Editorial

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Editorials | Send mail to The Voice Prevent Cell Phone Disruption Are you tired of having everyone stare at you for all the wrong reasons? Don't let cell phone embarrassment happen to you! Help is available! An easy solution exists! Try the special introductory offer of the patented and proven "throw-your-cell-phone-off-a-building" plan at this one-time price: only three easy payments of $19.95! It will save you embarrassment and your friends distraction! The adoption of cellular telephones into popular culture has brought with it a new element of etiquette that people love to ignore. Sadly, Multnomah is not exempt from the plague of these portable wonders. Even after many ringing fiascos and several direct talks addressing the problem, every chapel and a fair number of classes are still interrupted by at least one unexpected jingle. Turning off one's cell phone before class or chapel is a matter of simple courtesy comparable to extending one's hand to greet another person, brushing one's teeth, and not interrupting when someone else is talking. Cell phone usage is just one more item on that list of social norms. Even so, cell phones still ring when they shouldn't. Why? Students are not putting others first. Forgetting to turn off cell phones in chapel or before class is an act of selfishness. Just one ringing cell phone can cause a mammoth distraction. A phone's simple noise can keep the speaker from hitting his next point, cause a fellow student to cease paying attention or embarrass the recipient of the call to a huge degree. In all fairness, there are times when a cell phone must be left on. If a loved one is really sick or if the owner of the phone is waiting for an important call from his work, turning the phone off is not a reasonable option. Thankfully, the manufacturers of these handheld disrupters are one step ahead of the game. Those tricky devils created cell phones with an ingenious option called "vibrate." Feel free to use it. Courtesy with cell phones is one more way to show Christ to one's neighbor. Although throwing one's cell phone off a lofty edge is a bit extreme, in an effort to put others before oneself, don't be afraid to silence that phone. This simple act won't hurt too badly, and you might help your neighbor in the process. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Editorials | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2005 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.