You know, some of us really aren’t pathetically psychologically tied to the things; we just appreciate that under some circumstances, they can be pretty darned convenient. I guess I just don’t see it as my right to decide for everyone else whether their usage should be allowed or not. I’m quite willing to turn my off for long stretches, leave it in my car whenever I go in a theater, store (unless I have a quick question for my hubby about what to buy), doctor’s office, etc.
But I also know that some people do not have the option of just turning theirs off. When the hospital computer crashes and my hubby isn’t available fast enough, there are several nasty consequences, in addition to the minor little details such as the fact that the hospital staff can’t input patient notes, get prescriptions filled, see test results, etc. – such as that (1) his company can take a service response time hit that, added with enough others, can result in them losing the contract, which could mean his ass would be out on the street; or (2) his failure to be immediately available could piss off the hospital higher-ups, who frequently regard contractors like him as fully expendable and can order him off their site permanently, which could also mean his ass would be out on the street.
Frankly, your desire to not have him set his phone on vibrate and step out of the theater to take a call simply doesn’t even register on my scale of what’s important. You might be annoyed for .5 seconds; he could be unemployed.
Assholes abuse privileges, privileges get withdrawn, everybody suffers. It sucks, but that’s how it always works.
Then go to the theater (or screening) that says “Cell phone users welcome”. For my part, it would definitely be a decision factor if a movie screening was listed with “Cellphones blocked” - in fact, it would be most welcome. I’ll check voicemail after the movie. Heck, I might even be spared the embarassment of getting a call after forgetting to turn the damn thing off…
The majority that counts is the (presumed) majority that just wants to pay for a ticket and get immersed in a movie. If they (we) consider an uninterrupted movie more important than “connectivity” and are willing to pay an enterprising theatre owner for the privilege, then we get to - ehm - make the call. Simple as that.
Incidentally, at many (if not most) live theatre performances, there’s no returning to your seat once you leave (for whatever reason). It seems understood that if you have to be on call during such an event, your organization is supposed to be professional enough to not page you for anything less than emergencies that merits giving up the performance. Somehow, society has managed to survive…
I’d enjoy any theory that scapegoats Phil Donahue for the problems of modern life, though I think Oprah is more cultural relevant these days.
I extend my sympathies to adhemar and others who are employed by an agent who insists on 24 hour coverage in lieu of hiring the needed labor to cover issues in a reasonable manner, and my good regards to folk like Campion whose desire to remain constantly connected does not overreach the bounds of societal courtesy, but the fact remains that most of the offenders who interrupt cinema, theatre, and lectures with the trilling of their ringtones do not appear to be critical elements of the Morlock labor force. With the forthcoming simultaneous release of DVDs with cinematic showings (I give it sixteen, eighteen months tops before studies tell theatre chains how to fold their protests and where to shove them) I hold out hope that this will become a nonissue and the only people left patronizing cinema are those who desire the uninterrupted cinematic experience, leaving the child-ridden and overconnected to press pause on their DVD players when they need to take the call.
I had a roommate who had managed a small movie theater. He said it was NO fun to try to tell some obviously gang-affiliated guys in the back that they had to smoke their pot outside. These guys know where you spend about half your waking time.
As for the OP’s point, I wouldn’t go to one with jamming, either. What would really solve the problem is a decided shift in public opinion to “uncool” for people to disturb like that. Most people give in if they know everyone will think they’re being a jerk.
Well, you’ve answered the question of what you do. Now here’s your problem.
I drove OTR for 7 years. I know how it all works.
The only way that you alone have to deal with all the headaches of transport is if you’re the owner and don’t have any other employees to handle these things. You say you’re the only one that can handle these things, so you apparently don’t have anyone else that can be the second option when a driver calls in. I once worked for a guy that owned 3 trucks and it was he and his wife running it. Pretty good guy to work for but got drummed out when diesel started to rise in the late '90’s. When he and his wife went to dinner, or on vacation, or had wild nasty pig sex, his dad was available to take our calls if there were problems.
The point is, the person responsible for the company had a backup that could handle any issue if he wasn’t available. If he wanted to go to a movie, he had somebody competent to take any call that came in during that 2 hours.
It’s leading me to one of two conclusions.
1.) You work for such a piss-poor company that you alone are the only person that can handle these problems. (And no, they are never anything that can’t wait 2 hours. If you really are in the trucking industry you know damn well the NOTHING happens in a 2 hour time frame. Not even getting a trailer loaded with staged product.)
2.) You own the company and can’t/won’t hire someone to cover you for a few planned hours. (You can figure out and plan for when you’ll see a movie.) In that case, you’re in no authority to say you’re that important if you can get a backup but decide not to. If you can’t afford a backup, you’re making a choice to be needed 24/7. And like every other decision, this one has a consequence. If you have to be available 24/7, you have to make concessions in this society. Or bear the brunt of threads like these.
