text: are cell phones the primary cause of current day rudeness? i have experienced and absolutely hate the following:  -people interrupting our conversation to take a call that ends up lasting like an hour -people talking on their cell phone in stores, and holding up the line at the register because they aren't paying attention to the cashier as they are on the phone.  -moronic drivers causing accidents or near accidents because on the phone.  -i used to be a hairdresser, and when working on commission time=money and people would make me stop what i was doing to answer their phone -my boss (a lawyer) provided his cell phone number to a client due to an emergent situation over a weekend, now that client phones on the cell at all hours and for any reason whatsoever.  -people calling your cell before your land line   what do you hate about cell phones? my least favorite is at work. the rule is: no cell phones in patient care areas, but as soon as authority figures are out of sight the phones come out. we at work occasionally carry a cell, provided by the hospital, when there is a situation with a patient that requires us to be immediately available. the visitors automatically decide that it is my personal phone, and are mouthing off about it, when i am trying to hear how my patient is doing.  so here is an opportunity. people, more and more hospitals require patient care staff to carry a cell phone that is provided by the hospital, so that patients, doctors, other departments, and staff can be in immediate touch with the nurse. the hallways are long in a hospital, and often, the nurse is far away from the desk . it is for the patients safety that we do this. and you can tell when it is a hospital phone, they are usually clearly marked. get used to it. but, some people have set themselves up, out in the community, as the cell phone cops. if one rings, no matter where, they have something to say about it. i was outside, heading for an entrance into a shopping mall, i was on the sidewalk, and my cell phone rang. i never, ever, have it on, it is for emergencies, and for the convenience of a my friends, in certain situations. it was my friend, telling me she will be late, as i had already figured out, since she was not at our meeting place. some people clear across the entrance, stopped, and had several things to say about it. they were louder, and caused more distraction then i did with my cell.people going in and out of the mall were ignoring them, or laughing at them.thanks for asking this question.