Hang up the cell phone for cryin out loud!
By Buggheart
@Buggheart (445)
United States
August 21, 2007 7:34pm CST
OK so last night I had dinner with a good friend who is here on business for a few weeks. We work together and had a heck of a day at work and went out for drinks and dinner afterward to talk about the day and feed our faces.
We went out for Chinese food. I say that because here in Michigan they bring the food out in courses. First the soup, then the eggroll, then the main dish, rice and tea. So halfway thru the eggroll his wife calls and he proceeds to blab on the phone with her for about 20 minutes while I finished my eggroll and half of my entree. I just sat there looking around the room like oh joy this is fun with people in the restaurant looking at me like hey lady who is that loser you're with. I almost wished that I had finished my entree so I could plunk my half of the bill on the table and walk out while he was still yakking on the phone.
I love cell phones but is it absolutely necessary to be on them All. The. Time? Do you do this? Do your friends and family to this? I just found it to be incredibly rude and wanted to know what others think about the subject. Thanks!
3 people like this
14 responses
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
22 Aug 07
I agree with you that during dinner, unless a call is an extreme emergency, it is rude to take the call and sit there chatting while your dinner partner dines alone! I also can't belive how many people do not turn off thier cell phones during important meetings, presentations etc, despite the speaker asking in advance that the phones be turned off! Our college president was addressing the faculty a few days back and he started by asking us to please turn our phones off. During his presentation, THREE phones rang. One of the idiots answered the call!!!!
2 people like this
@wotfpatty (2065)
• United States
22 Aug 07
Hate it! My sisters both have a habit of talking on their cells all the time. When they are out together,they call me and when we are out, they call the other one or call someone else. My older sister's phone rings nonstop and she has LONG conversations as I sit there.
My younger sister also is making calls home, getting calls, talking through meals, etc.
I get really angry. I don't do that to anyone. If someone calls me I will tell them I am busy and will return the call unless it's very important. I hate sitting there looking like a total dork as someone is yakking on the phone ignoring me.
Sometimes I even yell, "Get off the phone!" when I can. I have a few friends who are bonded to their cells too. I use my phone for calls but not idle chit chat when I am out with people and supposedly paying attention to them.
Hate it, hate it, hate it.
2 people like this
@Buggheart (445)
• United States
22 Aug 07
I hate sitting there like a dork too. It's like the equivalent of going out to eat alone. Some people are OK with that but I am not which is why I go out with real live people and it ticks me off when they ignore me.
Sorry that your sisters do that. I have a girlfriend that spends half our nights out on the phone with her DH and other people. Drives me nuts. I think her DH does it on purpose so that he doesn't have to stay home with the kids. He calls her every 15 minutes to ask the dumbest things. Where's the peanut butter, how do I change the remote over from TV to DVD, when are you coming home, is it OK to give the kid a cookie. And she takes the calls. You'd think she'd turn the thing off and enjoy her time away from it all.
1 person likes this
@nangel78 (1454)
• United States
22 Aug 07
I have seen this happen. While I think cell phones are very useful, I do think they are abused too. Many people seem to feel the need as my husband puts it to "stay connected." There are times I just turn my phone off so I can be left alone. I do not use it while driving because I cannot pay attention while driving then. I do not use it when I have company over either unless it is an emergency. Common sense should kick in for people, but often it does not at times.
2 people like this
@Buggheart (445)
• United States
22 Aug 07
I agree! It's nice to have a cell phone but I only use mine for emergency purposes or if I'm out and want to drop by someone's house (I always call first) or need to call home to see if I need to pick anything up on my way home. Cell phones for many people have become an extension of the home phone. I just cannot imagine being so tied down to the phone. The funny thing is when people call my home phone and say hey I left you a message on your cell like a week ago. Yeah, I rarely use my cell so don't call it thinking I'm going to scramble to answer it. If you want to yakk at me, call my home phone.
1 person likes this
@wiccania (3360)
• United States
22 Aug 07
Oh, it annoys the hell out of me when people do that. It's not just rude to the person you're with, but to everyone else in the restaurant who is being disrupted by the conversation. At least it was just 1 conversation. I've been out with people who spent the entire time on the phone -- with several different people.
2 people like this
@Buggheart (445)
• United States
22 Aug 07
My cousin does that all the time. We'll be out somewhere and she's just blabbing on the phone the whole time to several different people and really loud too. Makes me wonder if she does that at work when she's with clients.
