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Anti-cellphone behaviour: should we tolerate it?

A tremendously entertaining group which performs "classical orchestral" music at London's Covent Garden Market not only manages to produce a full orchestra with just five string players, but also tackles interruptions caused by phone calls.

Watch the video, and laugh! - well, it is funny...

...but then ask: Actually, these buskers are playing in public, and everybody in the area is talking loudly. The musicians are background music. So why do we feel it's OK and funny for them to victimise some chap who has to talk to someone who happens not to be there?

The real hazard isn't conversation. It's embarrassing (or antisocial) ringtones. My friend the Hunky Mouse has opinions about that:

Sniffer writes

We came up with a really good plan to cope with a thoughtless colleague who was always leaving his mobile on his desk, and wandering away for an hour. It was an open office, and he had a really irritating ringtone. Threats (talk of buckets of water) had no effect.

While he was out one day, the office techie took it upon himself to switch the ringtone to something quiet, but embarrassing

You can go further. Change the phone language to anything with a non-Western script. Pull up comfy chair, sell tickets, open popcorn, enjoy sense of humour failure...