Quoted Text

Slave to a cellphone

   For whatever reason — and it definitely seemed calculated — Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani stopped a speech to the National Rifle Association in mid-stream last week to take a cellphone call from his wife. Whatever Giuliani was trying to prove — that he’s got a sense of humor? that he’s human? that he really believes family comes first? — he managed to call attention to a growing social problem around the world today: proper cellphone etiquette.
   Yes, just about everyone everywhere owns one of these gadgets, so it’s time to get over it. You don’t have to be showing it off all the time, it won’t burn a hole in your pocket or people won’t think you’re not important if you go more than five minutes without using it. You’ll still get your money’s worth even if you don’t use every last minute available under your monthly plan. And if you absolutely, positively feel a need to talk on it all the time, for goodness sakes, get out of earshot.
   There’s a time and a place for cellphone calls. Life-threatening emergencies — “the house is on fire!” “I’ve been in an accident!” — are obviously clear priorities. Important business messages are a distant second — “Don’t shake anyone’s hand till you’ve heard my offer.” Even a mundane domestic request — “honey, can you pick up a gallon of milk on your way home” — isn’t unreasonable, depending on the circumstances (not while driving, thank you).
   People shouldn’t be making trivial calls when they know the recipient is busy with something important (like making a speech for president). Nor do people engaged in important activities have to take every phone call: Voice mail, a feature with most plans, enables callers to leave messages; and most phones are equipped with vibration ringers, so even if a call does come through, everyone around doesn’t have to know about it. And if you feel obligated to take a call, leave the room or, if that’s not possible, go off in a corner so as not to provide a distraction. And keep the call short!
   Cellphones have been around long enough now that the novelty should have worn off and users should have figured proper etiquette for them. Unfortunately, an incident like Giuliani’s awkward speech interruption indicates otherwise.