Privatized Public Space

Others have critiqued the contemporary poverty of public spaces in our land. I rued the day that a decaying golf course in our neighborhood was paved over and opened as a Wal -Mart instead of being saved as public green space. However, there is another phenomenon that bears commenting, and that is the privatization of public spaces. Every time I fly these days, I am amazed at how airport terminals are full of cell phone use. Everyone seems to have a phone to thier ear and is chatting away. I commented to Marialice last weekend that cell phones made for less lonliness but more isolation in public spaces. I'm sure they all feel so much more connected, but no one turns to talk to a stranger anymore. It is as if every individual is walking in their own private bubble - oblivious of the world around because they are attuned to thier own private circle. We have good friends who just moved to Orange County - she exclaimed to us that every time she has to wait for her daughter at school there seem to be very personable folks who might become great friends - but instead have thier heads stuck in a cell phone (or worse, appear the lunatic by talking to no one at all, because they have one of those invisible ear buds connected to thier hip phone). We resisted getting a cell phone because we didn't want to be that available - now I wonder if there is a civic virtue in ignoring the cell phone and turning to the stranger and asking - "how are you?"