You Don’t Need Six Legs to Be a Pest
Sometimes two thumbs will do just fine.
by Stuart White
Evolution is responsible for thousands of stunning entries in the pantheon of biological annoyances. New York alone is blessed with rats, roaches, bedbugs, pigeons, and even the innocuously named, yet profoundly disgusting water-bug. It would seem that pests are an inevitable outcome of any evolutionary system, so it comes as no surprise that technological evolution has given New York a new breed of pest: the inconsiderate cell phone user.
While titans of commerce, glowering hipsters, and chatty teens are annoying enough in their own right, listening to one side of their private conversations seems to have a multiplying effect on their despicability. Just hearing about Blackberry protocol in the business world is almost enough to justify being unemployed. But what’s worse is that people’s absorption in their cell phones is extending beyond being casually, infuriatingly rude. In some cases, people are so consumed with their constant communiqués that they actually neglect the real world. Oftentimes these people become glassy-eyed roadblocks, haltingly weaving down the sidewalk, oblivious to the gaggle of purposeful pedestrians jockeying for a chance to pass.
Despite the fact that more and more people agree that it’s inconsiderate to constantly check your phone, and hammer out text after text at the dinner table, it seems that more and more people are guilty of it. And while the whole situation is enough to give heartburn to any right-minded person with a shred of common decency, there may yet be a glimmer hope—for New York at least.