I think that with the more
that cell phones can do, people have become ruder. What do I mean? We have become so attached to our mobile
devices. I believe that some people believe that the entire universe is wrapped
up in that small device that they can hold in their hand, where they can look
up anything and video call anybody anywhere at any time. Basically, we see the world through a tiny
screen. When the woman’s soccer team won
the World Cup in 2015, the parade of champions route went right by the building
I was working in. Here was the moment
glory, here was the moment few people get to experience, here was the masses
coming out to cheer you on. As I watched
the parade, there were some of the heroes of the day, busy with their selfie
sticks instead of enjoying and living in that precious moment.
When commuting to the city, I
will sometimes take the Spanish Bus (Official - The Spanish Transportation
Service Corporation) from Paramus, down route 4 to the Port Authority over the
George Washington Bridge. This is a
slightly cheaper way to travel, and there is always another jitney passing by
within 5 minutes. Recently, when I took
the jitney home, I was the second person on the bus, so I had my choice of seat
in the 10 row mini-bus. I sat down,
getting ready to enjoy some time to decompress from the day. People were talking as they entered the bus
and sat down. After taking their seats,
everyone was still talking loudly, seemingly at the same time. “What the…” came immediately to mind. The guy behind me was talking away in Spanish
on his phone. The guy two rows up was
talking so everyone could hear his conversation and the lady next to me was on
a video call, with no head phones so that I could hear both sides of her
conversation. Looking around, there were
at least four other people engaged in talking on their phones. Then the lady next to me finished her call,
and started to watch YouTube videos with the volume on high (again, still no
headphones in sight) so that she could hear over all of the other phone
conversations happening.
Did I miss the
announcement? Did our governor issue a
decree? When did people decide that it
is OK to have loud public phone calls, in a small space? Is it alright for me to participate in the
rude lady next to me if I know the answer to a question I hear coming from her
phone? In that moment, I realized that
the rudeness factor had taken a jump.
While silently texting my daughter about this bizarre behavior, her words
of consolation were “things have changed since you last commuted.” All this in the past month?!?
As we got closer to my
destination, the cacophony of yacking phone calls decreased due to people
leaving the bus (while still talking on their cell phones). The guy behind me was still happily talking
away, barely giving the person on the other side a chance to talk. The one person I passed on my way out of the
bus was still engaged in their conversation, oblivious to the world around him. What should have been a chance to unwind
before getting home made me more tense than relaxed. As I stepped off the bus, I reached for my
cell phone…maybe I am no different, but at least my conversation was out of everyone
else’s earshot.
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