middlemen
Last weekend's This American Life was about middlemen. It opens with a fascinating interview with a man who handled TTY calls between deaf and hearing people. Sometimes, he says, the callers tried to drag him into arguments between them. Other times, they made him say embarassing things and laughed at his discomfort.
Comments
My ex used to have the same job! They have to describe every sound they hear to the deaf person on the line, and he once was on the phone with a divorced couple when the mother was slapping their kid and had to describe the smacking sounds. He was really upset about that. He also had to relay calls several times for a schizophrenic guy who kept calling Tom Selleck's agent's office to complain about Tom peeking into the windows of his trailer at night.
It's not a job I'd ever want to have.
Posted by: Chris | October 31, 2002 12:25 AM
That 'fascinating interview' was very likely in conflict with FCC regulations. Consider the privacy violation involved; on par with a stranger discussing aspects of your private phone conversations on a national radio program. That's why such violations are specifically spelled out in Title IV of the ADA.
Chris, you've just proven why even spouses should not be told of what goes on during such calls.
Posted by: chip | November 29, 2003 9:41 PM