Cellular Phone Laws: Bigotry In Action

I have long held the belief that we have a group of people in this country--a large group, actually--that are what I would call cellular phone bigots. These are people that have a bigoted attitude about someone simply because they use a cellular phone in a situation they think is unnecessary or unacceptable.

These are the ones that express glee at the banning of cellular phone usage in places such as doctor's offices, subways, restaurants, even grocery store lines--while expressing no such views with other noises like crying babies, people talking loudly to someone in person. They also strongly support the banning of usage of cellular phones while driving, while expressing no support for the banning of other driving distractions like eating, reading maps, etc.

I have long felt this way, however as I have just created this blog barely a week ago at this time, I had not yet added a post about this topic, though I knew I was due for one. This story inspired me to do so, it's a story about how North Carolina (where I formerly lived) has now passed a law banning texting while driving (unless you're stopped and/or pulled over). (You can click here to read my comment, #86, page 3.)

Again, my position is--laws like this are inspired by cellular phone bigotry. Simply enough, cellular phone users are the new smokers, as they are increasingly ostracized and made to feel like dirty maggots anytime they dare use a phone in a situation people think to be inappropriate. It's a type of hatred that is becoming--or has been, really--downright bigoted in its nature.

So, laws like this are written, and they come from a double standard type of attitude that picks on cellular phone users as if they're the AntiChrist--again, much as smokers are often-times picked-on.

Think I'm joking?

Then how come doctor's offices ban the usage of cellular phones commonly, but they NEVER address other irritants such as noisy children, people talking loudly to their friends who are present with them, or listening to an MP3 player so loudly neighbors can tell which song is playing (despite the earphones)? Many restaurants do the same thing. Subways exist that have "no cellular phone" cabins, but they don't have "baby-free" cabins or "no talking to your neighbor" cabins--those are sources of noise, too. How come many jobs will fire employees for using a cellular phone at work, but often-times won't fire these employees for using the company phone for making personal calls?

I think it's striking, too, how the haters can be so against cellular phones not just supposedly due to safety, but in fact merely where it regards social acceptance. I wonder how such types would respond to this story--the story of a woman who was kidnapped but rescued due to the presence of a Blackberry cellular phone in the trunk of the car? They'd probably oppose the woman being rescued since a cellular phone was involved in it.

A lady friend of mine recently told me of a situation where her child got in trouble at school for using his cellular phone to call her to pick him up from school as he was sick. He was in trouble for using his cellular phone even though he wasn't in class at the time. As the story was relayed to me, he would've been in no trouble at all had he used the phone in the principal's office to call her--something which would've required him to walk all the way to the other side of the building. The mother stated that she told the principal that she gave the phone to her son for such specific reasons and that they were wrong to punish him for it, and that her son had her permission to use it under such circumstances and, basically, to heck with their rule.

Way to go, I say.

But such is the case in today's cellular phone bigoted society. You see this in particular with the big mama of excuses for anti-cellular phone bigotry and legislation--highway safety. Granted, there are people swerving around almost hitting others due to usage of cellular phones while driving, but you also have the same thing happening due to other distracting behaviors: people waving at their friends on the sidewalk, eating, rummaging through the glovebox looking for a pack of cigarettes or a map, refereeing noisy children in the backseat, reading a map, looking at something on the roadside (like a house or car for sale), applying makeup--you name it. All of these are distractions, too, but no one ever pushes for legislation regarding any of those things.

Heck, here is the story of someone who was killed, admitedly at his own hand, due to a distraction from dimming his lights. Are we going to outlaw dimming your lights while driving?

In 1999, in Tucson AZ (where I lived at the time), a teenage-driver hit and killed a woman on the roadside while she was jogging. They later-on determined the crash was due to his being distracted while changing a song on his car stereo. That's a distraction, and one that lead to a death. BUT, here's my point--was there the same level of outcry for that analogous to what would've occurred had the accident been due to a cellular-phone based distraction? Not at all. The uproar that occurred was downright minuscule compared to the uproar that occurs when a cellular-phone accident occurs, even if no one is killed. Here you have a lady killed due to a distraction, but since the distraction is not due to cellular phone usage, there's no uproar.

Call me crazy, but I call that bigotry.

This is a type of double-standard, and even, I'd say, a form of discrimination similar to racism, or discrimination based on religion, sex, politics--anything. I agree with none of it. I will even go so far as to state that I think anyone who is for this is as much of a bigot as someone who dislikes minority groups, Jews, women, African-Americans--any of it. Yes, I said it--you're a bigot.