Again. as a smoker, I especially love these measures. You beg to not have to watch a movie at home? (Oh the horror!) Well, I begged to not have to stay home to enjoy a heater while downing a drink. I’m repeatedly told to suck it up and quit complaining. Now I get to laugh (maybe not at you personally) when those same people bitch about not being able to take a call during a movie.
I’m supposed to see the reasons for smoking bans based on people not liking it, cell-slaves get to see the reasons for phone-jamming.
And there is no option, if I can do anything about, to allow for “cell-friendly” theaters. A bar where every employee that smokes doesn’t get an exemption serves up the precedent for a theater to completely jam cell signals in the interest of the public good. You can watch a movie at home and obsess over your phone.
Side note: I know the anti-smoking crusaders will be along shortly to whine about worker’s health. Note that I included bars where all the worker’s smoke anyway.
Your husband is on-call 24/7 every other weekend. You two can’t come up with some schedule that allows you to go a movie on the other 26 weekends? What, I’m almost afraid to ask, are you watching that won’t be playing the next weekend?
On to the trifecta in bad logic rebuttals, coming next post to a screen near you!
Oh Jesus. This is the straw in the fight against wireless douchebags.
First, he’s FREQUENTLY on-call. That means there are times he isn’t. Those are the times you should go to movies. Just a suggestion.
Second. Snow removal? Are you fucking kidding me? I realize the NWS isn’t at 100% accuracy, but they are usually pretty good at letting you know if 5 feet of the white stuff is going to fall anywhere in the next 6 hours. The fact that he “oversees” the operations means he has some underlings that should be able to handle any pockets of Queda-induced blizzardry. If the fall of the Republic can happen because you two are watching Gigli we have bigger things to worry about than cell jamming.
Third. Highway contracts? Aren’t those halfway planned at some point? In that you know what should be happening at what time? I realize that some crews work round the clock, but I have yet to see an operation where some guy on a rural highway with a marauding gang of rabid chipmunks attacking the belly-dump couldn’t get hold of someone within 2 hours to send in the Special Forces.
Now, to everyone saying they have jobs that will crush the economy or kill someone if they can’t be reached for two hours, answer this.
What if the battery dies? What if your phone is stolen?
More important, because now I’m scared the roads won’t be plowed.
What if the SO dies of a heart attack in the theater and nobody knows what to tell the caller when the angry boulders have attacked the flagman?
Fuck! You figured out how to win every argument. Tell us you wrote a long screed then didn’t post it.
I call bullshit on you, kind sir.
I made a decent argument concerning OTR and you come up with “Uh, yeah. I have something here, hang on. Ummm… come back tomorrow my mom is still in the bathtub.”
You have no fucking role in anything involving trucking. Should’ve known. It took you how long to say you were the vital link in the company? Tell us how you can’t go 2 hours without a call.
I dare you.
Unlike you I’ve worked OTR.
I can smell bullshit, and you’re showing up on my nasal radar.
My son was little before the age of cell phones. I would go out and…brace yourself…CHECK IN with the babysitter periodically. And if there was an emergency, I always gave the sitter explicit instructions to CALL SOMEONE WHO COULD DEAL WITH THE EMERGENCY INSTEAD OF WASTING TIME TELLING ME ABOUT IT FIRST. I want my kid in an ambulance if he’s hurt…not bleeding to death waiting for my OK to call someone who can help.
If the house is on fire, call the fire department. Trust me…I’ll find out about it soon enough.
Yeah, we found out that the best babysitters are other kids’ parents. That way, our kids have somebody to play with, and we don’t have to worry about whether or not the sitter can decide whether or not something’s an emergency.
No dude, what you did was say that based on your superior knowledge of two or three companies that you worked for that you how MY job is structured even after I explained how my job is structured. It was obvious to me from your other posts you delight in arguing and name calling. This is the Pit and you have the right to do that here. Don’t know where the crap about my mother and the bathtub fits in here. I decided rather than repeating about my job and being called a liar or worse for it to quit the argument. So write this up as a victory of how you so cleverly proved me a liar based on half truths and screaming the loudest.
Calhoun, I have to get out of the shower to answer the phone if it rings. I am on call 24/7 unless I take vacation time, it is the agreement I made when I took the job. The job may be rotten but until I have a better one I will follow though on my commitment.
Note I have never said “movie theater.” I have used the more inclusive term “theater.” Because he doesn’t like going to movies that much, but we DO enjoy going to hear live music or seeing stage productions. In theaters. (We’re too old for the stand-all-night music places.)
Once-in-two-years single performance appearances by a favorite band that occur on his weekend on call? Damn straight we go. And he keeps his phone on vibrate. So fuck you for saying we can always adapt our schedule around his call schedule. It just doesn’t happen that way.
I’m not going to call you a liar. However, given your job conditions, perhaps you should rethink seeing films in the theater? As near as I can tell, you don’t have any God-given right to attend movie screenings. Life is all about tradeoffs, no?
