[at-l] Cellphones Not Required

[daveh@psknet.com (Dave Hicks)]

I have stayed out of these exchanges for two reasons:

1) I hate cell phones as much for what they say about us as a people who are
self-centered and demand instant gratification, as well as for the intrusion
which they make into our lives -- wilderness, highways, church, theater,
etc.

2) I now carry one in the woods -- as a concession to my wife.

So, I come down on both sides of the issue -- strongly.

However, Charles' "I have to have the phone" brought me out of lurk mode.
He is absolutely right.

There was a time when you could take kids off out of contact for weeks -- as
I did.  One would not have been libel for not providing/exercising due care,
simply because you were out of contact, were a medical emergency to arise.
However, today our expectation as a nation is the "911 mentality."  Don't
believe me?  Take a Red Cross 1st Aid course, today.  Better yet, do some
library research on the content of a standard Red Cross 1st Aid course of 50
years ago vs. today.  Were I to make that trip w/o communications today, I
would not be exercising due care.

That having been said, I dearly believe there aught to be room for a
compromise -- albeit I suspect the boors will shun it.  I fear that the same
self-centeredness and demand for instant gratification mindset which makes
some feel free to use a cell phone w/o consideration for others will become
the norm.  I fear that the same folk which talk loudly on a cell phone in a
nice restaurant; allow a phone to beep & the answer it in a theater, or a
church; insist on driving while distracted; or whip out a phone at a
shelter, at a view shed, on top of Katahdin, will become the accepted norm.
And that is the shame and the problem.

IMHO -- The "it's-all-about-ME,-to-hell-with- everyone-else-mindset" is what
we should deal with, not the question of technology, itself.  Hell, except
for a bit of wool everything in my current pack is newer technology than
when I took those kids canoeing w/o any way to contact anyone, much less
when I first went camping in my youth.

There ought to still be room for those who don't want to be in communication
and those who do, w/o having to impinge into the others' quite meal, show,
worship service, or hike.  We need to learn to apply the old adage "That my
freedom to swing my fist, freely, ends ay your nose."

Chainsaw




----- Original Message -----
From: Charles Copeland <charles@uswnet.com>
To: Dan N. <djnickerson@yahoo.com>; AT List <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 2:37 PM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Cellphones Not Required


> Dan,
>
> Yes I have to take a cellphone although you make incredible assumptions
> about what we teach our Scouts. Of course we teach them to be
> self-sufficient and not depend on devices but welcome to the world of
> liability and lawsuits - I have to have the phone.  I can go into much
> detail offlist if you'd like (scenarios, parents, etc).
>
> Charles
>
>
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan N." <djnickerson@yahoo.com>
> To: "AT List" <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 12:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [at-l] Cellphones Not Required
>
>
> "Be Prepared" - Boy Scout Motto
>
> I don't think it means quite what it used to. So now,
> being prepared requires a cell phone? I've been a
> Scoutmaster, as well as having a son in scouts, and I
> was a scout myself back in the 60's. I'm not putting
> you down (Charles) for taking a cell phone on a scout
> outing, if you think that it is really necessary for
> safety sake or whatever. But I think it would be a
> greater lesson to teach not only the scouts, but also
> their parents, that perhaps learning to be more self
> sufficient, and being prepared to handle emergencies,
> without the use of such a device, would be far more
> valuable a lesson to the scouts, and I believe that is
> what the mission of scouting was supposed to be. One
> can choose to rely on such devices, or one can choose
> to develop skills and plans to deal with possible
> situations. It is kin to the gun discussion, although
> the phone is legal. Again, no offense intended. I
> sometimes think we are not so well served by some of
> these modern conveniences. BTW, I don't have a cell
> phone, never have, but I do think they can serve a
> useful purpose. FWIW.
>
> Dan (still lurking, mostly)
>
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