justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

“Why are you always on your cell phone?”

I must admit that I hear this question being asked several times a day, usually when an adult is talking to someone younger or when either a man or woman is talking to his or her partner while the partner is engaged with their cell phone. So I was especially surprised to hear this question being asked by a young lady of her mother, as we were entering the elevator in the building where we all live.

To this question, the mother replied that she was “always” on her phone as she had to make sure her people were on time, and that she didn’t like to waste her time when people were either late or failed to show up at all.

The daughter then replied, “Why don’t you just agree upon a time to meet, and then keep track on your watches?” as she pointed to the place on her wrist where a watch would probably be. But, neither the mother nor the daughter was wearing a watch. (Nor was I.) I’m not sure how this situation was resolved, or if it ever was, as we arrived at my floor first and I exited the elevator.

This interchange struck me as strange for at least a couple of reasons. The first is that the roles seemed to be reversed – the older person attached to her phone and the younger one suggesting an alternative. A second reason was that a time piece – a wristwatch – was seen as a viable alternative to using the phone to schedule a meeting when neither party was wearing a watch.

The digital age is truly a strange one!

On a related note: There’s a prestigious and exclusive men’s club on the west coast, the Bohemian Club, where all the captains of industry and government are invited. The Club has a strict rule against anyone using a cell phone. One long-time member wanted to check the time and, unfortunately, pulled out his cell phone to do so. His forbidden act was discovered and he was promptly removed from the premises and sent home for violating the rule.

(Perhaps the Bohemian Club should provide their members with watches…)