A long time ago, on a cell phone far, far away...
Once I was having a conversation with someone (who was actually standing there) and some poltroon was on his cell speaking in his going-for-the-balcony voice. That in itself was bad enough, but he was pacing, and he'd pace right up to us, turn and pace away. So every time he orbited, we'd have to halt our conversation and wait till he walked away again. Looks that would normally melt crayons didn't seem to bother him either. If only Darth had been there.
5 comments:
Of course people with cell phones don't care if others give them dirty looks for talking too loud. Cell phones seem to turn a lot of people into exhibitionists.
The battle against ringing cell phones at Mass has been thoroughly lost, but recently I got to watch a woman *answer* her cell in the middle of daily Mass (unlike Sundays, no music, very quiet), and engage in a prolonged conversation. Words fail.
Hm. I recently witnessed a woman answering her cell-phone during prayers at a funeral. WTF?!? (Coincidentally, this was in a Catholic church. Hasn't the Pope addressed this issue yet?)
In "Infinite Jest", DFW has this great breakdown of the adaptation and eventual abandonment of video phones. See, people catch on quickly that they don't always look their best, nor does the house behind them, at any given moment, so people start having masks made that show them at their best and little dioramas of their rooms looking immaculate. Eventually, everyone leaves the video off, because they didn't realize all the stuff we do when on the phone that's not witnessed, like picking our toes, filing nails, scratching intimate places, etc.
With cell phones, maybe a new dynamic has to develop where people who are talking loudly on their cell phones are fair game for pranks and requests to quit it. For instance, had I not been talking to work colleagues and had been with buddies when that guy paced near us, I would've also used my shooting-for-the-balcony voice and described graphic sex scenes so the person would be shocked in his tracks. I plan to use that trick should the opportunity arise. Hee hee.
Just please not in church!
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