Turn OFF That Cellphone!
Should cellphones be banned/blocked in certain places?
Yesterday, Rhonda posted about a Korean couple whose baby died due to their neglect as they took care of a virtual baby. While technology has (arguably) improved many aspects of modern society, the way it alters social interaction, behaviour and boundaries continues to see both positive and negative outcomes.
Case in point: Two weeks ago, a movie patron complained about a woman who was talking on her cellphone in the theatre. She and two male patrons then left the theatre. The two male patrons subsequently returned a few minutes later and stabbed the complainer with a meat thermometer, critically injuring him. Two other patrons who came to his aid were also hurt in the altercation. The suspects remain at large.
While my smartphone is always a few feet away, my lifeline to friends, family and the Internet, even I have my limits and believe that there are certain places where cellphones should just not be allowed, or at the very least, put on silent or vibrate.
While cellphone jamming is illegal in North America, certain jurisdictions and venues are debating the loosening of these rules. A jail in Maryland is already testing cellphone jamming to prevent inmates from communicating illicitly with the outside world. Closer to home, last year, a principal in British Columbia installed a cellphone jammer to stop students from the incessantly texting and using their cellphones during school hours but was forced to stop using the illegal device.
Around the world, different countries have varying rules as to where cellphones can be jammed: Dozens of countries, including Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Turkey and others, allow the police or prison officials to use jammers. Chinese and Indian schools use jammers to stop cheaters. Mexico allows jammers in churches and hospitals and Pakistan allows jamming in banks and libraries.
While some people bring up the legitimate point that jamming cellphones means they cannot make calls to emergency services, there are still enough landlines around that one is never far away.
The flip side of this coin is the protest that occurred when analog cellular service was deactivated. Many customers and companies complained that this was leaving them in the dark and that it was the providers’ “responsibility” to continue the service. At the time, some systems such as pagers, in-vehicle telematics systems (like OnStar) and alarms were still using the old analog system and would require upgrades.
Similar to how analog over-the-air-TV has been deactivated in the US and is scheduled to be deactivated in Canada starting September 2011, newer technologies with more capabilities slowly displace legacy ones.
The debate on how, when and where we use technology will continue but we can’t forget or put aside how technology is fundamentally changing the way we behave, for better or worse.
Cell phones are a great devise but we have to concider others when using them. There is no need for cell phone usage in the classroom. Parents that need to contact their children at school can still call the school and they will get the message to them or have them call from their personal cells during break periods. There is no place for people having an argument on their cell phones in a public place I certainly don’t want to hear it. I think for emergencies etc. you cannot beat a cellphone i.e i remember my car breakin down on a highway before Cell was widely available and that’s a lonely plae to be. There are endles reasons for us to have a cell but we must concoder others when using them in public. Do youreally want everyone in the knowing your business
Respect, Compassion, & Common sensc could fix this problem. !!
You are soooo correct on that Carol, however, those three are almost totaly absent in todays “me me me’ mentality…It comes as a breath of fresh air that there are folks like yourself still out there, BLESS YOU…Old school Grumpy old fart is on your team…..
Cell phones should be blocked in dining rooms.
Cell phones should not be allowed on golf courses
Turn off stupid people!
i agree totally, but you can’t turn off stupid, with each new generation it gets worse,Carol and grumpy could not have said it better.
I agree that cellphone users have become increasingly selfish and rude not to mention dangerous when driving. Gads. Can’t people do without constantly blabbering on their cells. It seems that people are talking more and communicating less. I would love to have a jammer to make those cellphone junkies around me just shut up.
Cell phone should be banned for the most part. Best thing is to take them back to the size they were in the 70′s and 80′s. The prices should also go up. ie a $1 or 5 per call. No free phones and a deposit on it as many change their phone when a new one comes out and toss the old one.
The health risks should also be investigated completely. Both from the user stand point but also from the general environment view. Non ionising radiation.
Kids should not have them.
