# My hero: Man silences cell phones on Philadelphia bus **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773 "2012-03-05T02:27:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/121 "2012-03-07T15:40:49Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I can actually see your solution being at least somewhat dangerous because people will learn to ignore the noise, or they will figure out a way to disable the system entirely, which isn’t that hard to do. I once got a cabbie who’d disabled his buzzer by inserting a piece of folded cardboard into the piece where the seatbelt goes. After that I’ve seen and refrained from getting into two other cabs with similar devices. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/122 "2012-03-07T15:41:17Z")
I really don’t understand how any reasonable person is bothered by other people using their phones. While driving, yes, that’s dangerous to everyone around, but riding on a bus? Sitting at a table in a restaurant? Mind your business, people! ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/123 "2012-03-07T15:48:28Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I really don’t understand how any reasonable person is bothered by other people using their phones. While driving, yes, that’s dangerous to everyone around, but riding on a bus? Sitting at a table in a restaurant? Mind your business, people! Yeah. That’s what it really comes down to. People should be courteous enough to take their personal business to a more private place (like outside the restaurant) or at least, keep the volume down. By the same token, those who complain about others’ cell phone use should tune it out. It’s really not that difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/124 "2012-03-07T15:53:31Z")
Yeah. This is a locus of control issue. You really don’t have much right to control what others do in a public space (within reason). Yes, we can expect a level of civility (nobody should touch you, expose themselves, etc.) but if you personally don’t like the way someone sounds, looks, smells, and so forth, **get the fuck over yourself**. Take measures to limit your exposure to the stimuli (wear a blindfold, stick a clothespin on your nose, get earplugs, etc.), or better yet, opt for a private mode of transport. All of these options are superior to inconveniencing others because it bothers _you_. I can appreciate folks sharing examples of life-or-death situations as to why they need cellphone access, but honestly, it’s not even on that level. Limiting someone’s ability to communicate, really about anything, in a place where that communication is allowed, is a disgusting and offensive overreach of one’s influence. And since we have technology like noise canceling headphones and earplugs easily available and this dick chose not to utilize those options - or not ride the bus altogether, it’s readily apparent to me that he is an execrable self-centered douchebag who thinks that the word should revolve around him. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/125 "2012-03-07T16:06:31Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I really don’t understand how any reasonable person is bothered by other people using their phones. Asked and answered many times in this thread already. Did you read the thread? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/126 "2012-03-07T16:33:06Z")
I’m inclined to contribute to his defense fund. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/127 "2012-03-07T17:09:09Z")
> [@Krouget](#): > > I agree with this. > > However, there is another point of consideration; people like myself stream music from my phone through the car speakers on a growing basis. I’m not actively using my phone (meaning I’m not forwarding my attention, it’s set and forget), but it would be tricky to make the distinction, since data is constantly active. > > There is no simple solution to the problem, but there needs to be a bigger push for driver education and some way to turn around the idea that driving is a passive activity. I know it’s anecdotal, but I was listening to the radio a while back, where the host and callers were expressing the opportunity to multitask while driving, because there exist a lot of “downtime” where they can get other things done. That’s pretty crazy. The long term solution is self-driving cars. I expect to first cars to arrive sometime between 2020 to 2030. In the United States, the legal problems are much more intractable than the technical issues. The first car is supposed to be a Mercedes Benz S-Class in 2013, but it be limited to speeds below 40kph. [http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/self-driving-cars-by-2013-20111115-1ngbx.html](http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/self-driving-cars-by-2013-20111115-1ngbx.html) ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/128 "2012-03-07T17:22:07Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > but I still have to give consent for the pediatrician or the ER doctor to treat him. Things like this are why implied consent exists. If there is any real danger to your childs well being, medical professionals are allowed to act without your consent, just not against your express protest. As a parent, I understand your desire to be there and help deal with the situation but its not an absolute need on their end. In a true emergency, there are already mechanisms in place to deal with it. ER staff regularly deal with situations like car accidents where the parents are unable to give consent due to being critically injured themselves and unable to discuss the situation. Kid has a tummy ache and needs to go home is not an emergency, its a deal with it as soon as practical. Plenty of parents work in environments not conducive to easy phone contact on demand or departure on demand. For example, an ICU nurse does not just get to walk away from a patient because of a family emergency, and abandoning patients can at best get their licence pulled, at worst land them in jail. A friend of mine works in a locked psych unit of a prison. All cell phones and personal belongings are placed in lockers outside the unit and only specific phones in the area can even dial out of the prison. LA and SF bay areas have plenty of parents who commute 2-3 hours to work. I can go on with dozens of examples, many of them advanced professionals requiring hefty degrees who are otherwise model parents. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/129 "2012-03-07T18:34:00Z")
