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OdlerRobert Jeanlouie

Sep. 24, 2004

She was on the phone with her 12-year old daughter: ?No, you boil it first. Then, you poor the green stuff on it. Let it smear. It should not take more than ten minutes. Is your brother asleep? When dad comes in, find out where he?? And, Mrs. Lataniel went on, on, and on. In the meantime, her doctor sat still waiting for the communication to end, before he can get to tell her about her diet and medications.

That would not be the first time that was happening to me, having to sit through a long conversation, right in my office, waiting for my patient to be ready for me, while they instruct order, teach, train, debate others on their cell phone. Reversal of role? Revenge of digital time?

I would clear my throat, scratch my head, and rock my chair in impatience, to no avail. The phone conversation would have priority. And, the insurance companies don?t reimburse for time spent on listening to how patients have their shellfish cooked, their bedroom made, or their paycheck cashed.

Some patients never bring their medications to the office. When you ask, they pick up their phone, call their spouse, ask them to go the small cabinet in the bathroom, the one on the left, to grab the large white bag, to pick up all the blue bottles and to read what is written on them to their interlocutor.

The pervasive or permissive way cell phones are used is getting annoyingly in the way of our etiquette and traditions. While the device is made to make our world smaller, it is also, unfortunately, making us more distant from each other.

We are no longer obligated to speak to the person next to us, since we can dial a number in Texas or Massachusetts, and carry a lengthy chat on our free minutes. I was in a car with three friends the other day, each one of them was on their phone bonding with someone hundred of miles away, forgetting to bond with the people they were supposed to spend time with.

Last Saturday morning, I was driving in Lyons Avenue in Newark. It suddenly stroked me that at least one third of the drivers and pedestrians were carrying a phone conversation. And, the same happens at bars, movie theaters, waiting rooms all over America.

Try to wave to the next person while you stop at the light. What is the probability that he/she is on the phone?

Next time, should I just tell Mrs. Lataniel to please hang up, because we have other people waiting? Or should I just grab the phone and confiscate it?

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(OdlerRobert Jeanlouie, Friday, September 24, 2004)