Common Courtesy

I was so disgusted over solicitation calls I dropped my land line over 10 years ago, kept my dial-up line until DSL and broadband.

I had my cell. Did not take long for me to realized that now I was available 24/7.

When my cell would ring if I was eating, relaxing, or doing projects most times I screen the calls before I answered, be then it got to a point I just would not answer it and began to despise it. And driving, forget it.

When my twin sister got her cell, I told to her to give herself a break, she would justify it by saying something could happen to her babies. I reminder her that they were 14 and 16 yo, and if something happen I didn't realize our cells could give immediate medical attention.

But I told her I didn't have that application on my plan. I was cynical...(most times it was her now ex husband wondering were she was, she was outside working, he was inside watching TV wondering when she was going to make dinner for him) ..... but she got my point how did we survive when we were growing up.

I think that for her it was mostly a oddity/fad...novelty, thats the word. But 10 years later she still answers every call when she can . But it doesn't help her attitude at times....

When the cell rings, I take it or leave it, but try not to have it rule my life. people find its better and less intrusive to email or text me.

phoenix911

<...It is the height of discourtesy to conduct a phone conversation in a restaurant....>

Hear, hear (or not, as applicable)!

Or on a commuter train where other people are dozing.

They do have an "off" button, and it's surprising how few people consider the appropriateness of using it. Carried away with their own self-importance, perhaps?

I agree completely. Very good points, Ronseto!

If a call (land line or mobile) comes in while I am talking to someone else, I ignore it. Sometimes, if I am close on a deadline and can't spare the time, I ignore it. The caller can leave a VM and I will return the call. On the other hand, if I have agreed to accept or make a call at a certain time -- much like agreeing to a meeting -- I will excuse myself and take care of the call.

Going outside, or into another room to take a call in a restaurant or social gathering is just common courtesy and good manners.

Not talking on your cell phone while driving is just common sense and safety -- even with a hands free device. Don't distract yourself from concentrating on traffic and your place in it.

Control the device or it will control you!

(And I work in the cell phone industry.)

All good rules which we would hope everyone would follow... but clearly, too few do. GA

<...Does someone nearby have the right to object to your intrusion on their private space?...>

Right is at one end. Obligation is at the other.

I would have to say that there are times when you should silence your cell but should always have the courtesy to return a call. I will always excuse myself to take a call from one of my children but ...oh, excuse me, my daughter is calling. Be right back...

diffinitely, but I have seen that more calls are about trival things then it used to be. Sure they may call about the weather or something like that, that has always been, the thing I see is, that usually would last about a week, before the next call.

Now it seems that its a constance keeping in touch. Is the world becoming that lonely and insecure? or the opposite.

Or maybe I am just a grouch......

imho:

growing up when when had to " come to the phone"..gives a certain perspective to the " new " device: a portable phone:

the information age:

the ability to have instantaneous info at your fingertips anywhere in the world ( almost ). wasn't that someone's dream 100 years ago?

from Reuters to CNN to utube to twitter.. facebook , ..

once the genie's out of the bottle.. it's hard to keep `em on the farm once they've seen...

as each generation is presented new teck, the dependence upon that grows. that evolves mores.

not always better , but different. can we insure that passing on the " value " , " old school " morals ?..

i would agree with your question. the dependence upon teck , imho, may lead some people to not develop the social skills " we " come to expect.

I was about 12 years old, we had a phone in the barn as well as the house.

All the building were spread out that covered about 5 + acres. I remember, I was in one of the machine sheds fueling up the tractors to go discing and heard the phone ring,, and it rang and rang, and rang, of course after the 10th ring, you think, OMG something happened to some one, I ran like a bat outta hell to answer it.

It was a pesticide salesmen, said I had won a pair of leather gloves and wanted to sell me 55 gallon barrels of pesticides, and even at 12 I was pissed, and told him to send the gloves and call back after I received the gloves then we'll talk....I kept that bastard on the line for close to 20 minutes before I told him I was 12, then I heard click.

Told my dad, at first the look on his face was that he was pissed, I had work to do. Until I finished the story, I could not get a read off of him.

A few weeks later, my dad was reading a farm paper, and said to me with a smile, Hey Steve, here an article of a pesticide sales scam going on, with telephone solicitors.

I told him, ahh thats too bad....I guess I'm not getting those leather gloves then.

Steve.

As a follow-up to "common courtesy" and cell phones; How do you deal with strangers in restaurants or other public places who disturb you. Do you get up and confront them (in a nice way of course), report it to the manager? Would it make a difference if it were in a good restaurant or at a McDonald's? When I went to school, we learned common courtesies, also know as good manners. It used to be an important subject in womens finishing schools. I'm sure good manners are no longer taught in our schools. What a shame!

"How do you deal with strangers in restaurants or other public places who disturb you"

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28714

What technology giveth, technology taketh away.

Isn't that illegal to have one yourself

Yes, but I have two so it doesn't count.

It IS generational. To some extent it depends on the environment you've grown up in. But it is also common sense -- or should be.

Everyone notices if they are interrupted by something or someone. And, if truthful, most people would admit that they are annoyed (or insulted) by non-emergency interruptions. But in dealing with younger people of the X and Millenial generations, I've noticed a definite decrease in attention span. It is not uncommon at all for me to be talking with a younger person only to be interrupted by another younger person who wants to converse with the person I'm currently speaking to. And instead of the person I'm speaking with saying, "Excuse me, wait just one minute while we finish our discussion, (or even saying to me, "Excuse me a moment" and then seeing what their friend wants) the person just stops being engaged with me and engages with the interruption. It is VERY rude and immature. But that seems to be the norm with the younger generation.

Sadly, common courtesy and commonsense have both become misnomers.

Best way is to hand over the cell phone to your trust worthy collegues to reply or say that so and so is at an important meeting.

The best way is to keep at silent mode, and fix up a reply message - thank you and we will contact you soon. The voice mail box is not a bad idea.

Deliberations to avoid calls like many people[ mainly on payment issues] is the worst noted behaviour with cell phone owners and many people tell convenient lies and excuses. That is the greatness of cell phones too.

A while back I stopped at a Freeway wayside rest to use the commode. As I was walking to a stall another guy was going into the next stall. He nodded to me and we each went in and closed our doors. I got just got seated when the guy said fairly loudly,

"How's it going today?"

I was a little taken aback but I replied,

"Just fine."

He then really floored my by asking,

"Do you want to get together?

I was horrified, outraged and extremely uncomfortable, so I replied,

"I'm not into that, pal."

Then as I quickly pinched off, wiped and got ready to get out of there, I heard him say,

"Hey, I've got to call you back. Some guy in the next stall keeps answering my questions."

My first impression whenever I hear (before seeing) a person talking to the air (and to me?) is that he/she is hallucinating...as in schizophrenic. Why anyone would want to convey that message to anyone within earshot escapes me.

Then there's the cell addicts who can never put the phone away for a moment; who really think they are (1) Very Important, and (2) Multitasking...as they struggle through simple tasks like fueling the car; or paying up at the checkout counter; etc. All this while other people wait for their own (invariably more valuable) time to be wasted waiting. But this is much like the Schizo Cell addict. Seeing such people is much as if they had simply hung a placard on their back stating: "I'm Stupid. Patience appreciated."

wheres a good boombox when you need one.