Posted on: Sunday, May 25, 2003

EDITORIAL
Put the brakes on cell phone chatter

Etiquette tips published in last week's Island Life section warn romance seekers that it's rude to answer one's cell phone during a date, except in an emergency.

Increasingly, cell phones are being used as a social crutch. It's not uncommon to see a group of kids all talking on cell phones instead of having face-to-face conversations. Forgive us for muttering, but that does not bode well for the future of human interaction.

Where once folks lit cigarettes during awkward moments, they now whip out their mobiles and chat. And no place is off-limits.

And that makes life awfully noisy, because most cell phone users are convinced they have to talk loudly to be heard. Perhaps we need a "Great American Cell-out" to appreciate life before we all have a phone stuck to our ear.