I've seen it all while running in the summer- guy on a bike with a Bluetooth earpiece, a guy on a skateboard talking on a cellphone, countless people walking their dogs talking on the the cellphone, a couple walking hand in hand down the street, each talking to someone else on a cellphone. What are you- a medical specialist or head of state that you can't leave the phone at home while you walk your dog and just enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a Midwestern summer night for fear that you might need to be contacted because of an earth-changing emergency? It contributes to our isolation, a feeling of being much more important than we really are, wrapped in a cocoon of self that blocks out the outside world. My daughter just took the bar exam and when she was in high school she badgered me about a cellphone and I told her that when I felt I needed one I would get her one. I STILL don't have one and don't care to be connected at all times. This self involvement ignores the real world and fills your head with inane bullshit. The sounds of summer can be wonderful.

Too many people are walking around like Pavlov's dog, except that whenever they hear the bell, they flip open their phones instead of drooling.
I think that cellphones are REALLY convenient and cool devices. However, as with anything else, they rely somewhat on the user not being a total retard. I would NEVER own a cell without call display. Basically, my phone is for my convenience, not that of everyone else.
Nine times out of ten, I check my call display, hit "ignore", and call back when I'm not driving, walking my dogs, or having dinner with my family.


--PRW

Sounds like you have trouble minding your own god damned business. Nobody is obligated to talk to you when they walk down the street, and it doesn't sound like you are anyone worth talking to anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

"Sounds like you have trouble minding your own god damned business. Nobody is obligated to talk to you when they walk down the street, and it doesn't sound like you are anyone worth talking to anyway."

I wrote at the beginning of my missive that I was RUNNING. I don't want anyone to talk to me and never said that. Pay attention. Were you distracted by talking on your cellphone when you read what I wrote?

Didn't Penn write an article or story about some woman in an elevator making a rude comment to him while he was wearing headphones and listening to music? She complained about people detaching themselves from others and their surroundings and whatnot. Penn had an interesting take on it. I think it was something like, even though he and the other passenger(s) of the elevator may have had earphones or earbuds going on, they at least aknowledged each other with a smile instead of a harangue. Something like that. Anyway, your comment made me think of that, I read it a long time ago.

bananas,

It's in "Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends" and the story is titled "Being Morally Opposed to the Walkman Carries with it Certain Responsibilites."

(Audrey, I've given credit above but if the next bit is some kind of copyright infringement, please delete it. Thanks!)

The woman in the elevator said, "You people just cut yourselves off from everybody, don't you? I mean, it's really bad enough that no one even makes eye contact anymore, but you people just walk around in your own little worlds. We're a culture of very lonely people. It's sad. It's really very sad."

to which Penn replied,

"You were really dying for human contact here, weren't you? Huhu? You walked on this elevator and said to yourself, 'Oh, Jiminy Cricket! I really wanted to talk to this delivery boy, this receptionist, and this big ugly son of a bitch with a square head. But, alas, they've cut themselves off from my personal contact. I guess I cna't have any meaningful dialogue with them. Darn!' You don't give a yuppie tweed fuck about the three of us! You just need something sensitive and humanitarian to talk about over your fuckin' power lunch...I'll make a deal with you-we'll take our headphones off and we'll listen to you, but you better have something to say. And when you ask him what kind of bike he has and he tells you, you better really care. and you better keep us entertained...do a little fuckin dance if you have to! When each of us walked onto the elevator we smiled at one another and you just rolled you're fuckin eyes. So, you want personal contact? Shoot!"

Penn did not say what the woman's response was.

****
Tressa
http://www.myspace.com/23tressa

Listening to music is a completely different story than blithering on with someone on the cellphone while walking your dog. At the same time, having been a musician most of my life, I have a great deal of music imprinted on the memory circuits of my brain that I can summon up at any moment without being attached to a physical device. Nor do I need one to detach myself from my immediate surroundings.

Not everyone can and your claiming that a device that allows me to connect to others is something that disconnects us. Further you looked and saw what you wanted. You saw two people walking side by side holding hands talking and because you saw something in their ears you assumed that they weren't talking to each other and listening to music or just had it because it's there as thats the point of it. And then you don't realize that "cutting ourselves off" only applies to sound if we have it loud enough and it increases us reading other signals we give that make up a lot of our "contact" with others.

