Doc,Apr 15 2005, 02:18 PM Wrote:Don't attack me, don't waste your energy, go directly to the source of the problem and deal with it. Then I, and all the other people like me, wont have to. Confront the source of the issue. Go protect your own freedom, your own liberty, otherwise, you have no right to bitch when other people fight your battles.
I'm not really meaning this as an attack per se. But I do see this point as a worthy 'waste of energy' to bring up an opposing point.
I've had two situations personally where having a cell phone in a public place has been a life saver. The first was at a movie my cellphone (on silent) went off. I was near an exit and I went out to answer it. A good friend of mine's brother (whom I also knew) died in a housefire. I was not planning on going home during the night, and thanks to the call I was able to leave the movie early and drive over to help console the family.
The second situation was rather comical, we were borderline late to a performance at Symphony Hall in Boston (a building known for its incredible acoustics). I once again prompty turned my cellphone on silent before getting out of the car. My friend went to park, but on the way got sideswipped by another car (I love New England drivers). He gave me a call and we were able to resolve it, and head over to the hospital together to get him checked out.
Now neither of these situations were dire, albeit important. I'm not attempting to advocate the dire need of cell phones in a society, they are merely a convienence of technology. But I have learned a lesson from these two experiences, and developed an opinion about cellphone use: You must take responsibility for cell phones, but in our day in age cellphones are everywhere, and I'd much rather put up with the occaisional cellphone ring disruption and enjoy the convience they provide than be without it.
In short Doc, although part of me admires your 'go out and change something' attitude, I can not condone the attitude that you are doing something 'morally right.' There just seems to be too much variance in the use of cellphones (from doctors to 14 year old girls) to deem blocking them indiscriminately. And you certaintly aren't "fighting for me", a fellow annoyed citizen at cellphone caused disruption, that would rather put up with it than have anyone jam cellphones.
And I don't see your carrying one secretly changing much of anything. If businesses are going to change their policies and install their own (with a warning), it sure isn't going to come from an unknown silence. It's going to come out of unblocked annoying cellphones that lead to complaints.
Cheers,
Munk