The Cell Phone Has Changed — New Etiquette Needed

CWmike writes to share a recent manners-rant that has some great gems about how not to be "that guy" on a cell phone. What rules of engagement are absolutely necessary and what social penalties should become standard practice for repeat offenders? "It's easy to be rude with a cell phone. A visitor from another planet might conclude that rudeness is a cell phone's main purpose. Random, annoying ring tones go off unexpectedly. People talk too loudly on cell phones in public because of the challenge of holding a conversation in a noisy environment with someone who's not present. Cell phones need their own rules of etiquette, or we'll descend into social barbarism."

Comments

Re:Rules 1 through 7 of using a Cell Phone

[Totenglocke]

If you cannot talk and drive at the same time, then there are much bigger issues here. Despite the BS claims, as long as you're not an idiot putting the phone in front of driving, it's LESS distracting to talk on the phone than it is to talk to passengers. But hey, it's not like I've ever driven a car with passengers in it or talked on the phone, so how could I possibly be able to compare the two.

Also, and I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I'm assuming by "commercially-licensed" driver, you mean you drive trucks? I've seen way too many of those guys nearly kill people by not paying attention to what they were doing, so when I hear the claims that they are "more rigorously trained", I take it with a HELL of a big grain of salt from my personal experience with them.