Put that doggone phone down
It's hard to carry on a conversation when someone's checking her danged phone every five minutes for text messages.
So you know where I'm coming from on this, text messaging never has made much sense to me. Except when you need to be sly, text messaging is largely unnecessary. It's the grown-up version of passing a note in class.
On Saturday I walked from a conversation because of texting. My pal and I walked into a Charlotte bar and as I ordered a couple beers for us, the blonde next to me pointed me to her friend and said she needed some social interaction, that she was having a slow night, tired and so on.
I bit. We chatted, watched the LSU game and talked football.
It was innocent conversation, and I asked lots of questions to try to pull her out of the mid-Saturday evening blahs. Then she whipped out the phone, talking with me as she looked for some text message. This happened several times in about 15 minutes before I got fed up.
Hey, if you're going to do that, I can spend my time better elsewhere. So I left for the pool table.
And I gotta wonder - is there a way to be polite about pulling out your phone? Or do you just leave it in the bag for an evening?
Anymore, I see this kind of act all over the place. Yes, there are all kinds of reasons one might need to check messages/text/anticipate a call, but we're talking about the typical instance.
Have you ever walked because of bad phone manners?
Comments (5)
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Manners aside, texting is truly elevated human interaction. Drinks at 8? I can't make it. Running late.
Those three messages could be a five-minute conversation when you include the requisite "hi, how are you, just wondering... blah blah blah...OK, well, I'll talk to you later...OK, I will. Bye" Instead, you get a five-second telegram of just the important information.
But 'Fella, I think this girl was just brushing you off. If she said she had to go to the bathroom three times in 15 minutes, you wouldn't be blaming the bathroom, would you?
Posted on December 4, 2007 10:02 AM
Shot down by the text message. I'll have to add that one to the list, along with paper airplane, sign language and canoe paddle.
Ruby, I say nay to your "elevated interaction" thing. You can accomplish the same end in the same time with a two-way -which I have.
Posted on December 4, 2007 10:32 AM
But I can do it without everybody around hearing what I'm saying. And I can do it in a noisy place and still be understood. And texts never get dropped. If you're on the most boring date of your life, can you whip out your nextell and say "boop-bleep: rescue me. over and out"?
Posted on December 4, 2007 2:57 PM
i agree, ruby. I mean think of all of the hurt feelings spared if people had always talked about each other behind their backs via text, instead of whispers and giggles.
Posted on December 4, 2007 4:35 PM
Totally, Betty.
But I'm not sure my texting is any better. I definitely giggle sometimes and I'm pretty sure I move my lips when I'm thinking hard.
Posted on December 28, 2007 11:36 AM