Bigotry is the only word I can describe to explain why there is such a heated push for the banning of cellular phones while driving, but no such push to ban things such as the application of makeup, eating, waving at a friend on the sidewalk, reading a map--any of that. If there is going to be such a law, what they should do is lump all of it under a "driving while distracted" type of rule that covers all types of distractions and doesn't single out one particular type over all others based on sheer hatred and bigotry.

Besides that, though, there are those that can, somehow, perform such tasks and never crash. I personally feel that if someone has an excellent driving record free of accidents (or they're, say, 10 years or more apart), they should be left alone to drive as they please--eating, texting, reading, all of it. After all, it's all about safety, right--and they're proven they're safe. Let them be, leave them alone. I would say the same thing for speed limits and "rolling stops" as well--but that's for another posting.

In closing, I will say it again--if you support the banning of cellular phones in doctor's offices, restaurants and the like but don't express any such opinions regarding noisy children, noisy talking in general, and other disruptive behaviors--but simply the cellular phone usage, then yes you are a bigot. If you support the banning of cellular phone activities while driving but are fine & dandy with eating while driving, applying make-up while driving, waiving to your friend walking on the sidewalk while driving--then again, you are a bigot.

Besides all of this, though, I guarantee you that 95% of the persons that approve of this law engage in other distracting behaviors like what I listed, but would not appreciate any laws intruding on their "right" to do those things. You can't have it both ways--if you are going to stick your nose into my business inside my car regarding what I'm doing or not doing with my cellular phone on the road, I think it only fair we start sticking our nose into your business regarding whether you're eating in there, whether you're reading a map (or GPS) in there, any of it. It's only fair.

Links

(with a description of content or where the pertinent information is located within the page)

(Story #5)

(last 3 paragraphs)

("Opponents of the legislation, "I think some people")

(California bans carrying pet in laps while driving, a distraction) (alternative link)

RushOnLine, an apparent "non-official" Rush Limbaugh site with article, including various letters (written to Rush, or whom?) with opposition to cellular laws expressed.

#25 is the Best, But All Of It's Good

Movie Theatres Considering Devices to Jam Cellular Phones, Includes a Comment by Me Link #2

Long Monologue on Freedom, Circa 2002

I originally composed this 8/3/2002, and it was part of the opinions section of my personal web pages back then. I've slightly edited it but it basically is left unchanged from then.

I am sick of tired of these communist, socialist types thinking that any single solitary thing that has the slightest, most minuscule chance of affecting them in any way at all should be subject to governmental interference in our lives. With people like this, there is never an end to it--no place is considered sacred and private enough for the government to just leave us the heck alone and quit micromanaging everything.

Already we require people to wear seatbelts, and some states ban the usage of cellular phones while driving--and we applaud this as "safety." You think it's going to stop with the inside of your car? It ain't. It ain't even going to stop with seatbelts, or cellular phones; it's merely the start.

Next thing you know, they are going to want to ban all music in the car--and I'm not talking about regulating volume, but totally abolishing all music listening. Why? Because changing the CD, radio station or cassette may distract you. Then, no eating in the car. Drive-thrus will be banned. Cup holders. Makeup holders. Ashtrays. Smoking in the car will be disallowed because of the off-chance that you might hit a bump and burn yourself with a cigarette butt. Or, we may require all drivers to wear sunglasses, to protect from the chance of a crash occurring due to sun-glare.

At some point, it may be decided that children are too much of a distraction in the car, so all children will be banned. Then, it will follow that sticky leather seats are uncomfortable and may lead to the driver being less focused on driving due to the discomforts of the seats, so now all cars will have to be brought in and brought up to code--even if you don't want it that way. Then, it will be discovered that any conversation with anyone in the car at all can be distracting, so no more conversation. If a crash occurs, hidden tape recorders or satellite spy system will reveal how much conversation occurred in the car. If it's deemed excessive, you will be cited.

It doesn't stop with the inside of your car.

Next thing you know, all snow skiing will be banned. Someone will decide that snow skiing is a stupid and useless activity, and if you dare to engage in it you risk hurting yourself and thus effectively increasing medical insurance rates for everyone else. So under the guise of "everytime you go skiing you risk increasing my insurance rates so it IS my business," all snow skiing will be banned. Next, they will discover that hang-gliding is dangerous and risky, and those who engage in it create excessive medical insurance rates for everyone else. So now you will no longer be allowed to hang-glide--unless of course you follow governmental regulations in how you do it.