Personally, I don't have a problem with cellphones when people aren't rude with them and most people, something like 29 in 30 people from my experience, which is 97.5%, aren't rude when they are using cellphones. Granted that i also think that some people need use it less or not be so reliant on it, but then again it has so much stuff in it so it's kinda reasonable.

Durakken wrote:

"You saw two people walking side by side holding hands talking and because you saw something in their ears you assumed that they weren't talking to each other and listening to music or just had it because it's there as thats the point of it."

My friend(to start as McCain usually does), even while running by a couple I know the difference between a cellphone and let's say, a Q-tip or earpiece. I don't believe in angels or spirits and have only hallucinated while under the influence of hallucinogens. And " or just had it because it's there as thats the point of it." Had what? Their ears? Hands? The cell phones I clearly saw? Those would be held to their ears even if they weren't talking on them? Who shot who in the head with what kind of knife?

Durakken, PLEASE, PLEASE, learn English.

Please please please learn to mind you own god damned business.

You seem to have a fuzzy understanding of what a telephone does. I know you don't have a cell phone, but let me educate you a little about what they're all about:

Cell phones, much like regular phones, are machines used to communicate vocally in real time, across distances, with people who are not physically present. Since it's not always possible to be physically present with every individual one might ever want to communicate with, these devices allow one to have conversations without actually traveling to do so. Cell phones have an additional benefit in that they can be used virtually anywhere and while traveling.

I'll also explain something about relationships. Generally, when people have relationships (business, familial, friendly, romantic, etc.), they like to communicate with each other. I know this might come as a tremendous shock, but whenever you see somebody talking on a telephone, it's because they're *communicating with somebody!* They are literally engaging in a meaningful relationship! Right there in front of you!

I realize it might be disconcerting to you to only see one half of this relationship, but you can rest assured that, baring certain rare mental illnesses, the people you see talking on cell phones are engaging in human interaction. Rather than just being out, enjoying "the sights, sounds and smells of a Midwestern summer night" alone and silent, these people are out AND they're continuing to build their interpersonal relationships.

Get it? Every person you see talking on a cell phone is on it because they have somebody they want to talk to, a somebody who wants to talk to them! Furthermore, when they're not actually speaking on the phone, they're carrying them in anticipation of future conversations! When your daughter asked for a cell phone, it was because she felt she needed a tool to facilitate her human interactions. Maybe she even wanted to be able to communicate with you!

I understand that you do not have a cell phone because you "don't care to be connected" to your social circle, and therefore you have an imperfect understanding of what cell phones do for human communication. But I can assure you that when I used my cell phone to make a spontaneous call this evening while waiting for a bus, I wasn't talking to myself, but to my mother. The conversation did not contribute to my isolation or wrap me in a cocoon of self. Instead, it made me connected to my mother. She is part of the "real world" and when she told me she loved me before hanging up, it wasn't "inane bullshit."

I hope your daughter has her own cell phone now so that she has the opportunity to have similar conversations with her other loved ones. Because, for people who care about such things, speaking with loved ones is much more wonderful than the ambient "sounds of summer."

- Christina II

Come on- people are addicted to their cells. Most of what people have to say is meaningless blather. Someone REALLY can't be without their phone for the short time it takes to walk their dog? My daughter just wanted a cellphone because other kids had them- it was a status thing. Being addicted to your cellphone IS a mental illness.

It's great to know that your meaningless blather is more important than another person's.

Someone REALLY can't be without their phone for the short time it takes to walk their dog?

Walking the dog sounds like a great time to talk to someone on the phone, actually. I'd be more inclined to ask if someone really can't be without their phone while driving in heavy traffic, or eating in a nice restaurant, and so on. Walking the dog, however, is not generally a dangerous activity in which a brief lack of attention could get someone killed, and it's not an activity in which an ambient atmosphere is important since surrounding people paid good money to have it. Who's going to care if you talk on the phone while walking your dog-- the dog? Not likely.

First, cell phones are ubiquitous enough that they are no longer a "status thing," not even for teenage girls. There are dozens of situations in which having a cell phone provides an additional measure of safety and convenience, from calling for help with a broken down car, to changing social plans on the fly, to adding a forgotten item to a grocery list.

