Get off the phone

How is it that the people who get annoyed at rude cell phone usage seem to be outnumbered by the people who use cell phones rudely by about four-to-one? How is it that there's still so many people who'll yell "Hello?! Hello?!" into their cell phones on a quiet Metro car or bus before they'll finally give up? Why is it so hard for people to realize how it's not only rude but incredibly unproductive to talk on your phone while also trying to order a sandwich or check out in the grocery line? Is "Can I call you right back" such a difficult sentence to put together?

The thing that's been amazing me most lately is the number of people who'll have loud, intense arguments on their phones in the middle of public places. Walking back from the Foggy Bottom metro, I heard a guy pacing in front of a hotel, screaming into his phone at someone in sentences that were at least 50% the word "fucking".

This is not an unusual occurence. Cell phones seems to be the way to argue lately. It's pretty amazing that people choose to have these conversations out in public. I guess the bright side is that at least they're sparing their neighbors.