Smart phones and why people are falling down manholes
I recently read an article about a man in Peru who was so busy on his cell phone that he was injured after falling into a manhole.
A quick Google search uncovered almost 4 million links and numerous videos about people doing the exact same thing. Why are people so obsessed with using their cell phones while they are walking?
As a teacher on a college campus, I see this all the time in the tunnels and hallways. I am often zigzagging about people who are walking slowly because they are on their phones or they are veering off to the left or right because you can’t look down while walking forward.
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I probably sound like an old curmudgeon talking about young people and their blasted cell phone use. And I haven’t even talked about the cell phone use in the classroom.
And I’m not going to. That would make me too angry.
However, I ask, what is so important that you can’t for the 7 minute walk from your car to your classroom just put the phone in your pocket? It will be there when you get to class. The internet will be there when you get to class. Just put your hand on it in your pocket if you need that extra security.
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These people are also annoying because they constantly almost run into everybody. You can see a cell phone walker 10 legs ahead and just know that they would just run right into you if you don’t get out of the way.
I often want to just let people on their phones walk into me, so they can feel like an idiot. It probably wouldn’t do anything. They would just Google “how to walk straight while also checking my March Madness bracket.”
For me, walking places without a cell phone in hand is wonderful. I see people and smiling faces. I can admire the trees or the sky. I’m not sure some people see the sky anymore because they neck is permanently stuck in a downward facing position.
Honestly, if falling into a manhole is becoming a problem due to phone use, people should wake up and put them down. Or call an Uber.
