I saw it yet again just last week– yet another example of extremely dangerous driving caused by drivers using hand held cellphones. But it is hardly just the driving issues that are problematic about cellphones. Consider the article in this morning’s New York Times—
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/education/20wired.html?th&emc=th
Boredom— cellphones seen as the cure for boredom. Now boredom in most cases is the state of mind of those who lack imagination and therefore require all kinds of stimuli to prevent them from losing interest in things, and even in life.
This word just in— watching a video or a TV show or a movie on a tiny screen the size of six postage stamps is: 1) a waste of time; 2) not good for your eyesight; 3) a distraction from various other things you ought to be doing, like paying attention to other people, to your teachers, to driving etc. In short, the cellphone has become the ultimate feeder of narcissism, of the self withdrawn into the self (or is it cellph).
I cannot tell you how many times I have had to tell my students “turn off your cellphones in class”. It’s a ridiculous situation. Almost nothing warrants them being on in such settings, unless of course Grandma is in a coma and you are waiting for a call to rush to the hospital.
We frankly do not need instant sports score updates, instant dating updates, instant trivial family info updates and so on. The cellphone feeds obsessive compulsive behavior with young person after young person constantly fiddling and fiddling with their cellphone in order to entertain themselves, to self-medicate, to distract them from what they ought to be doing, including WORK (imagine that). And all in the cause of relieving boredom. The irony is they are seeking connection and networking, but only in an indirect way, avoiding relating directly to the people standing right in front of them! This doesn’t produce social coping skills, it helps people fail to learn 1) how to relate to strangers; 2) how to deal with awkward or difficult situations. No, we are just going to talk to people in our ‘calling circle’ or to our Facebook friends.
Hardly anything is more irritating than to go to a movie and hear cellphones go off in the middle of the picture, and even worse, people starting talking on those brain cancer producing objects. The real coup de grace for me last week was reading about a person buried with a working cellphone turned on, so they could contact their living loved ones when they finished the journey to the other side—- CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW takes on new meaning.
So what do we do about this? Well, I’m not suggesting we ban the cellphone. They have their uses when one is traveling and needs help or one absolutely has to get hold of some loved one for some important reason. My suggestion is that first of all we need to eliminate the danger these little mechanical devices cause, namely we need very strict laws with stiff penalties against driving while either texting or calling on a hand-held cellphone. Hand’s free is another story. That’s still distracting, but apparently no more so than fiddling with the heat or the CD player. Thank goodness some cities and States have begun enacting such laws— now they need to enforce them.
Secondly, schools need to adopt strict guidelines and policies about when and where one can use a cellphone. For example, at my school it is permitted to use a cellphone IN THE LIBRARY!! In fact there is only one floor of the library where it is not permitted. This is ridiculous. A library is supposed to be a sanctuary away from cellphones so people can concentrate and actually read and do research. If one needs to use the cellphone whilst in such a public place, go outside or in the bathroom!!
Thirdly, despite our inherent sense of self-importance, MOST PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO HEAR YOUR OWN PRIVATE PHONE CHIT CHAT! So how about being considerate of others when you use your cellphone in public? What a novel idea. It would be nice if the cellphone companies, with their exorbitant phone rates and zillions in profits would encourage responsible use of the device, and inform the customer as to what constitutes misuse, but I suppose that’s rather like asking the fox to guard the hen house.
Fourthly, do not interrupt a conversation with a person right in front of you to either: 1) check your cellphone messages; 2) do a text; or 3) take a call unless you know its something pressing. You do not HAVE to take a certain call at a certain moment in time for the most part. This is especially so AT WORK. Cellphone’s should be off at work, so that you can…… wait for it……. WORK.
I could say a lot more on this subject.,… but you’ll have to excuse me….. my cellphone is ringing with a call from Publisher’s Clearing House 
posted January 20, 2010 at 9:07 am
Our church has a policy of no cellphones, but the ushers, or should it be hushers (from the old joke), are ill prepared. The other day, a young man got a call in the middle of the sermon. He not only answered the call, he talked for ten minutes with at least 200 pairs of eyes glaring at him. I know, for I turned around a looked at everyone else. No one got him to stop, but neither did the sermon. Do you happen to know what the sermon was about? ‘Cause it was lost on me! The sanctuary was not a sanctuary that day. You wonder if it ever is.
Thanks for you comments. I often forget to turn my cellphone off. My wife is usually the only one that calls me, and at church and the library, she’s usually with me.
posted January 20, 2010 at 9:14 am
My way of solving this problem for myself is— I don’t carry one around at all, unless I am on the road, or there is a very good reason I must do so. Problem solved.