But more importantly, as I said in my post (none of which you actually responded to), people use cell phones so that they can talk to people who aren't physically present. It's a substitute for an in-person conversation. What the hell is the difference between a person talking on their cell phone while they walk a dog, and two people who are physically present talking while they walk a dog? It's still two people talking at the same time that a dog is being walked.

Also, how the hell would you know that "most of what people have to say is meaningless blather"? Either you're making a wild, unsupported assumption, or you're eavesdropping. One's ignorant, and the other is incredibly rude. Which is it?

- Christina II

Hi,

Cell phones can also be used for security. I never thought I'd be the kind of mom that would buy her kids cell phones. I thought..." I never had one..and I grew up fine". That changed one stormy snowy New York day...when I got stuck and reached my kids' school and hour and 15 minutes late. I couldn't contact my kids..and hoped they would find shelter. I drove to our meeting spot, the swings at the park to find them huddled on the swings, covered in snow...freezing..my little one was crying. I asked them why they didn't go inside somewhere. They replied that the school wouldn't let them in and the stores are far away. They thought I wouldn't know where to find them. It was heartbreaking.

The next day I bought them cell phones.

My older son is now 18 and a lot of stress is cut down because of the phone. When he goes out....once in a while during the evening..he'll send me a text telling me where he is...it's a subtle way to keep in touch...his friends don't know he's giving an update to his mom. I know he's fine.

Another good reason...one day my son was walking home from school alone...a man approached him and asked him for help looking for a dog ( cliche eh?), my son had his phone in his pocket..,he took it out...held it up and snapped a photo of the man and his car while saying " I'm just sending this picture to my mom so she can bring it to the police station"...the man jumped in the car and left. Again...THRILLED that he had his phone.

I have loads of friends and hang out with them often...we chat, laugh and have fun. But, I am very busy with my day job, being a mom and having a restaurant. Sometimes I lack the time to sit and chat on the phone. So, if I'm walking from one place to another and it will take me 5 minutes....I pick up the phone to catch up with a friend...because I know I won't get time otherwise. I find that I'd rather do that....than nod and smile at random people on the street.

Sincerely,
Audrey



Webmistress:
The Web Home of Penn & Teller
Pennandteller.com

Excellent point, Mofobabe. That's exactly why I have a cell phone. I don't use it much, but I feel more secure having it when I leave the house. That way my kids can always get in touch with me.

And the only reason I got the phone with the built-in camera is I thought it could come in handy to photograph a crime. I think camera phones will become increasingly important in crime prevention and prosecution. (Not that I'm deliberately looking to photograph crimes. I'm no superhero wannabe.)

Little Tiger wrote:

"And the only reason I got the phone with the built-in camera is I thought it could come in handy to photograph a crime."

So, you live in a high-crime area? Crimes happen often enough in front of your very eyes that you got a phone with a built in camera for the sole reason of reporting a crime? What are the chances of that happening? If they are above 75%, might I suggest MOVING?

So I guess you got rid of the spare tire in your car.

I guess that with all the silly little laws banning handguns, a cell phone works in a pinch as well.

Aren't you refuting the entire "Stranger, Danger" episode where Penn and Teller had a nine-year-old make his way home by himself on the subway? And once again, to paraphrase Doug Stanhope, he said that when he was a kid his parents told him "Hey, listen, watch out for strangers because some of them might try to fuck ya'. Hey, thanks for the heads up." What, you have to worry about your fucking kid when he's 18? When does it stop, when your dead? Back in the '70s, my parents had no idea what I was up to in high school because like so many other teenagers, I LIED. Do you really think you can protect your fucking kid with a cellphone? If someone wants to rape or kill him or her they know enough about technology and GPS systems to make sure the first thing they do is get rid of the cellphone. It's a complete false sense of security. And, in reply to those assholes who told me to mind my own business, it IS my business when some dickhead is going 10 miles under the speed limit in the left lane becuase he's dialing his phone while I'm trying to get somewhere, since I am an atheist and believe I only have so much time on the fucking planet, or when they are walking their fucking dog and talking on their cell at the same time so all their other senses are numb and their fucking dog might bite me if I'm not paying attention to what they're doing in addition to what I'm doing, or the motherfuckers in the grocery store who leave their fucking cart in the middle of the aisle because it's so much trouble to use a pen and paper to make a shopping list before you leave home so they're too busy on the call saying "Do we have milk?" to realize there are other people on the fucking planet. So, without cellphones, how did the human race manage to survive or keep all their kids from being fucked up the ass?

