I've been waiting since Feb. 21 to find the time to sufficiently tee off on an article published that day, titled, "I Will Check My Phone At Dinner And You Will Deal With It."
(That wasn't as hard as I thought.)
On communication, professional and otherwise.
Nice try, MG Siegler. But it’s still rude.
One of my Facebook friends posted on that article on the day it was posted, and I commented basically the same thing: “Yes, yes I WILL deal with it . . . I’ll deal with it by simply never again going to dinner, or any other face-to-face situation with YOU again, you rude, ignorant, disrespectful boor!”
It’s not just that it’s rude. Conversation, when it’s worthy of the name, flows like a river, alternately fast and lazy, muddy and clear, straight and winding.
A “conversation” punctuated with a phone-check at every lull is like a river with a dam every mile. At some point, it’s not a river, but just a series of improvised lakes.
True, David. But it’s more of a manners issue for me. I’m no prude, but I do think there’s still a place for good manners and consideration of other people, especially in a time when it seems such things have been cast aside as quaint or out of fashion.
I once stopped dating a woman because she wouldn’t stop answering every phone call she got while we were at lunch or dinner. It wasn’t just that it was disruptive to our conversation. It said something about her priorities and where I fit in with them.
True back atcha, Robert (and Kristen). Imagine being out to dinner with a new client, an important politician or even Charlie Sheen and checking your messages every 10 minutes.
You wouldn’t do it. So why treat your friends or lovers like trash?
Both issues–manners, and natural, serendipitous, continuous conversation–aren’t just important. They are FUNDAMENTAL, and violations of them are severe transgressions.
The only logical response is: “I will no longer go out to dinner with you and you will deal with it.”
Even if you are my son.