Hang Up and Predict

Tired of all those folks who talk on their cell phones while perusing the frozen food choices at the supermarket? And those who flip on their phones the second the plane lands? What about the people who use the devices while driving? Remember when then Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani took a call from his wife while he was addressing the NRA? Some legislatures have tried to crack down on the yakking while driving problem–notably lately California and Washington. Those states now require drivers to use headsets to mininize distractions. But CNN meteorlogist Reynolds Wolf doesn’t take the newly launched “Cell Phone Courtesy Month” seriously–or does he? He tosses his offending cell phone when it rings on air. (Warning–loooong video clip).

Well, just my two cents. I’m for some cell phone courtesy. I’ve had students interrupt scheduled meetings with me to take cell phone calls. One young woman was interviewing me for a paper she was writing for an undergraduate class in journalism school. Another student wanted a letter of recommendation. The majority of students don’t take cell phone calls, but they don’t turn off their cell phones, either. They leave them on “ring” or “vibrate”, and they check to see who’s calling. It might be someone more important with whom they are meeting, even if that meeting is scheduled.