Hi Kevin,

Let's see..."when does it stop? when you're dead?".....ummmm....I'd have to say "yes" on that one. When I decided to have a child, I decided that for the rest of my life I will do my best to make sure my child is safe, provided for and in any other way taken care of. I would say that that contract is up the day my kids put me in the ground. And, even then, I would hope that what I had provided them with in regards to education, life skills and finances would carry them through the rest of their lives.

My 18 year old might be different than most in that we have never had ONE minute of the usual teenage trouble. He is open and honest with me and we have a very close relationship. I know you will doubt that, but you don't know me or my sons, so you have no understanding of what our relationship is like. My two sons have given me nothing but joy every single day of their lives. When people say " bigger child bigger trouble"...it is not something I'm familiar with.

I live in NYC, my kids take the subway, public transportation buses, go to Manhattan, Shea Stadium, beaches etc. I like them to have a means of communicating with me if they need me. It is a system that works. I already gave you one example of how the cell phone helped my younger son, rare case, but it worked. It was enough to keep a potential predator at bay. And, I did pass the information along to the police precint and they were very happy to have the information. They even said that other children had done similar things and they seemed to think it helped the kids out a lot.

Do I think the phone protects them from EVERYTHING? Of course not! But, if they are injured ( my son is a skater, he skates at a HUGE park with no phones nearby, if he falls and gets injured , he can reach into his pocket and call me immediately) , need help or just want to say "hey, what's up?". I like the idea that they don't have to look for a way to communicate. They can just reach into a pocket and contact whoever they want.

I'm sorry if their being on the phone for whatever reason disturbs you, but it is their life, they can communicate with whoever they want , whenever they want , however they want ...They don't usually talk to people they don't know so if they were walking down the street without their cell phones I don't think they'd be interacting much with people around them anyway.

And, just so you know. My son turns his phone off when driving.

Sincerely,
Audrey



Webmistress:
The Web Home of Penn & Teller
Pennandteller.com

Most people o this planet are too ignorant or stupid to undestand the music of Stravinsky, Varese, Charlie Prker or Coltrane. So your quote that says "....I pick up the phone to catch up with a friend...because I know I won't get time otherwise. I find that I'd rather do that....than nod and smile at random people on the street" Has NOTHING whatsoever to do with my original point- that people on their cells pay little heed to their immediate surroundings. Life and what you perceive with ALL of your senses is much more important than some stupid phone call. just try it sometime- you have no idea what you're missing by devoting your entire concentration to one of your senses.

People are stupid if they don't like Stravinsky, but you confess to being too retarded to simultaneously understand (or think you understand) debt AND know how to use a telephone?

My dentist's assistant's kid is going to school in Beirut, Lebanon, learning Arabic. he pretends he's Canadian. How much do you think a cellphone will help him be safe?

Cell phones can't protect when they are not coupled with good decision making. I personally would not go to Beirut or any other Arab country. it just isn't safe.

(in the interest of full disclosure..my husband is Israeli. My children therefore are American and Israeli which factors into my decision to never visit an Arab country. It just isn't safe)



Sincerely,
Audrey



Webmistress:
The Web Home of Penn & Teller
Pennandteller.com

Good points about the kidnapping aspect. But maybe we need to take this one logical step further and jump on the implant bandwagon, to combat those those semi-intelligent kidnappers who actually search their victims for cell phones.

"Mexicans turn to radio implants as kidnaps soar"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4588658.ece

That's your argument? You can come up with a situation when a p[hone wouldn't help, therefore they are always useless?

Most people are SO ignorant of what's going on financially in this country, and yes, that affects all of us, that it's almost impossible to have a conversation with someone who knows anything about it. Cellphones are another distraction, like video games or I-Pods, to keep Americans from the knowledge that our total debt in this country is about 53 trillion dollars. There's a new documentary that just came out called I. O. U. S. A. I suggest everyone see it and forget about the bullshit of instant communication while the country goes down the shitter.

