Cell Phone Rudeness and Stupidity

Cell phones have become a part of our everyday lives. Hell, they've been a part of our everyday lives for years now. The fact that they have been such a part of our daily lives, you'd figure that people would have finally adjusted to the right times and places to use them. I mean after all this time, and all the years of complaints and arguments both pro and con, you'd figure our society would have come to some consensus about their usage and when and where it is appropriate. One place where their use is inappropriate would be in any room where the following is posted: "THE USE OF CELL PHONES IS NOT PERMITTED IN THIS AREA. PLEASE USE THE LOBBY AND CORRIDOR NEAR THE ELEVATORS." Not very cryptic and it seems to be written in the common tongue of our country. So you would think that people would get the idea? Wrong! I spent most of my day in the Prince Georges County Permits and Review Office and was amazed at how rude and selfish people can be when it comes to the use of their cell phones. What the hell did these assholes do before cell phones? I can understand if you are there and it's your first time and your phone rings and you instinctively answer it. It's become second nature to us. And in defense of those in line with me, the signs weren't right in front of you. Well, almost, but not quite, so I can maybe see that you missed them. But in the waiting room itself, which really isn't that large of a space, it was posted in no less than 10 locations. It was posted twice on the forward wall, three times on the side wall, on the back of the computer facing the line, once on the far wall, once on the back wall, on the door to the office and on a big sign hanging above the desk. Unless you are blind, stupid or just can't read English you CAN'T miss these signs. They all look the same, they all say the exact same thing and they are all larger than anything else on the walls. It was the first thing I saw once I entered the room. Yet for some reason, there are those few people who think that the rule is for everyone but them. I spent most of my waiting time listening to this guy talk to his wife and give her a "honey do" list for the day. He also walked her through which credit card payments he wanted her to make, caught up on the day's gossip and chatted her up about their dinner plans. WTF! I don't want to listen to this guys conversation, and the room isn’t' that big, so no matter where I'm sitting, I can here this guy talking. Apparently the use of a cell phone magically transports people to a land where they think they are the ONLY ONES IN THE ROOM! There were two other people in the room who felt the same as this guy and were chatting away with their friends and/or significant others. It might not have been that bad if they were at least discussing why they were there or getting some other tidbit of information that would make their filing run that much smoother, but no, every conversation had to do with their own personal bullshit. I even pointed out the sign to the guy dealing with his wife and asked if he minded and he looked at me like I was purple with 7 heads (he then went back to talking to his wife like I didn't even exist - Asshole).

Now for the stupidity. Before I start I have to explain the Burger King layout near our house. The drive-thru lane at our Burger King is just that....A Drive-Thru Lane. It is wide enough for a single vehicle, has curbing on both sides, no marked pedestrian access and is landscaped on both sides, except for one section where it is just a curb between the main access to the parking lot and the lane itself. Needless to say, it was not designed with pedestrian crossing in mind. There is a separate area with a marked crossing area for pedestrians. That being said, last night I almost ran over a 12 year old in the drive-thru lane and would have had I not happened to catch a glimpse of her crossing the access drive (where she shouldn't have been in the first place). She was so caught up in her conversation on her cell phone that she was 100% oblivious to what was going on around her. After crossing the access drive (without paying any attention to what was going on around her) she stepped over the curb without a pause and stepped in front of my vehicle. She finally noticed that I was there about halfway across the lane (I was stopped by this time) and jumped like I had come out of nowhere.

I'm not saying that I don't like cell phones, far from it. Cell phones are great. I have one, I use it, I love it for it's convenience and the mobility it allows me to have, but I do know when and where it's appropriate to use (I swear I am going to go nuts the next time I hear somebody talking on one in a movie theater during the movie) and I'm also always fully aware of where I am and what I am doing while I am using it (and I can walk and chew gum at the same time too). Why are there so many people out there who can't seem to figure out when and where their use is appropriate and why are there so many idiots out there who can't pay attention to their surroundings when talking on the phone? We aren't talking rocket science here.