Re: Cell Phone Manners Matter

Personally, I used to have a cell phone that my parents made me carry around in case of "emergencies". However, unlike most teenagers that constantly use their phone and overcharge their bills, I never ever used it. I figured that since I don't use it to call anyone and leave it turned off most of the time, why not just deactivate it? I don't really use all the fancy features that they put on anyways like cameras, games, web browsing and some other stuff so I gave the phone back to my parents for them to decide what to do with it. In case of a real emergency, I'm pretty sure I can find a payphone around somewhere. As for those teens that are constantly using it, I think they should give the phone a bit of a rest and use it only when it's necessary. It honestly isn't that hard to lay off, and it will save parents a whole lot of money. It may seem mandatory in today's technological environment because you can always stay "connected" with friends, co-workers, and family, but there is a fine line where you can call it "using" and "overusing". If some people are addicted and must be on it 24/7, they should at least learn some of the rules about times when using the phone is inappropriate.

1. Always turn off the cell phone during public performances such as movies, shows, concerts, etc. It can be really irritating when you cannot hear the performance because the person next to you is talking loudly.

2. Never use the cell phone in class (including text messages) because it will distract your learning capability. =)
And if the teacher finds out, they could take away your phone. Or even worse, they could read your text messages about who you're going out with tomorrow night. =P

3. Never ever ever ever, talk or text while driving. It may not seem like much of a distraction, but taking your eyes off of the road for a split second can be extremely dangerous. They actually made a law on this already, but they still didn't say anything about earpieces which I find to be a big distraction when you're having a conversation with your best friend while going 100mph on the highway.

4. Avoid using cell phones on subways and buses. There are actually signs that tell people this because of many thefts with iPods, mp3s, and cell phones while on the subway. Apparently, it is just not safe.

5. Always turn off cell phones when going to church or other places of worship. It would be disrespectful to have to answer calls and text messages while mass is under progress. And besides, God probably doesn't use phones in His home, so you shouldn't either. =)

Also, having cell phones on vibrate wouldn't be such a bad idea. That way, you can choose whether or not to answer calls without disrupting people from what they're doing. The problem is that everyone either sets their ringtone to Greensleeves, Beethoven's 9th, and other similar things, which can get pretty annoying when you have to hear it at least 10 times a day.