Kevin,

Forgot to mention...

Police officers often come to my school to talk to the children about safety. The police officers talked about cell phones. They told the children that if they are ever abducted by a stranger, they should try to turn their cell phones to quiet and hide the phone either on themselves ( if possible), in the car, or somewhere in the vicinity where they are taken. Most of the new phones can be used as tracking devices as long as the phone is letting out a signal.

False sense of security? Maybe. But, if there is a CHANCE it can help a kid....I'd sure want my kid to have it.

Just curious...do you have any children yourself?

Sincerely,
Audrey



Webmistress:
The Web Home of Penn & Teller
Pennandteller.com

Kevin

Basically, if people were listening to music that you mentioned in previous posts on their ipods while driving, walking their dog, shopping, etc, while not taking notice of the world around them and you, that would be ok,
but if they're on their cell phones talking to friends and family while driving, walking their dog, shopping, etc, while not taking notice of the world around them and you, that is not ok?

****
Tressa
http://www.myspace.com/23tressa

Per your post of August 24 2008, 4:07 AM: it's not just cellphones and people not paying attention to the world around them and you, it's now cellphones, ipods, video games and another device you don't particularly approve of and people not payint attention to the world around them and you, with a political argument thrown in as Mofobabe pretty much buried your cellphone issue?

How do you know those people on their cellphones/ipods walking their dogs or whatever don't also volunteer in some way to make this country better?

Of course people can abuse these things and hide behind them, but almost anything can be abused in that manner. Your argument is coming across reckless and incoherently; like the angry COW guy from the Manners episode of BS.

****
Tressa
http://www.myspace.com/23tressa

"Cellphones are another distraction, like video games or I-Pods, to keep Americans from the knowledge that our total debt in this country is about 53 trillion dollars. There's a new documentary that just came out called I. O. U. S. A. I suggest everyone see it and forget about the bullshit of instant communication while the country goes down the shitter."

This is the most intelligent thing mentioned in this thread. FAITH in this intentionally corrupt system of debt and phoney reserves is what got us here. The distractions of reality television, infotainment and text messaging are just a few of the blindfolds keeping us here, yes indeed.

So cell phones are distracting us from economic conspiracies while we are walking our dogs. What sort of socialist revolution do YOU conduct while walking your dog, since you are busy being blinded by a cell phone?

OK, Kevil Quail is just a troll. Now I get it.

Also, Kevin...

MIND YOUR OWN GOD DAMNED BUSINESS.

Kevin Quail - You jump to a lot of false conclusions. I don't happen to live in a high crime area, but you're assuming the only reason I want to stay connected to my kids is because they might become victims. It hasn't occurred to you that they might end up being witnesses to a crime and that camera phone might come in very handy in helping someone else. Not only can you call the police with it, but you can take a photo of the criminal.

And, I'm absolutely siding with Mofobabe about parenthood. A good parent never stops worrying about their children. It doesn't matter how old they are. Because your children never ask to be born, you have a responsibility to do whatever you can to give them the best shot at a good life as possible. And you know what? A lot of kids worry about their parents in the same way that their parents worry about them. That's why so many people take care of their elderly parents. Because when you love someone, you want them to be safe and happy.

Now, of course there are people who behave like idiots with their cell phones. Especially people who text and drive. But if someone is walking the dog and talking on the phone, at least they're getting some fresh air and exercise, and making Vitamin D in the sunshine.

Personally, i don't use a cell phone for the same reason i don't smoke. Cell phones are truly designed for the ignorant, i guess.

WARNING: When reading the following, try to picture my talking in a laconic drawl, rather than an angry rant.

Umm... what about those of us who don't give a fuck about listening to birds twitter? What about those of us who prefer to talk to someone rather than stare at strangers? If a motherfucker wants to catch some cockdamned sun and fresh air, AND talk to their friend at the same time, who the fuck are you to get your panties in a twist about it?

I, personally hate cellphones, but as with doing drugs and sucking cock, just because I don't want to even try something, doesn't make it my moral imperative to rail against these things.

