welcome to the real world

Dec 15

general life ramblings, looking on the inside, rants

lately i’ve noticed something that’s been bothering me. some people do not seem able to go without having a cell phone on them at all times. at the gym, people are sitting on a machine and texting. TEXTING! they aren’t working out, they’re just sitting there wasting everyone’s time so they can send a text. sometimes when i go running in the neighborhood, people are walking AND TEXTING! wouldn’t sometimes going for a walk or a run without a phone be more fun?

my frustration with people on cell phones has been documented from that time the lady with the Bible verse front license plate almost hit me because she was on a phone. if you can’t talk on the phone and also pay attention to the road, then do not use a phone when driving. stop hogging up the left lane on the interstate because you’re lost in conversation!

i hate hate HATE people who let their phones go off in a movie or a concert. you’ll be sitting there during a very dramatic moment in a movie and hear a cell phone ring. seriously, why is someone so careless (or inconsiderate) that they can’t either turn the phone off or at least to vibrate? it honestly took a couple of months for me to not think of my friend Chet in a bad light after the cell phone incident at Nickel Creek.

are the calls that important? can you not take an hour of your life back from technology? are people so addicted that they can’t unplug?

today i saw an article at lunch today that gave numbers on what percentages of people would rather be online than have sex. i don’t know how many of those people are married, but i know people who are married where one person spends an inordinate amount of time on the computer or playing video games. WHY DO THAT? there is a real person in your house who wants to interact with you!

i don’t say any of this to sound better than anyone else. i probably spend more time online than most people when i’m at home. i have no one else to talk to though when i’m home alone. i spend time on facebook or msg boards, but when i have the opportunity to spend time with real people, i do that. when i went to Europe, i went without internet and a cell phone for a week and a half. it made me feel so free! why don’t more people want that feeling, if only for an hour or two? it makes me sad so many people are chained to the matrix. don’t let the machines win!

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Comments

Melanie

December 16th, 2008 at 8:57 AM

I know what you mean– yesterday this lady had her three kids in the grocery store. The kids were out of control, and she was yelling at them the whole time WHILE ON HER CELL PHONE. Just hang up and get your shopping done. Later, on a different aisle, I saw her again on her phone complaining that the grocery shopping was taking longer than expected. I can’t imagine why…
scott

December 16th, 2008 at 12:04 PM

i know, right? one time i was in walmart and this lady and three of her kids walked past me. they all had cell phones! it just seemed like overkill to me. i grew up without having a cell phone. zack morris was the only person i knew of under the age of 18 who had a cell phone.

my friend Trey just got a cell phone last year. i kind of envied him for not having one before.
Oraxia

December 16th, 2008 at 2:17 PM

Being female, paranoid, and fairly clumsy, I take my cell phone with me even on walks or bike rides etc. I rarely actually use it and I make a point of not answering the phone in the car unless parked, but I like to be able to call for help if I get a flat or get lost/hurt and such in a shady-looking spot.

I don’t feel like the presence of the technology is a problem so much as people knowing when to use it (and maybe how often), so most of what you’re decrying is really a lack of cell phone etiquette. Tech is not to blame so much as our inability to keep up with establishing tech-related etiquette and social grace.
scott

December 16th, 2008 at 5:23 PM

X,
i agree with that. i don’t blame technology so much as i blame the ability for other people to figure out a proper role for it in their lives, and how it can effect others.

and i don’t think using cell phones for emergencies is bad. it’s the calls that don’t really need to be made right then, and they’re just made because they can be. the difference between need and want is difficult for some people to understand.
Mindy

December 16th, 2008 at 6:49 PM

I completely agree with you, Scott. I enjoy the new technology, but I find myself feeling lost without my cell phone on my person. If I leave it at home while at work for the day, I feel weird. And I hate that I miss it so much. If I go for a walk, the cell stays in the house. I’ll call you back later.

Technology is great but we all need human interaction; not a computer screen with an instant message from someone in Utah you met in a chat room while searching for a new tea to drink.

Bringing the Drama