Cell phones are a mixed blessing. I’ve had one for ten years (okay, between losing them and having one stolen, I’ve had about seven). I love my fancy new one, which allows me to surf the Web, send e-mails, make videos, and on occasion actually call someone.
But I practice proper cell phone etiquette. I do not make phone calls on public transportation. If I use my phone in a public place, I keep my voice low. If my phone rings while I am driving, I wait until I am at my destination to retrieve the message.
But the worst are these morons who do not silence their phones in restaurants or at the movies. I have not been to a movie in a theater in nearly four years because it seemed that every time I would go, some jerk’s phone would go off and they would actually take the call! Crying babies are another reason I think NetFlix is one of the great conveniences of the 21st century.
I am especially amazed when I see people on their phone while driving. I have a hard enough time on the road without having to juggle a phone. And texting? Come on now. These are huge distractions and laws banning cell phone use while driving have become necessary.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed such a bill in California last year, but lastweek photos emerged of his wife, Maria Shriver, gabbing while driving. Well, this was certainly a twist – a member of the Kennedy family doing something illegal while driving that did not involve booze or a bridge.
But what is the real kicker here is that Shriver is a repeat offender, again caught on her phone while driving even as her first offense made the news. This is arrogant, stupid, and gives one the impression that Maria thinks she is exempt from obeying the law, even a law that her own husband passed. How Kennedyesque of Mrs. Schwarzenegger.
Don’t get me wrong – I have enormous respect for Gov. Schwarzenegger, even though I do not agree with him on a number of issues. But he needs to make an example out of his wife. Shriver has apologized for her cell phone use and Arnold has vowed to take “swift action” in punishing Maria. What’s he going to do? Force her to watch “Kindergarten Cop” and “Junior” back to back?
I have no tolerance for cell phones or children in nice restaurants. And I have no desire to spend money in establishments that do nothing about them. I also have no tolerance for family members of elected officials breaking the law, especially such a common sense one like not using your cell phone while driving.
Maybe Arnold will take away Maria’s phone privileges for a week. He can’t send her to bed without dinner – the woman obviously never eats. I don’t know what the proper punishment for Maria is. She issued a statement vowing to donate her old phone to a Verizon charity that helps women who are victims of domestic violence. “That’s my version of swift action with a higher purpose,” she said. Hmm – did Uncle Teddy make a donation to Goodyear after his little auto incident in 1969? Just a thought.
Shriver will obviously get off easy. If the story gets big enough, Schwarzenegger will use his abundant charm and humor to defuse the situation by issuing her a fine as a symbolic gesture that no one is above the law. But whether it’s celebrities or average people refusing to use hands-free devices while driving, this actually lends itself to a bigger question about our cell phone obsessed society: who the hell are all these people talking to???
