Traverse City Record-Eagle

Your Views

December 23, 2011

Letters to the Editor: 12/23/2011

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Robbing us of skills

I read the (Oct. 30) article headlined "Hangups," about the use of cellphones in public. I appreciate that the Record-Eagle is addressing what has become a serious issue in etiquette lately.

I believe that, with the advent of the cellphone, people lost many of the communication skills that were so cherished and admired in earlier years. While cellphones offer us countless conveniences, they also tend to rob us of even the most basic social skills.

Cellphone usage has affected everyone, but a strong negative effect is evident in young people. Many children grow up ignoring their elders, preferring instead to chat with friends on their cellphones. Such habits produce a generation that does not know how to communicate effectively and, more importantly, a generation that does not have respectful manners and attitudes toward elders. A generation of such people will be self-centered and narrow-minded.

Thus, while cellphones are an immensely useful invention, they also pose a risk of corrupting our posterity.

Discerning the proper etiquette for cellphone use is not easy. I appreciate the article, and I hope it encourages others, as it has encouraged me, to think twice about cellphone manners.

Lydia Saldanha (age 17)

Traverse City

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