cell phone etiquette

[verbicide]

I know. So post-y today!

Jeff's much better at this than I am. If we go out to dinner, he immediately turns his cell phone off. We were talking about this the other day. It really sends the message that, "I am here to spend time with YOU. You have my undivided attention." It makes me feel special.

Of course, I usually forget to turn mine off, and instead spastically grope for it to silence it if it happens to ring. And unless either one of us need to grab a quick call for some last-minute coordination reason, we don't take calls when hanging out for extended periods of time.

http://tomatonation.com/?p=2019

I love Tomato Nation.

My other huge peeve with cell phones is people who have extended conversations on the bus. I think it should be freaking outlawed. And I don't normally jump to the legislative path on social behavior issues. I think making or taking a brief call to let someone know you're on your way or pick up lettuce on the way home whatever is fine. But dude, the 37 other people on the bus don't need to hear about your date last night your latest gossip on your third cousin or the history exam you're studying for. STFU.

Comments

[lietya.livejournal.com]

I love Tomato Nation, too!

I completely agree with that reply she made; I think it's rude to answer the phone when you're spending time with someone else. Heck, I even think that's true for landlines. :) In both cases, I differentiate "answer" from "grope for phone to silence it" and even "quickly check incoming number on cell/caller-ID in case it's a hospital" - what bugs me is TALKING on the phone.

I think I've lost patience utterly after my mother has left me hanging out for upwards of half an hour (sometimes in the aisles of Target or some other store, for God's sake!) while she yaps away about nothing of particular importance. Dad calling with "I need lettuce while you're at the grocery store," fine. One of her best friends calling to chat while she ignores me and I can't get home... not so fine. And that's my *mother,* who is presumed to have some leeway in terms of spending time with me; if a friend kept talking on the phone instead of talking to ME, eventually I'd feel downright unwanted. And grumpy.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

She has such great common sense!

And I totally agreed with both the original person's point and Sar's response.

I think you're right about landlines. If I need to answer the call, I tell the person on the phone that I've got company, and if we need to briefly talk, we do, but the conversation is setup to end quickly.

I would be very grumpy if family or friend neglected me for a chatty call, too!

[lietya.livejournal.com]

She really does; she's the only advice columnist where I've *never* disagreed with or wondered at a suggestion.

I should have mentioned, I don't actually have a cell phone, so obviously the choice not to use one in public, while out with friends, etc. is an easy one for me. I wouldn't mind at all what you do, though; the ringing doesn't bother me, just extended conversations.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

It's funny, isn't it, how the advances of technology don't always immediately come with ...the obvious connection to good manners?

I don't even mean that in a judgmental sense. I think people are sometimes stymied by the Newness and don't make the connection to polite behavior.

[lietya.livejournal.com]

I actually think you're right; it takes a while for etiquette to catch up with new developments. I mean, it makes perfect sense to ME that if it's rude to do something with a landline, it also is with a cell phone... but I can see how a lot of people just don't see the parallels.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

Nothing that beating them about in the head with a wooden spoon won't speed up the process of.... :)

[lietya.livejournal.com]

Hee! Very true.