Meanwhile,in southern AZ (where I lived at the time I wrote this article) you can't go diving into the lake from the rocks at Lake Patagonia--even though in spots it's 30 feet deep--because someone is worried you might hurt yourself and require expensive medical treatment, increasing medical costs for everyone else. (Either that or they're worried about lawsuits.) What's funny, and great to see frankly, is that I've observed plenty of people jumping from that spot regardless--totally rejecting such governmental busy-bodiness. I say "right on" to them.

Continuing...

Next thing you know it will be announced that 80% of all injuries occur in the home. No sooner does that little nugget of information get announced than the government (and communist/socialist types) will use this as an excuse to regulate what you do in the privacy of your own home! No more using inverted 5 gallon buckets to reach the ceiling to change a light bulb. Doing this will risk you getting a governmental fine, and someone like these socialists will consider such busy-bodiness totally justified because "when you hurt yourself behaving foolishly it affects my health insurance premiums," and you will be made to feel like a selfish, ignorant, uneducated, "stuck in yesteryear" good-for-nothing Big-Red Tobacco- chewing backwoods dumb-blinking pickup truck-driving mobile-home dwelling embicle for thinking that what you do in your own home is, (egads!), no one else's business. After all, if it can be established that what you're doing effects someone else in ANY way, why then you no longer have any rights to freedom whatsoever.

And those of you who like to smoke? Oh, you've felt plenty of aggravation already, but beware those who would try & prevent you from doing this in your own home either. Even though it's your health and hence your own business--and certainly you've heard all the warnings by now--nonetheless, someone will, under the guise of saving you from yourself OR more likely
under the guise of protecting their health insurance premiums from surcharging--they will use this as a justification for thinking it's okay to invade your privacy in your own home and tell you that smoking is now illegal and not allowed any longer.

All to save themselves a few bucks a year on their insurance premiums.

Meanwhile in southern Arizona it has now become law that all new homes built in Pima County must conform to handicapped accessibility rules--PRIVATE built homes. Not apartment complex, not office buildings, not governmental buildings, restaurants, etc. YOUR PRIVATE HOME for crying out loud. And to think there are those who applaud this!

What is so scary to me is that such idiots like this exist in this country, and still think this way even after September 11th should've waken them up.

Well to me it's proof that there is no hope for these people, for if even September 11th couldn't wake them up, NOTHING can.

I say:

If you like to smoke, fine. Frankly, smoking is just about the stupidest thing a person can do. It's unhealthy and it's a burden to our public health system. But before I concern myself with that, I am more concerned with preserving the freedoms that make this country what it is. If that means I have to resist the urge to butt my Pinocchio-sized nose into someone else's business and meddle in their private life under the guise of protecting them from their stupid choices, and if my health insurance is a little higher because I'm subsidizing their doing this---so be it. The preciousness of freedom is worth it to me.

Folks, you should be scared off of your carcus that there are idiots out there who, knowing fully well the sacrifices our forefathers made to establish a country of freedom and staying out of other people's affairs, nonetheless are willing to trade all of that away just to save a few bucks a year on their medical insurance rates. They can NEVER be satisfied and place limits on how much of your private life they make your business under the guise of safety, insurance rates, etc. You think seat belts is as far as that will go? Think again.

They think it's okay to make you wear a helmet on your motorcycle, when it's YOUR HEAD and not theirs--all because their insurance rates are more important to them than the privelage of freedom which our forefathers fought and died for. (Thank God where I live that's not the law; common sense still exists by God!) They think it's okay to butt their nose into the lives of
smokers even if they're smoking in their own home. They think it's okay to get inside your car and micromanage every single thing you're doing and try and stop you from doing anything that may increase their insurance rates or risk a bit--however minscule it may be. They think it's okay to tell you that you HAVE to build your home to suit handicapped people--even those who
don't live with you--even though it's your house and you have every right as far as I am concerned to make it as inaccessible to anyone as you jolly darn-well please.

Folks, you should be scared off of your carcus that such meddling socialists-types exist in this country. You should tell them to mind their own business. Tell them to get a history book and learn something about the history of this country, because apparently they are totally ignorant about it.