I'm not one of those people who are offended by people talking on their cell phone in the grocery store. To me that's no different than having a conversation with the person who came to the store with you. And some of us don't have people to take to the store with us. So I really think that people need to chill if they are worrying about people on cell phones in public. I'm also not generally bothered by people who drive and talk on their cell phones. It's less distracting to me to be on my cell phone than it is to have two loud kids or 4 teenagers in my car. Mind you, I would not combine the kids and the cell phone in general. That's just TOO much distraction. But unless someone is swerving, making stupid traffic decisions, or going 20 under the speed limit, I don't get why people get so worked up about it. All these "hang up and drive" bumper stickers make me want to whip out my cell phone and pull up alongside the cranky person who apparently spent money to whine about something stupid.
What I DO find rude, inappropriate, and silly, is people who answer cell phones in meetings or while someone is speaking to the group, without leaving the room. This has happened twice in the last few days. One of them was a woman who showed up an hour and a half late to the meeting, and then took a call shortly after arriving. Didn't even bother with the pretense of moving to get out of her chair. The other one was a woman who totally talked over the presenter at a Pampered Chef party- didn't lower her voice, totally had a conversation about what was going on and what the plans were for the day. Come on, people. Step in the other room.
I am admittedly attached to my cell phone to the extent that I panic if I forget it, and worry about it until I find it. In my defense, part of the worry springs from the fact that I have on more than one occasion dropped my phone in a parking lot. So far I've lucked out and found it laying in the same place not run over, or turned into a desk, but you never know when that luck will change. Even I can generally withstand the temptation to answer my phone in meetings, at restaurants, or when in the middle of a conversation. Those things I do think are rude. It tells the person speaking to you that their time is not valuable to you, and that whatever they are trying to communicate is not important for you to hear. THAT is inconsiderate.
But I still wouldn't buy a bumper sticker.
2 comments:
Here's my favorite:
Occasionally, while I'm tutoring someone their phone will ring. Most people will immediately apologize and turn it off. However every once in a while, when the phone rings, the person answers it. The times that this makes me the most annoyed is when it happens in the middle of me explaining something they just asked about. I had a woman do this to me this last Monday. I tried to help someone else and she kept trying to keep me there with her but she kept on talking on her phone! She finally said "I'm talking to a tutor just a minute" then expected me to explain this concept to her immediately. Then she returned to her phone call. It annoys the crap out of me when that happens. Because I'm talking my time to help you and you don't even care enough to treat my time as a priority over your phone call. Very very annoying.
I meant "taking my time" not "talking my time".
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