I see people all the time wandering around talking on them about absolutely nothing. Some of them have be careless and walked across a street and been hit. I’d ban their use in cars completely by the driver.
Would we allow a bus driver to chat on the phone. Hands free or not.
Places should be allowed to block them ie theatres, restaurants, schools,etc.
No phone call is that important and if it is, then stay at home to wait for it.
Since they are mostly GPS enabled would you walk around with a tracking device so the government can keep an eye on you.
I really have no problem with jammers in certain areas if the use of cell phones are proving to be disruptive to the surroundings, such as in schools or theaters. I understand that in this day and age cell phones are a lifeline for many people but they really are a privilege, not a right. In most circumstances people can go for a couple hours without them and it won’t change their lives either way. I use my cell quite frequently but seriously, if someone really can’t turn their cell off in a movie theater for two hours, especially after paying $12 for a ticket, stay home and watch the movie on dvd. Then they can talk and text throughout their movie all they want.
Cell phones should be banned altogether PERIOD. Worse invention ever.
99.99% of people dont need one.
I totally agree. We already have internet, email and heaven knows what else if you just want to kill time. Most cell users don’t know how stupid they look sorting through canned goods at the supermarket and yammering away or walking down an isle or street trying to text at the same time. Yeeesh!!
Why have people become so addicted to their cell phones? I go days without packing my cell with me. If there is something important that someone has to tell me I will get the message one way or another. People have got to start talking with people face to face. We are turning into a society of blabbermouths with nothing to say of any importance. In an emergency, fine, use your cell but otherwise just shut up!!
I agree Denn just make them shut up.Most of us did just fine without a cell phone.Just a money making world.I spend a lot of my time at home.When i go out all i see all around me is people talking on the cell phone man get a life.I go out to get away from the house and the phone.Nothing more annoying then standing in line and listing to someone on there cell phone.Just shut up and get off the phone.Yes i have a cell phone but i also have respect for others i leave mine in the car. I remember at one time you could only use your phone in the car should be like that now so the rest of us can have some peace.And schools i thought it was a place to learn.Parents make a call to the school if you really have to talk to your kids.
Cell phone use OK:
At the mall.
At the park.
Amusement park.
Sitting in your car in the parking lot.
At a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc.
On the train as long as it’s on silent.
Waiting rooms as long as it’s on silent.
Cell phone use not OK:
WHILE DRIVING!
Flying
In a theater (playhouse or movie theater).
At church
In areas of the hospital with sensitive equipment or in patients’ rooms.
Wedding
Funeral
Museum
Formal or family dining situations.
During class (unless it’s a compulsory class that the law forces you to go to).
I remember hearing of a cell phone that only allowed outgoing calls to predetermined numbers and incoming calls. What happened to these? They would solve a lot of problems with younger users.
I’m a big believer in that just because I have a cell phone doesn’t mean that I’m available 24/7. If someone is calling and I can’t, or simply don’t want to, answer, I don’t. It has nothing to do with the person that’s calling me, just sometimes I’m not available, be it a meeting, movie, or wanting some time by myself.
These are tools to help your life, don’t let them run it!
I definitely think cell phones should have a time and place, and most importantly, parents should teach kids how too use cell phones cauciously. Maybe the best way to do this is to buy them a prepaid cell phone to start off. I bought my 12 year old boy a basic black NET10 prepaid phone. It has no great features but works great! He gets about 200 minutes every month to use how ever he wants, which translates into $20 expense for me. At 10 cents a minute and 5 cents a call, it does not allow for him to be glued to the cell at all times. This teaches him the reponsibility of owning a cell phone, sets limits on usage and gives him a clear idea of budgeting. I’ve asked him to contribute at least $5 of his allowance every month to pay for it, so it’s really to his best interest not to go over the allowed minutes. This can only happen with a prepaid phone, especially with one where nothing is unlimited.
Well I like the idea of banning cellphones inside the bank… banning cellphones in such areas is really very necessary it is protecting the bank and depositors from robbers in and out of the bank. It just to bad that such device is used for bad acts.