BW3
posted January 20, 2010 at 9:54 am
While I do agree that driving while talking on a cellphone is very dangerous for some people (maybe even most), and may well be a good thing to legislate against it, I think that it is really not going to solve the problem.
The real problem lies in our growing cultural narcissism that says everything we have to say or do is the most important thing in the world at that instant, even if it endangers the people around us. Most seem to be too self involved to realize that they are even distracted while they are doing this at the wheel.
So, I don’t know how to fix the problem our our radical individualism/narcissism, but I do know that no amount of legislation can stop people from doing this. Not only that, but there is no way law enforcement stands a chance of catching even a fraction of those who do it. Then you are left with laws that are like the laws against speeding or wearing seatbelts. They do very little to make anyone safer and really become a tool to generate revenue.
posted January 20, 2010 at 10:03 am
It is also true that some people at work use cell phones for work. By using my flat-rate long distance plan on my cell phone, I can marginally save my employer some money by making work related long distance calls on my cell phone instead of using the my office phone. Pennies, to be sure, but a small way to assist.
Agreed on the driving thing. I can no longer distinguish between drunk drivers and texting drivers!
I tell students in class that if their phone rings, I will mock them openly unless they have a very cool ring-tone.
posted January 20, 2010 at 12:22 pm
One problem is that even if everyone tries to do the right thing, like turn off the cellphone in a theater, because nearly everybody has one on their person, there’s always going to be a small percentage that in the hustle and bustle of moving around, leave the phone in ring mode.
I don’t know how you deal with that, other than (illegal?) signal-blocking technology.
Or perhaps in the future cellphones will be designed to “go silent” when it is in the proximity of a special small-wattage/small-radius signal.
posted January 20, 2010 at 9:18 pm
I think I visit with some of Fr. Nouwen’s writing on solitude are worth noting in all of this. Why are we so afraid of being alone that the instant we have a sub par moment like taking the cat to the vet, everyone needs to know? Dr. Witherington, you pointed out many of the outcomes of a person with no peace in their life, I’d like to add that it is not socially acceptable to be alone anymore. When some new piece of information becomes available, we fight to see who can learn it and disburse it the fastest. Who really knows the motives of a heart like that. I certainly can put myself in that category. A friend once told me there are times in silence when the Jesus in one communicates with the Jesus in another. *shrug* It may not be Biblically founded, but try arguing that with a monk!
My two cents. Thanks for your contribution. I’ve been reading and following you for some time. Treat Dr. Fred Long well. He was my old NT prof at Bethel. = )
posted January 21, 2010 at 12:48 am
Irony – A Motorola Tracfone advertisement at the bottom of this article.
posted January 21, 2010 at 9:15 am
Like anything else, our societal/behavioural code will “evolve” as we incorporate these little devices into everyday life. Yes, there will be some conflict, but eventually a new set of manners, etiquette, and boundaries will emerge. Nothing to worry about.
About driving and cellphones, I do not think a government should be so paternalistic.
posted January 21, 2010 at 10:42 am
Please tell me Daniel that you are not one of those ‘we don’t really need laws and enforcement to stop bad behavior’ folks.
BW3
posted January 21, 2010 at 11:36 am
Several years ago I was in the Dallas area for a concert. The route to the concert I had to take that day involved driving a short distance on Hway 360 near Interstate 30 in Arlington. Now, anyone familiar with the Arlington area knows how jam packed crazy busy that particular road is especially with evening or morning commute. The morning of the concert I was heading out on 360 to get to a restaurant to get some breakfast, the traffic was crazy busy. Got to the intersection where I had to make a left hand turn and to my right was a very large woman crammed into a very small sedan talking on a cell phone who was obviously upset about something and was yelling and screaming beyond belief and obviously quite emotionally upset AND not focused on her driving. In the process of making the left hand turn that she was making as well she cut over into my lane nearly taking out the right side of my vehicle. Had I not moved out of the way and honked my horn she would have hit me going at a rather substantial speed because this was one of those large move fast sort of intersections you would find in a large move fast sort of city. Absolutely ridiculous.
posted January 21, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Could not agree more!
One more observation:
In my church service, the parents typically allow the teen plus kids to sit together with their friends. Rather than talk on the cell phone during the service, they simply text each other! Yikes! So much for learning something important…
posted January 21, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Mobiles are banned here in Australia while your car is switched on. As in, ignition on, not even allowed to touch your phone.
If my memory serves, the penalty is immediate loss of license since their recent tightening of the rules.
posted January 21, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Sorry to disappoint you Dr. Witherington….I am indeed a Christian libertarian!