Seriously Satirical: Chongqing Texting
October 8, 2014
The Chinese have done it again. They have already gifted us with the invention of paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass, but they have given us much more to marvel at. The city of Chongqing has nobly divided its sidewalks into two, three-meter-wide sections—one for pedestrians on their cellphones and the other for the empty-handed. Ladies and gentlemen, this is innovation at its prime.
In today’s technologically developed society, the smartphone is an invaluable asset to citizens of every country; the act of separating the two would be a violation of an intrinsic freedom. Sadly, there are times when people are forced to resort to the most primitive form of transportation, walking, and their lives are put in danger by their very surroundings. Unable to see where they are going with eyes necessarily fixated on their phones, innocent civilians are prone to fatal collisions, often with other human bodies, texting or not.
“There are lots of elderly people and children in our street, and walking with your cell phone may cause unnecessary collisions here,” said Nong Cheng, a spokeswoman for Chongqing’s property management company, Meixin Group.
In the one month that this brilliant plan has been put into effect, the results have been astounding. The number of injuries, near 20 per day, has been reduced to an absolute zero. This injustice has cleverly been dealt with, as discouraging pedestrians from using their cellphones when walking is simply out of the question.
This statement of innovation must not stop in Chongqing—the students of Diamond Bar High School are also in dire need of salvation. Too many times have inattentive students bumped head-on into each other while checking the latest on celebrity gossip. Until something is done to aid these poor souls, they will continue to be left broken and tearful, knowing they cannot escape the ever-present danger.
How can students be expected to succeed when they cannot even use their smartphones in peace? DBHS administrators must hear the desperate pleas of these students. They have been through too much already. Let us follow in the footsteps of Chongqing and give our students what they truly deserve. Forget facilitating proper learning environments and enforcing “no child left behind;” preserving the safety of our students is what really matters this instant in our school.
