Escalation in the "I'm more important than you" war

So, a friend of mine sent me a story about a device - which is illegal in the US - that prevents cellphones from working in a thirty-foot radius, with smug testimonials from people who had used it in restaurants and on buses, and she says, "Let's get a dozen and give them to all our friends and family!"

So I said, "I hope you're joking."

And she said, "I have no compunction about using them in theaters and restaurants where my experience is being ruined, especially if the managers of such establishments won't exercise their authority. "

To which I responded, "Well, then, I hope you're ready to pay the fine, and to accept responsibility for the on-call cop or surgeon who doesn't know he's not reachable any longer."

And she responded, "Doctors in theaters have gotten along fine for decades by leaving their names and seat numbers at the theater office."

At which point I suggested we stop, because we weren't going to convince each other. This doesn't count, because she never reads blogs (or so she says), but I wanted to point out the flaw in her argument.

Which is: sure, doctors got along leaving their "seat numbers" at theater offices, but (a) when was the last time you got a seat number at a movie? and (b) these doctors will not know they need to do that because she will be cutting their phones off on her own.

Because she's more important than they are.

If it were legal for theaters to become cell-free zones, or restaurants, and they did - and announced it - that would be different, and acceptable. People could decided if they wanted to patronize places that didn't have cell service, and they'd know what to do if they wanted to. But this, this guerrilla decision to cut people off without their knowing it - and often not even for some offense of their own - is wrong.

(Which of course doesn't mean I'm crazy about phones ringing in the theater, but honestly, it's been years since that happened to me. And restaurants and buses? Come on, people, get a grip. What are you going to do when it's a loud conversation between two people who are there? Buy a tazer?)