Someone needs to explain something to me. Who decided that we need to be reached at all times?
I work with people who cannot put their cell phones away, not even for half an hour. They can't even put it in their pockets for that long. They must hold it. They must pet it.
It is Precious to them.
Not to sound like my grandparents, but seriously, I remember a time, not too long ago, when if you couldn't reach someone, you left a message and waited to be called back, presumably when the person got the message or had time to return your call. Now, if my family can't reach me instantly, they assume that I am either a) ignoring them or b) dead. Clearly.
It can't be that I shut my phone off because I am working or that I shut it off because I actually want to watch the movie that I paid good money to watch. It can't be that I am in the middle of making out with my fiance and don't want to stop in the middle to talk about what everybody wants for Christmas. It can't be that I just shut my phone off because I'm sick of looking at it.
Now if you shut your phone off (or choose not to answer it immediately), you are avoiding people who totally need to reach you right this second. Not enough to try other numbers where you might be reached, but enough to leave you several, progressively angrier messages demanding to know why you have not answered the first message.
These days, people actually talk on their phones in PUBLIC RESTROOMS. I have never wanted to talk to anyone badly enough to take their call while I am peeing in a public toilet, not even the surgeon just before I had my gall bladder out. What happens when other people flush? Apparently that is secondary to what Tim told Pete about Steph last night and what we're going to do about it the next time we see him.
On the way into work this morning, this girl was talking on her phone, and she was like, "So, what were you doing? Because you took like forever to answer your phone. Well, what were you doing? OK, whatever then. Well, I just didn't know why you weren't answering." She was all accusatory. It was 7:30 in the morning. What time did you start calling this person? What can you possibly need at that time of the morning? Go to class. Shut up for three seconds.
Even I am starting to lose my sanity where cell phones are concerned. I have given in to the pressure. After receiving 13 angry messages from my parents in one day (even though they have my work number and my cell phone was shut off and in my purse), I have started keeping my phone on vibrate in my pocket. Then I forget to turn the volume back on, and we have the same problem all over again. Sometimes, it has to shut itself off to update because it's been so long since I turned it off.
And then I hear people talking about sleeping with their phones in their hands, and I just want to know what the hell happened. What happened from the time I graduated college until now? In six short years, cell phones have gone from something not even everybody had to something we simply cannot set down.
"Must... have... the... PRECIOUS!"
Seriously, WTF people? Throw it into the fires of Mordor, Gollum, and come back to the Shire with the rest of us who still have some of our sanity left.
Posted by LoWriter at December 3, 2008 11:46 PMhigh five in agreement, lo. angry, demanding messages are, in my humble opinion, a sure sign of insanity and the downfall of all that is gracious patience.
however, i'm partially guilty of said "active listening" but ONLY because i do not give out my work number and i do not have a home number. nor does anyone outside of mutual friends have my roomie's cell number. i'm economical and practical and therefore have a single number (which has not changed in any of the moves i've made - sorry land line callers). but i do believe in the peace and quiet of a theater, the workplace and bathroom. i've only ever once peed while on the phone, and i was talking to mom for a very long time and dammit, i really hadta go.
my main coping mechanism is texting. if i get a call from a certain sibling leaving a message and 2 min later calling back again, i simply text her "busy, will call later" and voila - she shuts up! ah-maze-ing. however, she fully understands texting. i can see this being exactly the opposite of helpful to older generations.
regardless, people need to take a deep breath and stop taking the waiting period personally.
Posted by: dr g at December 4, 2008 02:34 PM