FoodBanter.com - View Single Post

Dan Abel

In article >,
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> Dave Smith > wrote:
>
> > What cell phone opponents? I don't remember anyone here being
> > categorically opposed to cell phones.
>
> Cellphone opposition is more prominent in the U.K., where activists
> routinely topple cellphone masts.

Not a very nice thing to do. The masts cause no trouble, it's
irresponsible *users* of cellphones that cause the trouble. Cellphones
are very useful devices. My family has five, not counting the second
one that my daughter carries. We don't "chat" on the phone. We don't
talk at the restaurant (although we may answer long enough to say that
we'll call after eating), and I don't talk and drive.

Some time back (before text messaging), some school board member decided
to make a rule that students couldn't have cell phones at school.
Certainly, using a cell phone during class is very disruptive. Typical
of schools, they just banned them entirely. One day there was a natural
disaster, and power and phone service died at the school. The kids and
their parents were naturally panicked, since they all knew something was
wrong but they couldn't communicate. Well, some of the kids had snuck
cell phones in, and so the parents and kids could assure each other that
everything was OK and it was just a local thing. At the next school
board meeting, the rule was amended so that students couldn't use cell
phones during class, but could bring them.

My nephew, age 15, has a cell phone and takes it to school, despite the
fact that they aren't allowed. He says that the teachers pay no
attention to the rule as long as it is used during free time.