who picks out avocados while talking to a friend about the sex she had the night before with her latest hook-up? (By the way, "hook-up" is the newest word and has replaced the word "dating" in the lexicon of relationships) There seems to be no escape from this, and people definitely speak at a louder register when on the telephone than when walking along with a friend chatting.
And those "blue tooths" -- they are the worst! People walking around the entire day in public looking like they are talking to themselves, like crazy people. This hands free spectacle sometimes scares me -- I hear the noise but don't see anyone holding a phone to their ear so I begin to think I am going a little crazy. Just try sitting in an airport waiting area and try to read a book or newspaper. There are so many phone conversations going on around you that the cacophony becomes discordant to the ears. Too much imput at one time. These cell phone addicts want to get the last minute's use of their phone before the pilot tells them they must let go while up at 35,000 feet. Then during the two and a half hour flight I am faced with the competing sounds of overflow I-pod music, DVD players, and computer generated noise and tapping. Earphones simply do not succeed at containing the overflow noise from these technical gadgets.
Of course, I also cannot stand the sound of those gas fueled leaf blowers at seven a.m. on Saturday morning, but I will save that for another whine. Even the movies are never quiet.
Between popcorn chewing with one's mouth open, crackling plastic wrappers, slurping, overt conversations taking place during the movie, and the ringing and answering of telephones with their sudden shock of light flashing out of nowhere, there is no peace for those who came to get away from it all. And why does everyone feel the need to always answer their telephone when it rings? Is it now a sin to allow a phone call to go unanswered immediately? When I was growing up we never answered the phone while eating dinner or watching a favorite T.V. program. We even went so far as to take the phone off the hook in order to have quiet, or in later years allowed the answering machine to get it. Today people ignore requests to turn off their mobile phones.
Is it a sign of status and popularity? That is, the more phonecalls you get and the more you are on the telephone implies how many friends you have -- sort of like Facebook. Or, is it an addiction that develops from a need to avoid feeling alone? Or does the generation of constant noise allow people to avoid having to actually ever think or reflect? No matter why, there is one thing for sure. The world is becoming noisier than ever and even with our unbelievable technological advances no one has come up with an earplug that works against it.
The other night I was in a restaurant and so many people were having major out loud conversations on their phones, that I was completely distracted from my dining. I felt that I was eaves dropping on their conversations, hearing things that were more information than I ever wanted to receive from complete strangers. Of course, the speakers were totally oblivious to the diners around them, and there is absolutely no way to turn this noise off. Once again, all that was important was their doing what they wanted to do no matter where it was. I don't think people think about "appropriate" or "inappropriate" anymore. I kept thinking, why did they go to all of the trouble of going out to eat with friends or family if they needed to have a major business or social conversation on the telephone with someone else.
And then I became angry about the situation, feeling that my dining space was being invaded. It was as if some uninvited stranger had decided to sit at our table in the middle of our intimate little group. How dare him interrupt my party? Why aren't restaurants now providing a talking space (like a smoking space) for people who receive calls to go, after politely leaving their table, to talk in private to whomever telephoned. Why don't people care anymore about keeping their conversations with others private?
I feel the same thing when I go to the grocery store or a department store at the mall. Everyone is walking around talking incessantly on their cell phones as if they are scared to do anything without creating the sense of having someone with them every moment. I am not talking about quick, administrative phone calls where one is checking what time the movie is going to start or where to meet someone. I am talking about lengthy conversations about the psychological state of every mutual friend and colleague, serious problems with spouses, or major sports debates that never end. Who picks out avocados while talking to a friend about the sex she had the night before with her latest hook-up? (By the way, "hook-up" is the newest word and has replaced the word "dating" in the lexicon of relationships) There seems to be no escape from this, and people definitely speak at a louder register when on the telephone than when walking along with a friend chatting.
And those "blue tooths" -- they are the worst! People walking around the entire day in public looking like they are talking to themselves, like crazy people. This hands free spectacle sometimes scares me -- I hear the noise but don't see anyone holding a phone to their ear so I begin to think I am going a little crazy. Just try sitting in an airport waiting area and try to read a book or newspaper. There are so many phone conversations going on around you that the cacophony becomes discordant to the ears. Too much imput at one time. These cell phone addicts want to get the last minute's use of their phone before the pilot tells them they must let go while up at 35,000 feet. Then during the two and a half hour flight I am faced with the competing sounds of overflow I-pod music, DVD players, and computer generated noise and tapping. Earphones simply do not succeed at containing the overflow noise from these technical gadgets.
Of course, I also cannot stand the sound of those gas fueled leaf blowers at seven a.m. on Saturday morning, but I will save that for another whine. Even the movies are never quiet.
Between popcorn chewing with one's mouth open, crackling plastic wrappers, slurping, overt conversations taking place during the movie, and the ringing and answering of telephones with their sudden shock of light flashing out of nowhere, there is no peace for those who came to get away from it all. And why does everyone feel the need to always answer their telephone when it rings? Is it now a sin to allow a phone call to go unanswered immediately? When I was growing up we never answered the phone while eating dinner or watching a favorite T.V. program. We even went so far as to take the phone off the hook in order to have quiet, or in later years allowed the answering machine to get it. Today people ignore requests to turn off their mobile phones.
Is it a sign of status and popularity? That is, the more phonecalls you get and the more you are on the telephone implies how many friends you have -- sort of like Facebook. Or, is it an addiction that develops from a need to avoid feeling alone? Or does the generation of constant noise allow people to avoid having to actually ever think or reflect? No matter why, there is one thing for sure. The world is becoming noisier than ever and even with our unbelievable technological advances no one has come up with an earplug that works against it.
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