I’m writing this post in a restaurant, and I have a serious question. How is a cell phone user any different from a loud, obnoxious conversation amongst a group of customers who are physically present? Drachillix, your point is well taken. I know that there is such an animal as implied consent. IME, however, providers prefer explicit consent whenever possible, and I can give that by phone. That’s all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/130 "2012-03-07T18:35:59Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I’m writing this post in a restaurant, and I have a serious question. How is a cell phone user any different from a loud, obnoxious conversation amongst a group of customers who are physically present? On a psychological level, hearing half a conversation is just annoying. I remember hearing an NPR segment that delved into the issue- not that I remember the specifics of why it’s a pain. I suppose that you could look at it as a positive: it’s better to be forced listen to one idiot than two idiots. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/131 "2012-03-07T18:45:22Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > Drachillix, your point is well taken. I know that there is such an animal as implied consent. IME, however, providers prefer explicit consent whenever possible, and I can give that by phone. That’s all. 🙂 I was not intending to pick on you specifically, just using your example. The little ex EMT in me despises the abuse of the term emergency and crisis. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/132 "2012-03-07T18:54:00Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I’m writing this post in a restaurant, and I have a serious question. How is a cell phone user any different from a loud, obnoxious conversation amongst a group of customers who are physically present? Other than what **Marley23** pointed out, not much. Loud obnoxious behavior is never acceptable. But I think that people tend to do that more on cell phones than in person. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/133 "2012-03-07T18:54:59Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > . Yes, we can expect a level of civility (nobody should touch you, expose themselves, etc.) So THAT’S why they kicked me out of Olive Garden! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/134 "2012-03-07T19:03:55Z")
I thought of a way to jam cellphones responsibly - allow incoming calls only, and limit them to 30 seconds. Maybe not on the bus, but in movie theatres and moving cars, etc. - you can take an incoming emergency call, find out what you need to know, and get back to what is going on around you. How 'bout that? Does that satisfy everyone? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/135 "2012-03-07T19:22:00Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > So THAT’S why they kicked me out of Olive Garden! Well, now you know. 🙂 **Cat Whisperer** , I just don’t see the need for it. Here in Austin, the Alamo Drafthouse’s non-cellphone policy [went viral](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L3eeC2lJZs). That’s how you handle it. I have no truck with a private business turfing obnoxious customers out the door with extreme prejudice. However, it’s hard to ascertain the harm of an individual talking on a cell phone while on a public conveyance. It’s not like people were quiet as dormice before cell phones became ubiquitous. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/136 "2012-03-07T19:57:36Z")
I’m not sure why people are saying buses are otherwise very loud places. Most people in conversation are talking in normal conversational tone or quieter. The only times that it gets to shouting level is when there are teenagers, drunken sports fans, and old Chinese ladies. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/137 "2012-03-07T21:53:44Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > What you’re forgetting, or just didn’t know, is that parents or legal guardians have to make decisions on behalf of their minor children, and they have to give permission to treat. For example, the sprog’s school nurse has my permission to call his pediatrician or an ambulance, but I still have to give consent for the pediatrician or the ER doctor to treat him. Even if I’m on the bus, I can still do that by phone and sign the paperwork when I get there. And most important, I can be kept informed about what’s going on so there isn’t a lot of wasted time when I do get there. > > And before you write me (and **TruCelt** ) off as hysterical parents, being reachable can literally be a matter of life and death. Some years back, I was working as a contractor for a company that had a no-cell policy. The sprog got very, very sick at daycare and couldn’t get a hold of me because I didn’t have a phone on my desk and the person who answered the phone said that she had no idea who I was. The daycare finally got a hold of my mother-in-law, who sent me an e-mail to my company address (why we had e-mail addresses but no access to a telephone is beyond me). I had to use the pay phone to call my mother-in-law to tell her to take him to the ER, where I would meet them. It was two hours between the time the daycare first tried to call me and the time I got to the hospital. By this time, the sprog was running a temp of around 103 and rising, and he was not doing well. Had I been directly reachable, I could have been there in 30 minutes versus two hours. I went out and got a pager the next day; if the company didn’t like it, too damn bad. My son’s – or any human being’s – life is worth more than your peace and quiet. Two things about this. Firstly, it sounds like the people at the day care **were absolutely fucking stupid**. I do not need _anyone’s_ permission, as a citizen of the United States, to call emergency medical services and have a child in an emergency medical situation sent to the hospital. The daycare, when it was unable to get in touch with you should have called 911 because if your story is as described it seems like a very clear cut case of a medical emergency. Secondly, current law allows _emergency medical treatment_ of minors without parental consent, notification, or accompaniment in the case of a medical emergency when the parent can’t be contacted [cite](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/111/3/703.full). So if the daycare had called 911 (as anyone can do, and the EMS will definitely move someone with a medical emergency to the hospital) the doctors would have not just let your son sit there and die–and if they did they would be negligent. I grew up in a community where many people’s parents worked in underground coal mines, where even today you will not be able to get in touch with them during a shift. It’s just simply not the case that properly functioning caretakers of children will just let a kid seize up and die because they are unable to get in touch with the parent. Your story is very light on the details so if anything I’ve said contradicts some detail you haven’t shared, I’m not particularly interested–I’m addressing a general point here and am not particularly interested or concerned with the particulars of your story beyond the general concept of it. