In this new year, one of the best resolutions you can make is to be more aware of your cell phone usage. I don’t mean be aware of how much data you use. No, I mean don’t be cellphone rude. I’ve written, and preached about my struggle to set better boundaries with my cell phone. It is an uphill battle for me (as Elana will readily affirm), but I am trying. One thing is for sure — when I go to the movies I not only put my phone away, but I turn it off. You should too.
I’m reminded of this because of the story my friend just told me. Imagine this, it was 1:30 on Christmas Day. She was in Manhattan and went to see the movie Amour. The movie’s synopsis includes
Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested.
Sounds like a light-hearted film right? Not. My friend described it as an emotional roller coaster that, in and of itself, tugged at the heart. When combined with the memories it raised of her deceased mother the movie was, for her and others, truly draining.
The movie was approaching its crescendo. The emotions were heightened. My friend and others were holding their breath when… the woman next to her began speaking on her cell phone.
Yes, at the moment when everything had come to a head in the movie, the woman answered a call and started speaking. Without realizing it my friend gently pressed her elbow into the woman. While it certainly wasn’t the best response, it wasn’t a conscious or aggressive move either. It was the sort of thing you would do and not even think about with a friend. A simple… “shhhhhh”. The woman’s response? “Get your hands off of me you B&*^%^”, and she went on speaking.
After the movie, my friend went to apologize. The woman began shaking, yelled the same thing she had previously said and kept ranting. My friend walked away.
Don’t be like the lady at the movie. When you go see a show, shut your phone off. You’ll enjoy the movie, you won’t disrupt others, and you won’t find yourself getting a (well-deserved but unconscious) elbow in the side.