My Mom: Brave Enforcer of Cell Phone Etiquette

The following is another example of a situation in which my mom deserves an award. A few weeks ago, my mom was sitting at a small, crowded post office waiting for her turn in line. The woman sitting next to her started chatting very loudly on a cell phone. My mom watched as the few other people sitting near the woman slowly moved away, clearly annoyed by having to listen to her loud and gossipy personal conversation. Instead of taking their passive aggressive approach, and the road of least resistance, my mom courageously decided to tell this woman a thing or two. If you know my mom, she’s not at all the kind of person to tell someone off. In fact, she is very kind-hearted, optimistic, and more than anyone I’ve ever known, a firm believer in the idea that everyone, good or bad, “means well.” Well at that point, my mom had apparently reached her tipping point. Completely fed up with listening to long, intimate cell phone conversations in small, public spaces, my mom leaned over and politely and quietly asked the woman if she could take her conversation outside. With a death stare toward my mom, the woman quickly ended her phone conversation, and then proceeded to berate my mom, telling her that she was extremely rude, and how could she possibly embarrass her in public like that. My mom calmly explained to the woman that she was speaking very loudly, and that not everyone in the post office wanted to hear her personal conversation. My mom suggested that she take a look at some rules of cell phone etiquette. At that point, the woman lost it and started hurling all kinds of insults at my mother. Through the duration of the disagreement, my mom kept her cool and held her ground. The best part is that after the woman left, at least three people at the post office came up to my mom to thank her for what she had done.

Was it worth it? Maybe. One has to hope the woman learned something from the encounter, but of course there will be annoying cell phone talkers pretty much anywhere you go nowadays. More importantly, however, I’m proud of my mom for bravely standing up for something she believed in, and for her cool and calm approach to handling the confrontation. I’m glad she was validated in the end by the other post office goers who thanked her for standing up for all of them. I have to admit it was pretty ballsy of my mom, and probably something I wouldn’t have had the guts to do myself.

I think everyone could benefit from a quick read of Dan Briody’s “The Ten Commandments of cell phone etiquette”, published several years ago in InfoWorld. Commandment number one reads, “Thou shalt not subject defenseless others to cell phone conversations. When people cannot escape the banality of your conversation, such as on the bus, in the cab, on a grounded airplane, or at the dinner table, you should spare them. People around you should have the option of not listening. If they don’t, you shouldn’t be babbling.” Mom, thank you for giving those around you the option of not listening. Your courageous act makes me proud.