Cell-ish: Fair versus Damage Control

There is always someone. It happens every time; someone’s phone goes off in the midst of a performance. Saturday night was no exception; we’d been asked to silence our phones during the performance of Romeo Y Juliet. Yet, a phone went off. To be fair, there are those who think they have silenced the phone and  those who blatantly ignore the request. There are the adults who continue to scroll with a lit screen thru out the performance which is an irritant to those nearby.

We can’t  stop scrolling, texting, calling, talking, We can’t stop taking photographs, even if asked not to. We can’t stop recording, even wen asked not to. So, now, technology like Yondr will stop us. Patrons have to put their phone into a sealed pouch that can only be unlocked by venue staff. Ahh, the sounds of a cellular free space.

Alas, there is now a small uproar. Yondr prevents free speech. Yondr endangers those with medical conditions. Yondr means childcare cannot contact parents if there is an emergency.  Yondr, Yondr, Yondr, blah, blah, blah. Ultimately the question is, are draconian measures warranted when the broken rule, ignored request do damage? Comedians don’t want their material posted when they are on tour doing live shows. In addition to students not engaging in the classroom, the phones allow cheating

I obey the cell phone rules, so why should my phone be locked up? Often we tend to think in terms of fair and not fair rather than the community and the impact. This week, consider with Yondr as an example, is the response for rules enforcement fairness or damage prevention.