1 person likes this
@MikeMe (100)
• United States
22 Aug 07
That dude was just RUDE! He should have politely told his wife he loved her and would call her back when he got back to the hotel. I think a cell phone is something that will bring out a person's true colors. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they conduct themselves with a cell phone.
2 people like this
@Buggheart (445)
• United States
22 Aug 07
Exactly. It's not like we were sitting there for hours or that it was late. It was like an hour, maybe hour and a half, quick chat to resolve issues. He totally could have returned the call later. If it happens again I'm going to say hey I've got better things to do then to sit and watch you talk on the phone. If you still want to talk about this issue, we'll discuss it tomorrow at the office. Not gonna fall into that trap again.
1 person likes this
@CatalystDave (19)
• Canada
22 Aug 07
I used to be a huge talker, and probably guilty of something similar to what you describe. Then I worked a couple of jobs that entailed talking on the phone CONSTANTLY, and that cured me PDQ. Now it's, "Hi baby. Yes baby. Love you baby. Bye!" :-)
By the way Buggheart, I'm interested in what you said about Epinions and Viewpoints. For some reason I can't add you as friend or write you a message from your page. Possibly something to do with the cartoon on your page, and me using Firefox as a browser. *lol* ...would you mind adding or messaging me?
~David
2 people like this
@Buggheart (445)
• United States
22 Aug 07
Hey Dave, I added you and I'll message you about the other thing a little later on today. :)
1 person likes this
@Stiletto (4579)
•
22 Aug 07
I think it's rude and it really annoys me when people I'm with do it. Different if it's a really urgent or important call but when it's just something routine it's just bad manners. I have to admit I usually make a comment about it, sometimes subtle but other times a bit more direct!
Personally I don't do it - if I'm with someone else and my phone rings I let it go to voice mail. If it's an urgent or important call that I'm expecting I'll apologise to the person I'm with before I answer it and then keep it as short as possible. Never more than a couple of minutes at the most anyway.
1 person likes this
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
22 Aug 07
I used to have a cellphone for convenience, but my mother oculd call at the oddest times. First she hated that I had it, then she hated that I decided to turn it off. I wish she'd just make up her mind about the damn cellphone. LOL
As for you, I would have just walked out on him, and left him holding the ENTIRE bill!!!!!
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
22 Aug 07
Your right it was incredibly rude and you should have told the friend off. I really think they need to ban cell phones from any public building and while driving. Years ago before cell phones, we all got along without them just fine.
AT PEACE WITHIN
2 people like this
@craftcatcher (3699)
• United States
22 Aug 07
I'm with you, it's completely rude. That's what voice mail is for. I hate going to the grocery store and you end up knowing someone's entire weekend itinerary before you get out of the frozen food aisle. One thing I don't understand is why do people feel they need to talk so darn loud on a cell phone? They have great mics and you don't need to talk above a normal tone of conversation. Unless both people are in a car next to a dump truck, there is no need to yell into your phone.
Personally I would have asked your friend to turn his phone off until you were ready to leave the restaurant. Barring that I would have left him sitting there with his phone for a dinner companion.
I don't know anyone who is on their cell phone that often or would be that rude to a friend but if I did, they would hear about it.
2 people like this
@Buggheart (445)
• United States
22 Aug 07
Yeah, I definitely should have left. I was trying to be a good friend by going out to talk about and resolve our problems at work but I guess he didn't have the same idea.
I know whatcha mean about standing in the grocery line. I was once waiting behind this woman in line who put all her stuff up on the counter while on the phone and totally ignored the cashier because her conversation was more important than acknowledging the cashier. She blabbed the whole time and shot the cashier a dirty look when she asked if she wanted cash back. Like it would have killed her to hang up for 2 minutes to complete the transaction. Rude! Oh and the yelling! That's so annoying too.
1 person likes this
@butterfly39 (3904)
• Philippines
22 Aug 07
I never had an experience like that...but sometimes we can't really avoid those things because everybody has cellphones. And they don't really care if you're busy of not...so better switch if off if you have an important thing to do...
2 people like this
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
22 Aug 07
This is so rude and I do see it all the time. I would have gotten up and walked away as you said. There is no point sitting with someone while they yak on the phone. he should have been having dinner with his phone friend because technically he was. I don't understand it. It isn't just the young kids but older as well.
1 person likes this
@seethegrandview (99)
• United States
22 Aug 07
That is very rude! Maybe her parents didn't teach her proper table manners. It also shows her lack of respect for herself and (you) the person dining with her. I would think twice before going back out to dinner with this young lady. Be fair and let her know the airs of her ways before you make any decisions on not going out to dinner any more with her.
1 person likes this
