Cellphone-free zones? Modest plea unveiled

Around the world, some of the more contemplative societies boast  businesses, especially restaurants, which offer cellphone-free zones.

In such case, roped off areas with signs emphasize the presence of “quiet” zones, where cellphone-use is banned, with other zones for those who like to yack away at the top of their lungs, if they like. (It’s poetic justice that the louts are able to annoy only one another.) From all reports, there is satisfaction with this setup.

Sadly, Asheville, which so proudly touts its cosmopolitan-bohemian culture, inexplicably appears to be lacking in this amenity, enabling rude people (who probably could not capture the spotlight otherwise) to thoroughly annoy those trapped in seats near them at restaurants, concerts and in other close quarters where such an intrusion into one’s personal space can ruin the experience.

 We’re just talking about phone-free zones, but Courtney Carver took this even further when she wisely wrote the following on her website (“Be More With Less: Life on Purpose”):

“When you stop using your phone in the car, during social events and while generally living your life, you will start to relax, engage and realize what you’ve been missing, and it’s not a phone call.”

So let’s draw a line in the sand, Asheville businesses, and declare cellphone-free zones ... for sanity’s sake.