I can't remember where I took this. Any ideas? |
I had a conversation with a man sitting next to me in a tram last week. We were discussing the fact that a number of people were talking on their mobile phones. Their voices became louder and louder as they attempted to speak over one another. The woman behind and to the side of me in a standing position, was discussing the ill health of her friend. I didn't want to listen, I didn't want to know all the details of his stay in hospital, the conversation was being imposed upon me as it was on others sharing the tram. I heard the words 'pancreatic cancer' and I turned my head away from her voice and concentrated on the conversation I was having with the man. We agreed that it would most certainly be very loud and chaotic if everyone on the tram was talking on their phones. We lamented a time in which people behaved well in public; keeping their voices low and trying to maintain a sense of intimacy with each other in their vocal exchanges rather than broadcasting private information in a public sphere. I don't believe for a moment that my attitude has anything to do with my age, I do however think that it is a moral issue and one that should be addressed before it gets totally out of hand. Some shops have signs saying 'no mobile phone calls permitted and there are protocols in place in public libraries. I would like to suggest that Yarra Trams and other vehicles in the public transport system should be out of bounds for mobile phone calls. Is it really too much to ask that people only answer their phone or make calls if it is all together necessary and they make personal calls when they are at home. I'm not a Luddite. I do believe that some aspects of technology have been beneficial for our society, but I also think that the overuse of mobile phones is encouraging selfish behavior. I'm also thoroughly sick (& I'm sure I'm not the only one) of having to step out of the way from someone who is looking at their phone rather than looking where they are going. Is the world really going to end if they don't make that text message NOW and will their entire existence shatter if they don't tick 'like' for everything in their Facebook feed? OK enough. Talking about Facebook maybe I should begin a campaign to introduce rules around mobile phones in public. Oh, this is an afterthought. The man I was talking to on the tram asked why I felt the need to write a diary. I don't see blogging as making a diary or a journal entry. I believe that my blog is too diverse to fit into these categories. You may or may not agree?
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