[Vision2020] Wireless Manners

Wed Oct 19 12:20:39 PDT 2005

Since I will be traveling tomorrow and get to spend time in the Lewiston, 
Salt Lake City, Phoenix and El Paso terminals, Mike's advice is much 
appreciated.  My pet peeve?  Ringtones that play obnoxious tunes.  The irony 
of this is that my own phone has specific tones for certain callers, and not 
even I can pretend that "Pachelbel's Canon in D" sounds good via an LG 
series 80.  Still, I like knowing who's calling first so I can spit out my 
gyros before answering . . .

Given Mike's Old West metaphor below, I'm going to key his number in under 
the theme for "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" --- da, da, da, da, da, 
daaaa DAAAAAAAA da . . .

keely

From: "Michael Curley" <curley at turbonet.com>
Reply-To: curley at turbonet.com
To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>, "Art Deco" <deco at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Wireless Manners
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 10:46:18 -0700

Yes, particularly in airline terminals where for some reason certain
folks seem to want to shout into their cell phones.  The best defense
is to just move away when possible, but often it isn't.  I do try the
icy stare or first, the imploring/pleading look.  When those don't
work, I "draw" my own cell phone--perfect that here in the West where
guns were once worn on the hip, we now wear cell phones...and i
either place a real or imagined call to someone to whom i say in a
very loud voice--SPEAK UP, THERE'S SOMEONE SHOUTING INTO HIS CELL
PHONE HERE, AND I CAN'T HEAR YOU.  this usually does the trick and
draws a few smiles from others who have been trying to ignore the
shouter.

If that the doesn't work, final move is to go stand/sit next to the
person  and continue speaking very loudly into my cell phone.  Most
will move, but those who don't are at least as inconvenienced as the
rest of us.

Maybe a more neighborly and less offensive way would be to pull out a
sheet of paper and draw:  BUY A BETTER CELL PHONE, THEN YOU WON'T
HAVE TO YELL AS IF YOU'RE ON TIN CANS AND A STRING, but that would
assume the person isn't so self-absorbed that s/he would actually
read it.

Mike

On 18 Oct 2005 at 18:39, Art Deco wrote:

Yes, and stop signs and stop lights too.

W.
     ----- Original Message -----
From: Avix Magister
To: Art Deco
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 5:31 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Wireless Manners

On 10/18/05, Art Deco <deco at moscow.com> wrote:
     All,

Below is a short discussion from CNN about wireless manners. Have
any other V 2020 readers had similar expereinces? Any suggestions
for handling the most intrusive ones?

Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com

can we get this to apply to turn signals as well?

     Where are your wireless manners?
     As public unplugs, rudeness seems to be getting worse
     By Amy Cox
     CNN
     Tuesday, October 18, 2005; Posted: 10:58 a.m. EDT (14:58 GMT)
(CNN) -- The only thing advancing quicker than wireless innovation
may be the rudeness of the people using the technology, experts say.
"The more gadgets there are, the worse things seem to get. People get
really wrapped up in their little technological world, and they
forget that there are other people out there," said Honore Ervin, co-
author of "The Etiquette Grrls: Things You Need to Be Told." "Just
because it's there at your disposal, doesn't mean you have to use it
24/7."
A recent poll by market research company Synovate showed that 70
percent of 1,000 respondents observed manner-less technology use in
others at least on a daily basis.
About the same percentage saw the poorest etiquette in cell phone
users over other devices. The worst habit? Loud phone conversations
in public places, or "cell yell," according to 72 percent of the
Americans polled.
This world without wires allows technology to ride shotgun throughout
daily life, which, for the most part, is a convenient and useful
tool. But it's the lack of a politeness protocol that has some up in
arms.
"Cell phones obviously are the big, big thing. People use them
anywhere and everywhere," Ervin said. "At the movies -- turn off your
cell phone. I don't want to pay $10 to be sitting next to some guy
chitchatting to his girlfriend on his cell phone."
She also cites the growing complaints by her readers and friends of
cell phone use at events such as church services, funerals or school
graduations, "and that's just wrong," she said.
This rudeness has deteriorated public spaces, according to Lew
Friedland, a communications professor at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison. He calls the lack of manners a kind of unconscious rudeness,
as many people are not aware of what they're doing or the others
around them.
"I think it's really noticeable in any plane, train or bus where
you're essentially subjected against your will to someone else's
conversation," he said. "You can listen to intimate details of their
uncle's illness, relationship problems with their lovers, their
breakups and what they're having for dinner.
"It takes what was a public common space and starts to parcel it out
and divide it up into small private space."
On his frequent bus rides from Madison to Milwaukee over the years,
Friedland said he's watched the arc of cell phone use and rudeness in
an informal, but telling, experiment. A short time ago, if cell phone
users were politely asked to talk quietly, they would comply with
chagrin, he said.
"Now I'm finding more and more people are essentially treating you
like it's your problem, like you don't understand that loud cell
phone use is normal in public."
But it's not just phones. As Wi-Fi continues to grow in public
places, the rules of etiquette for use are up for debate.
"In general, Wi-Fi is terrific ... but what is troublesome is when
people use it in cafes or coffee shops, and they just camp out there
forever," Ervin said. "They're doing their taxes there. They'll put
together three tables so they'll have room to spread out. That's just
not right.
"If you go to someplace like that, you stay there 20 minutes and then
leave. It's not your living room. Public places are not to be
abused."
And typing on a BlackBerry or other PDAs to stay connected is fine,
but just don't use them while talking to someone else, Ervin said.
"It makes people feel insignificant."
'Like swatting mosquitoes'
But what's the proper etiquette for dealing with cell phone faux pas
or people who've shunned you for their BlackBerry?
A low-tech solution is what Ervin calls the "Etiquette Grrls' Icy
Glare," a shooting daggers-evil eye combo.
"It reminds people of school librarians and mean teachers," she said.
"If that doesn't work, turn around and say very quietly, 'Do you
mind?' I think most people are not going to be mean about it because
they just don't realize what they're doing."
As more people reach their boiling points for bad wireless manners,
Ervin said she believes society will shift toward less tolerance for
inconsiderate behavior and less reasons for the "Icy Glare."
"Once the majority of people begin to get annoyed at this sort of
thing, there are going to be rules in places like at cafes for a 20-
minute limit for using your computer and that sort of thing."
Friedland agrees that people have to set the rules but debates
whether it will ever happen. "You can pass legislation about talking
on cell phones in public, but it's virtually unenforceable," he said.
He also said the public has yet to reach its limit for tolerating
cell phone abuse. He sees people more or less resigned to it.
"It's like swatting at mosquitoes essentially," he said. "You can get
one or two, but if there's a swarm of them around you, you just kind
of give up or get out of the way. I think cell phones' use in public
spaces is partly having the same kind of effect."
But Ervin said she has faith that courtesy will prevail over bad
wireless manners.
"I don't like to be too cynical," she said. "Maybe I'm wrong, but I
hope not."

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_____________________________________________________
  List services made available by First Step Internet,
  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
                http://www.fsr.net
           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

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