A Call To Civility

by Alberta Ahema Quarcoo
2007-01-31 07:21:33 | Viewed 3023 times

This article by Alberta Ahema Quarcoo, highlights the growing menace of the lack of discretion on the part of cellphone users, in public places.

THE mood was solemn in a Chapel in Accra during a funeral mass. Then a high-pitched sound intruded on the mourners' attention. A phone belong­ing to one of the mourner's sitting on the front row rang. He answered it and talked for a few minutes. We were taken aback. We could not believe it.

This is one example of a growing epidemic of instances where the need for a code of cell phone etiquette is evident.

The number of people committing cell phone faux pas is on the rise, especially in churches, restaurants, schools and even during sectional meetings in Parliament House.

During a programme at the National Theatre, the cell phone of a lady who was sitting in front of me rang. She carried on a telephone conversation. Everybody around her was in shock. Somebody tapped her on the shoulder and she just blew them off. She held her hand like - "I am talking"

Some cell phone users seem to have the sense of entitlement, when you are that level with an individual, nothing else matters. They just matter. Cell phone users have gotten so oblivious about the rights of others in whose presence they are standing.

In some churches for example, there is a phone symbol on the door with an X through it and yet what do' we see and hear? In certain organizations, your cell phones are collected from you and are given a ticket to collect it after your interview.

The cell phone is just another tool; but it is a tool we have seen abused so much. Even in the business world, cell phone usage has become a problem. Almost daily you hear someone complain how disrup­tive cell phones are. At the home front, quarrels have ensued between couples because of a cell phone.

It is not that most cell phone users are deliberately trying to be rude. Most people think they are being polite, they are not aware of what they are doing. Often times, I have been told, "Oh, I did not know what I was doing".

Some calls should not be missed, but, even in this situation, the cell phone user needs to be considerate of others.

This article was culled from Ghana's leading newspaper, Daily Graphic, Page 11, January 30th 2007.

There are no comments on this feature article. Be the first to post!