By Alison Barnet
Has “Excuse me” left the English language? I can’t believe how many people walk in front of me, almost plowing into me, and say nothing. Almost all of them have a cell phone in front of their faces or sticking out from their ear like a thin plate. Our Great Twentieth Century American Anti-Social Movement is well underway.
I’m sick and tired of seeing people glued to their phones. Cell phones are a serious addiction. If they weren’t, people wouldn’t be carrying one everywhere they go, never going out without them, checking them every second. Talking talking talking—loudly. Some cross the street alone talking and laughing —a sure sign of mental illness in the past. On public transportation, almost everyone is humped over a phone, invariably talking way too loud and saying personal things. I wonder why we often have to hear the voice on the other end of the line as well as the one speaking. Why do we need to hear any of it?
The MBTA has a “See Something Say Something” policy. If I said something, they’d never shut me up.
“I’m on the bus,” everyone says on their phones. No kidding!
“I can’t hear you.” Well, I can!
As an older person used to human contact, there are many unpleasant surprises these days. I found out the hard way that people don’t listen to their phone messages anymore. (Of course I don’t mean “message,” I mean “voice mail.”) I have a neighbor who offered to help me. I left a message but he didn’t call back in time. When he eventually called back, he said he didn’t know why I called, just that I called. And then I heard that people don’t read their emails. They “text.” Texting is a great way to avoid human contact. Text me, don’t touch me.
And what I call ear bugs. One day I was walking down the street behind a man who seemed free of devices. But when a friend greeted him: “Hey! How are you?” He said, “Can’t talk, I’m on the phone.”
There are so many ways these days to avoid human contact. You’re talking with friends and they get a call on their cell phone. You hang around waiting for them to get back to you. Often a long time. Or you mention something and they immediately look it up on their phone—although helpful, it also interrupts conversation.
There has been a lot of press about the effect cell phones have on children. Schools are starting to provide lockers where cell phones can be stored so they don’t keep children from getting distracted during class by constantly checking their phones. Some teenagers, under the influence of devastating social media, have committed suicide. If this is what is happening with children, something like it must also be happening with adults.
Hello. Did you call me?
Alison Barnet is a longtime South End resident and author of five books on the neighborhood’s history.