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/138 "2012-03-07T21:56:32Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I gotta take issue with comments of this sort. It’s just like “hey, back when I was a kid we never wore seat belts and none of us died”. Obviously none of you died, because you’re here posting now. Heck, back before penicillin plenty of us survived infections, back before telephones people still found ways to communicate, back before cars people were able to survive, etc, etc, etc. > > Before cell phones, there were all sorts of other things built into various systems to help deal with emergencies… I’m sure there were elaborate systems where surgeons would call into hospitals from pay phones letting the staff know where they were and how to reach, etc. And I’m sure those systems worked a lot better than nothing. But with cell phones they can (at least in theory) work _better_. So (a) the system is better than it used to be, and (b) now that we have cell phones, the previous systems are likely no longer being used, so if you suddenly turn off cell phones we might not just revert to pre-cell-phone levels of emergency response, we might get much worse because we are now depending on cell phones. Here’s the thing, I’m not saying we shouldn’t carry cell phones. I’m not saying we should ban cell phones on a bus. I’m just saying I don’t get the people who **complain about cell phones** but then also say “but you can’t help but carry one because of emergencies.” Aside from narrow cases, most people could indeed get by without carrying a cellphone, so that isn’t really a normally valid reason for someone with _an expressed distaste for cellphones_ to carry one. In this same vein, something I’ve never understood is the person who **never lets a phone just go to voicemail**. I’ve known people who will literally look at their phone, say “ugh, I do not want to talk to this person” and then answer. Every. Single. Time. I’ve also been told when I ask “why do you do that?” that they “have” to answer “because it might be important” or “it might be an emergency.” Unless it is a work thing and you’re expected to answer or get in trouble, I see no reason that either of those is a compelling reason to take a call you otherwise would not take. I’m assuming in a situation where something is important or an emergency a voicemail would be left and you’d know in 2-3 minutes if it was an emergency or not. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/139 "2012-03-07T22:08:24Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Two things about this. > > Firstly, it sounds like the people at the day care **were absolutely fucking stupid**. I do not need _anyone’s_ permission, as a citizen of the United States, to call emergency medical services and have a child in an emergency medical situation sent to the hospital. The daycare, when it was unable to get in touch with you should have called 911 because if your story is as described it seems like a very clear cut case of a medical emergency. > > Secondly, current law allows _emergency medical treatment_ of minors without parental consent, notification, or accompaniment in the case of a medical emergency when the parent can’t be contacted [cite](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/111/3/703.full). So if the daycare had called 911 (as anyone can do, and the EMS will definitely move someone with a medical emergency to the hospital) the doctors would have not just let your son sit there and die–and if they did they would be negligent. > > I grew up in a community where many people’s parents worked in underground coal mines, where even today you will not be able to get in touch with them during a shift. It’s just simply not the case that properly functioning caretakers of children will just let a kid seize up and die because they are unable to get in touch with the parent. > > Your story is very light on the details so if anything I’ve said contradicts some detail you haven’t shared, I’m not particularly interested–I’m addressing a general point here and am not particularly interested or concerned with the particulars of your story beyond the general concept of it. I’m not going to share the particulars. Suffice it to say, however, that babies get very sick very quickly. What started out as a mild fever got much worse in the 90 or so minutes it took to get a hold of me. And my general point is that there are some occasions when a conversation on a cell phone on the bus is necessary. I don’t particularly care what miners do or don’t do. I do care that I’m reachable, and if that offends you, that’s too bad. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773/140 "2012-03-08T00:02:19Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I thought of a way to jam cellphones responsibly - allow incoming calls only, and limit them to 30 seconds. Maybe not on the bus, but in movie theatres and moving cars, etc. - you can take an incoming emergency call, find out what you need to know, and get back to what is going on around you. > > How 'bout that? Does that satisfy everyone? 🙂 No. If someone is being too loud/obnoxious on their phone, either ask them to pipe down nicely, talk to someone in charge (if you’re somewhere that has a policy against it), or deal with it (whether that means ignoring it, wearing earplugs, or whatever). People In Public can be aggravating as shit, definitely. But _you_ are also a Person In Public; chances are really goddamned good that you’ve aggravated someone at one time or another, even if you weren’t aware of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hero-man-silences-cell-phones-on-philadelphia-bus/614773.md?page=8)