I do, however, like listening to music. My dumb ass isn't into classical music. I'm sure you will be appalled, but I rather enjoy listening to The Ramones and Slayer and all kinda of fun and loud shit. I like to get some fresh air, and chill at one of the many awesome public parks in Portland, but I think that some killer punk rock or metal is far more interesting than the random blather about the weather with someone that I wouldn't talk to, because I am a surly New Englander, and I'm not into talking to strangers.*

Holy crap... that was way more angry sounding than I intended.

Words and stuff,
Big Frankie

P.S.: I'm baaaack!

*We're gonna need some serious forensic english-teachering to diagram that mutilated run-on sentence.

I forgot to make one more point. Taking away someone's cell phone is not going to make them more in tune with the environment, politics, or socioeconomics. People who act like idiots with cell phones also act like idiots when they don't have cell phones. Technology does not make someone smarter or dumber. It's just a tool like a hammer.

"Most people are SO ignorant of what's going on financially in this country, and yes, that affects all of us, that it's almost impossible to have a conversation with someone who knows anything about it. Cellphones are another distraction, like video games or I-Pods, to keep Americans from the knowledge that our total debt in this country is about 53 trillion dollars."

If you're so concerned about information and the financial well being of the country you would not be railing against what you just railed against.

Cell Phones are a communication hub that allows you to get as much info as humanly possible...
iPods allow you to listen to music which is where most info in a culture has come from. Revolutions, love, peace, war. It's all in the music.
And if you weren't so stuck up about video games you would know that. Know why? They are a medium that allows you to learn with 4 out of your 5 senses and it is a medium that informs much better than all previous mediums when used right. Pick up Eternal Sonata. While it isn't the greatest game around it does put forth philosophy, music, history, politics, ethics, and number of other things and that the game allows a person to learn far easier and clearer than a class could.

All these things that your type of person hates is what drives human advancement and solutions to problems. Comics, Musics, Movies, Video Games, Books; They all inspire people to educate themselves and discover and advance further.

Oh and by the way that money your so worried about... the way that gets taken care of is by removing money, changing the government, or producing a large amount of wealth which is done by supporting these industries, not withholding.

And I'm not even gonna go into talking about the horrible shit you cause by removing something from someone that is in the culture. This I know from experience.

I wear a T-shirt that says "Please do not engage in conversation in which I am not involved within five feet" in bold letters

And I carry a nerf bat to enforce my law.

"I forgot to make one more point. Taking away someone's cell phone is not going to make them more in tune with the environment, politics, or socioeconomics."

Sure it would, taking the proverbial carrot away will always promote free-thinking. I have actually seen people trip and fall while on their cell phone. Kids today especially, are even more apathetic than they were just ten years and guess what they are most preoccupied with today next to video games? The company my wife manages has an extremely high turnover rate due largely to cell phone abuse. I swear, a good majority of kids today are literally being called by their cell phones like i have only seen with hard drug use. They are more worried about that incoming text message or when they will next be able to sneak away and respond then they are their job. All sarcasm aside, it's bad out there and this equivocation we've created to further enable cell phones is ridiculous.

I think the OP's reaction to people using cell phones is a bit over the top, but, at the same time, I do get a similar, "For Christ's sake, hang up the fucking phone!" feeling now and then myself when I see strangers engaged in pointless cell phone blather. (At least as it often seems pointless to me -- I'm not claiming omniscient insight into the importance or lack thereof of other people's conversations.)

I remember one time being in line at the bank. The woman in front of me was on her cell phone the entire time she was in line (5-10 minutes as I recall), and kept talking even while she was doing business with the bank teller. It was as if the phone was surgically attached to the side of her face. I watched as she left the bank, got into her minivan, backed out of her parking space, and drove off... all while never putting the phone down for even a moment.

It's none of my business, of course, how other people waste their time. At the point, however, that the woman wouldn't hang up to talk to the bank teller, that was pretty obvious rudeness by nearly anyone's standards. At the point she started backing up a minivan in a busy parking lot while keeping her cell phone pressed against her ear with her shoulder she became not merely rude, but a public safety hazard.

What I could overhear of her conversation indicated no major crisis being dealt with, no terribly vital business being conducted. The conversation was something like "And he was like wow, and Kevin goes 'What's up with that?' No, no, Chris wasn't there. I mean like, you know, they're just like friends an all, but he's like all, you know, whatever...". One word kept ringing in my mind while watching this woman and listening to her speak: vapid.