06/05/09: The Power to Persuade
I have long suspected that cell phones and ipods do not actually interfere with airplane equipment. However, I’m willing to comply just in case and because I’m a rule follower by nature. My guess has always been that it’s a scare tactic to get people to shut the hell up and just listen to the announcements. In that same vein, I feel convinced that this sign at my local laundromat is employing the same technique. I imagine that if you worked in a laundromat, you would want to gag all the people yakking on their cell phones. You’d have to listen to the same one-sided conversation over and over: “Yeah, I’m at the laundromat…. Um, I don’t know, about an hour…” If you heard that hundreds of times a day, you too might plot ways to get people to stop talking on their phones. So you brainstorm as you fold a pile of whites… What if I told them that their phones may jeopardize the machines? They would know that broken machines mean a longer stay here (a powerful motivator indeed). Now, how do I disseminate this message? I’ll make a sign! Who cares if it’s true?
Seriously, as one who owns a washer, dryer, and cell phone, I’ve never noticed any conflict amongst these machines. I have, however, wanted to lie to people to get them to stop talking on their phones. So Kleen Machine: I applaud your bold fear-inducing tactic and might just employ it myself next time I’m in a restaurant. I’ll carry a sign that says “No Cell Phone Use. They will affect the quality of the food.”