Seattle Press on Line - Preventing Public Use of Cell Phones

Preventing Public Use of Cell Phones

By Charles Nevi

May 03, 2001 -- At first I defended the use of cell phones in public. What's the big deal? If someone wants to make a phone call in a public place, so what? Why should that mean anything to me, or to anyone else? Everyone has rights to freedom of speech, and everyone should be able to exercise those rights whenever he or she so desires. A phone call, even when made in public where others can eavesdrop, is a guaranteed Constitutional right.

At least that was my initial reasoning. But my mind seemed to be in conflict with my emotions. Intellectually, I was a defender of public cell phone use, but my emotional wisdom was not giving me the same message.

Eventually I realized why we should ban the use of cell phones in public. First is the obvious reason, that there is clearly an invasion of privacy. But it is not the privacy of the cell phone user that is being invaded. That person has abdicated all rights to privacy by the public use of the phone. It is my privacy that is being invaded. I have a right not to be subjected to other people's phone calls.

But there is a more important, a more fundamental reason to object. Public cell phone use forces me into voyeurism. I am forced into the perversity of eavesdropping on others. And try as I might, I cannot help but like it. We all have a bit of the voyeur in us. But as long as we stay on the sidewalk during an evening stroll, for example, and do not creep closer to the window for a better look at what might be going on in the privacy of our neighbor's bedroom, we are legal. Our curiosity may make us feel a bit guilty, but we have it under control and we are still legitimate. Public cell phone use pushes us past the status of minor guilt and technical legality and forces us to confront the fact that, when given the opportunity, we are as perverse and as guilty as any convicted voyeur. We enjoy listening in on the cell phone conversations. We don't want to enjoy it, and we try to force ourselves not to listen, but the reality is that we are reveling in the perverse voyeurism of cell phone eavesdropping. We are guilty, and rather than being disgusted with ourselves, we are relishing our criminal activity.

What can we do to cure this sickness? The first step, of course, as in any perverse addiction, is to admit guilt. We have to confront our feelings about public cell phone use. We have to admit that we listen to the conversations of others and that we enjoy it, even though the act is contrary to everything we have been taught about public decency and respecting the privacy of others. We have succumbed to our perverse tendencies and become full fledged voyeurs and we must admit it to ourselves.

After the admission of guilt, our only hope is to take the offensive, to attack the root cause, which is, of course, the cell phone user. I have adopted a simple three-step plan to cure the problem, but I cannot implement the cure by myself. I will need the help of everyone who has succumbed to this perverse voyeurism.

Step One: Active Listening

The first step is active listening. We must not be coy about our addiction. We must look the cell phone user in the eye, we must nod in agreement with points being made in the conversation with which we agree, and we must disagree, with a frown or scowl, with points we do not support. Above all, we must clearly demonstrate that we are listening, carefully, and that we care about the details of the conversation.

Step Two: Participation

After becoming skilled at active listening, we must move on to a bit bolder approach. We must ask questions of the cell phone user when we desire clarification or additional information, and we must disagree when it seems appropriate. "Where did you get married?" was an appropriate question in a recent conversation in which I was involved with a cell phone user. Another likely question: "Do you really think this is a good time to make such an investment given the current volatility of the market?" You have already made it clear that you are listening and that you care about the details of the conversation, and now you must demonstrate that you also care about the person and the issues that made this person feel this public phone call was necessary.

Step Three: Third Party Intervention

Once you have become adept and comfortable with actively listening and participating, it is time to address the person receiving the phone call. Ask, politely of course, if you can speak to the person on the other end of the line. You cannot be arbitrary about this. You must have a question to ask or a point to make. But if you have been doing a good job of actively listening and participating it shouldn't be difficult to be able to ask pertinent questions. There is no need to identify yourself by name. Simply explain that you have been listening and that there is something you need to say.

These three simple steps should do it. They will cure the sickness of cell phone voyeurism, but only if practiced by significant numbers of voyeurs in a variety of settings. In time, and it may take a few months, public cell phone use will decrease to minimal levels for the simple reason that cell phone users will be most unwilling to make calls in public. And our perverse addiction will be cured. The cure is in the elimination of the behavior that causes the voyeurism, the elimination of public cell phone use.

Once the cause has been eliminated, we must then hope that our voyeurism, having been activated and enjoyed, remains under control and doesn't break out in some other set of circumstances. Recidivism is a concern. Control will be difficult. Having had a taste of the pleasures of evil, it will not be easy to keep our desires under control. But we must work at staying chaste. We must force ourselves to stay on the sidewalks of life, no matter how attractive the windows might be. And we must be ever vigilant and on the offensive if anyone does dare expose his or her cell phone in public.

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Lloyd Miles	May 05, 2001	Medford, Or.	retired
Charles Nice piece on the use of cell phones, your right on my privacy being invaded. They are a life saver for many in business and emergencys. To many more they are a novelty. When we are out to a quite dinner and someone's cell phone is ringing over and over my privacy has been invaded. To be in a meeting and hear the same thing again my privacy has been invaded again. I really think an hour or so with out a phone call will not hurt anyone. Keep up the writing and maybe it will stir the pot a little. Lloyd Miles