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[at-l] Perception - Cell Phones.
- Subject: [at-l] Perception - Cell Phones.
- From: stephensadams at hotmail.com (Steve Adams)
- Date: Mon Jan 17 12:40:35 2005
Jim,
Reference your post, dated 1-14-05, where you ask, ?Did hikers become more
foolhardy as a result of the invention of the signal mirror or the whistle?
What about the flare gun? Do owners of cars with On-Star drive more
recklessly because they know that when they crash On-Star will call an
ambulance? Did sailors first set out across the sea because the compass had
been invented??
Your question implicitly asks, ?Did ALL hikers become more foolhardy as a
result of the invention of the signal mirror or the whistle??
This is not what I said. I hold that SOME hikers rely upon a cell phone
and, as a consequence, foolishly accept too great a risk.
To make your point, you need to assert the following propositions: No hiker
ever became more foolhardy, relying on a signal mirror, a whistle, or a
flare gun, and; no driver of a car with On-Star ever drove more recklessly,
knowing if they crash On-Star will call an ambulance.
If it became popular to flash the sun?s reflection into people?s eyes with
signal mirrors, blow whistles in their ears, and shoot off flares throughout
the day and night for non-emergency reasons, I would probably object to
these practices along the Appalachian Trail.
?On-Star? is marketed as a way to reduce our risk. Much of the
justification for carrying cell phones is to reduce our risk.
You advise, ?Humans have always taken risks.? ... And ?... if life isn't
an adventure it is just existence ...?
If you want more than mere existence and to preserve a sense of
adventurousness, leave your cell phone home.
Steve