[Fiona F.]

Recently I was on a bus and a man started talking on his cell phone. There were a lot of people on the bus and he wasn't talking any louder than anyone else on the bus. There were some kids in the back of the bus who were even louder and infinitely more obnoxious. An elderly woman turned around to shush the man on the cell phone several times and then finally someone else on the bus told him to please stop his conversation. I have witnessed similar situations more than a few times, and I was wondering if someone can shed some light on why people get offended by cell phone users in a public space. I can understand if it's in a movie theater, a concert or something like that. Are people jealous, or just plain grouchy?

User Detail :  

Name : Fiona F., Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 25, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, 

[Karen26776]

One reason I really dislike cell phone users is that I think they are full of their own self-importance, as though their time is so precious they can't wait to use a pay phone like everyone else. It's a silly show-off. My annoyance turns to real anger when they drive and yak at the same time, because I'm certain they're putting everyone else at risk. That ties back in with their seeming self-importance -- their need to chatter is more important that others' lives,or at least their fenders.

User Detail :  

Name : Karen26776, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Newport News, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : accountant, 

[John K.]

I use a mass transit bus about three hours a day to commute back and forth to work in NYC. So I have more than enough experience with people using cell phones. Basically, most people who use them are very loud, because they are trying to talk over the noise of the engine, the general noise and static in the connection, etc. And most of the time, the conversations are needless. For instance, just last week, some guy was shouting for 40 minutes into his cell phone, working out with some friend how they were going to play some online video game!

Add to that the fact that everyone seems to have one, they use them constantly, and so there is never a moment's peace. From the moment I get in line for the bus in the afternoon to the moment I get off at my stop, some inconsiderate jerk is yelling into their cell phone. So after two years of this, I have an automatic aversion to the use of cell phones in public places.

It is not as though the use of cell phones on the bus is the entire problem, though. They are used constantly now. In restaurants, movie theatres, concerts...everywhere! And people using them while driving (which is everyone, it seems, not just SUV drivers) make driving even more hazardous than before. I cannot count the number of times I have nearly been hit *on the sidewalk* by people driving with cell phones.

On top of that, cell phones use EM bursts as part of the connection, so any electronic equipment (like, for instance, a Walkman) gets hit with a very loud low frequency tone when a cell phone is in use nearby. So even if you want to listen to the radio to avoid hearing them talk, you can't do it!

I could go on, but I think I made my point. Cell phones should be used for emergencies, not to order your dinner or keep working once you've left the office. If it's that damned important, stay in the office, right? People just cannot be courteous and use a cell phone at the same time.

User Detail :  

Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Daniel27219]

There's something about hearing only one half of a cell phone conversation on a bus, in a restaurant, etc., that both irritates someone and compels one's attention. Even a loud conversation among teenagers can be heard, identified and then 'tuned out.' But we're conditioned to hear both speakers, and a cell phone conversation in a public place feels like a fresh distraction with every overheard 'Yeah...Uh huh...Right...' (much less an extended anecdote or, worst of all, a domestic argument) as we automatically prepare to hear the response and don't hear it. Maybe as some standard cell phone etiquette takes hold concerning volume and where/when to take calls, and as we get accustomed to this new type of urban distraction, it will cease to be such an issue.

User Detail :  

Name : Daniel27219, Gender : M, Age : 36, City : Ann Arbor, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[David]

I agree with Daniels reponse of only being able to hear 'half of the conversation'! It's almost similar to having a freind or associate that continually knocks and critisizes their mates short commings but you know there;s'two sides to every story'. But you can't hear the opposing view. After awhile it becomes irritating to just hear half of the conversation. So perhaps, subliminally, the cell phone conversations effect us in a similar way.

User Detail :  

Name : David, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 40, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Karl]

Cell phones can be irritating, so some people finally started saying something about it. Then come the people who just look for any opportunity to tell another person how they should behave. If talking is allowed, so should a phone be - assuming the objection is about talking and not about ringing. Cell phones ringing in restaurants is rude. Talking at normal volume is not, unless it means you ignore people at your table. The situation described on a bus is absurd. If someone on the bus was irritated, that was their problem.

User Detail :  

Name : Karl, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 44, City : Duesseldorf, State : NA Country : Germany, Occupation : retired computer jock, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mazurka Wojciechowska]

I do get annoyed when someone uses their cell phone in a public place. Usually it's on a train and some mom is blabbing loudly to her maid so everyone in the car knows she has servants. I'm no better than they are, because that's when I pull out bubble wrap and start popping it until they terminate the conversation. Incidentally, when I have to use my cell phone in public I turn my head so I can't be heard and talk quietly.

User Detail :  

Name : Mazurka Wojciechowska, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 44, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Musician, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[seki]

Like many other people I know, I think there is some etiquette involved with cell phones. Obviously in a cinema I feel it is very, very rude for a phone to ring (when there are explicit notices asking you to please turn them off) or for someone to answer the call even if it is hushed whispers. A restaurant is a different matter, and I don't find it rude if someone excuses themselves from those they are sitting with, and/or moves away from other people to ask the caller to ring back later, or conduct the conversation quietly. On public transport of any kind or in any public space it is totally up to the person to take their call. If someone does not like it, they have the freedom to move away, and if they choose not to: 'put up and shut up'. In fact, I would go so far to say that interrupting someone on their cellphone to tell them to be quiet is even MORE rude than the person actually taking the call in the first place. That said, I also think there is a fine line between holding a conversation on the phone and talking VERY loudly or yelling. I think that is probably more 'inconsiderate of others around him/her' than explicitly rude. But then of course, it all comes down to what behaviour people think personally is rude or not when it comes to cellphones. If someone has a problem with me answering my phone on my daily train commute, then it's just that: their problem. (Interestingly enough I have actually experienced the opposite, in that someone on their cellphone on the train shushed me and others for engaging in conversation. Apparently, she couldn't hear the caller (our talking, coupled with normal train noises) and was sitting directly behind us, but there were plenty of seats throughout the carriage to move to. I found that extremely rude.)

User Detail :  

Name : seki, Gender : M, Race : asian/european, Age : 21, City : Brisbane, State : NA Country : Australia, Occupation : marketing & publications, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kim]

I was in line at a store and this young guy was in back of me on his cell phone talking about last nights date. He was speaking so rudly about the girl and basically about women, I turned around and looked him straight in the eye until he hung up the phone. I usually don't do that kind of thing but he was just so crude and rude. I just couldn't take it anymore. He wasn't being loud but it was loud enough for the people standing around him to hear.

User Detail :  

Name : Kim, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Presbyterian, Age : 37, City : Douglasville, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : stay at home mom, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Author]

Posts