Flashing

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When I first got here I made sure to buy my cell phone from the company store, and not off the street, so I could be assured it would be new and reliable. Even still, for the first few weeks I was convinced the phone was a dud, since it would ring once, then when I picked it up, the line would be dead. It was only after a few weeks that I learned this is not a problem with the phone, it's a problem with the person calling me, and it's called "flashing."

Basically flashing is when someone calls you, lets it ring once, and hangs up. Once flashed, you are supposed to call them back, since they either do not have any minutes left on their cell phone, or do not want to use their minutes to talk. This annoys me in great disproportion to the minor inconvenience it actually causes me. Ok, so I am supposed to pay to be bugged by you? No. If you want to know what I am doing this weekend, or just chat, then you are going to have to pay for it. I didn't ask you to call me, so don't ask me to pay. So I've basically taken on a one-man crusade against flashing, as in I don't call you back. The only exception is if someone is flashing me for work, like one of the research assistants we are using, since it's not exactly a pleasure call for them.

So has this protest worked? Of course not, but it does mean I talk on the phone a lot less, which is kind of a small victory.

Quick footnote: I can't complain about flashing without mentioning a very nice phone habit here: The random check-in. I can't count how many times I receive calls from people, many whom I barely know or met once at some event, that have no purpose but to check in to see how I am doing, or that I arrived somewhere safe and sound, or am still enjoying my time here. Now, if someone sends me a flash "how are you?" it will be a different story...

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Comments

[big sis]

llamada perdida
This "flashing" thing used to happen all the time in Spain with my friends. When they ran out of coin on their phone, they would make a "lost call" by hanging up just as it rang, i was supposed to know to call back NOT TEXT-as texting would have cost them money! You could thwart this by being really quick on the pick-up and shocking folks. I miss you lots out here in Oakland. Please bring me back presents, that should make up for the missing you part.