Cellphones: Quieting the public nuisances

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-cellphone-20110522,0,140357.story

Anyone who has been forced to endure a stranger's loud and public cellphone conversation in a supermarket line or a restaurant will understand this story:

A woman boarded an Amtrak train in Oakland last Saturday night and proceeded to talk loudly on her cellphone for much of the rest of her 16-hour voyage. Repeated pleas from her fellow passengers — and the conductor — to be quiet fell on, um, deaf ears. Things got so bad that Amtrak officials stopped the train between stations Sunday afternoon in Salem, Ore., and had local police escort her off for being an "unruly passenger." (Usually you have to be a ranting drunk on the train to get that designation.) As a wit on Gawker.com wrote, "She was later charged with unspeakable crimes against humanity and sentenced to life on some distant planet where there are no reception bars, ever."

The question of how to cope with cellphones in public has been a thorny issue for more than a decade. But what's heartening here is that Amtrak officials did something assertive on behalf of the suffering passengers after the woman broke the rule forbidding cellphone use in coach cars at night.

Increasingly, there are rules to limit cellphone use everywhere. On some shorter lines, Amtrak has "quiet cars" where noise from phones, laptops and other devices is prohibited. Gyms often outlaw cellphones in workout areas, and restaurants sometimes nix them. The Los Angeles Public Library system restricts use to lobby areas.


More at the link --

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[hlthe2b]

2. I just don't get why, when so many phones can text, email, instant message....

or when there is twitter, facebook and all the myriad of other SILENT options, that these cretins can't turn off the damned phone and communicate silently, if they simply must.

There is no other conclusion except that they are just friggin selfish cretins.

[snagglepuss]

3. What I had read is that she was in a quiet car. If that is the case it is incomprehensible

why she wasn't moved to a regular car, although even in a regular car no one should be subjected to a non stop talker. I think it was outrageous Amtrak waited so long to do something.

[fernhill]

6. But it's also the case that most people are weenies

They don't want to be thought of as "not nice." I will tell someone to please go off speakerphone, turn down their "music" (it's really just a lot of noise) on their earbuds, etc. So the public needs to go to the train conductor or whoever and complain, not just wait for them to do something.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. My favorite cell phone story: I was in line at the store behind a woman on a cell phone

When the clerk finished ringing her up, the conversation went like this:

Clerk: That will be $43.86

Woman keeps on talking. No response.

Clerk: That will be $43.86

Still no response while cell phone conversation continues.

Clerk: That will be $43.86, Maam.

Woman: Can't you SEE I'm ON THE PHONE??

Me: hysterical laughter

:rofl:

[snagglepuss]

8. Great story. I think I have one to match. A tech who did IT for a phone company

said he was troubleshooting a phone when the customer told she had to go to the bathroom. He said he'd call her back but she didn't want to hang and wait for a callback so she kept him on the line while she used the facilities during which time he heard among other things intermittent groans, grunts and then a sigh of relief interrupted only by her telling him she was almost finished!

[Darth_Kitten]

10. I have a cellphone/washroom story.

Nothing as delightful as yours, though :evilgrin:

Just in the stall beside me a co-worker was having quite the conversation on her cellphone. When she told her friend that she was at work, I flushed. :evilgrin:

Seemed so a propos!

[pipi_k]

9. So what eventually happened? Did the cashier wait for her to finish? n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. She hung up shortly after she yelled at the cashier

[aquart]

5. I am sorry they didn't put her off while the train was running.

Truly, truly sorry.