That's Just Rude!

This is quickly becoming the decade of rudeness. I once drove across town to a Sears store to buy a lawn mower. I promptly asked for assistance from a man that was touted as the expert in all types of mowers. My first question was about the difference between the reasonably-priced mower and the over-priced one. As he was beginning his explanation, the phone next to the cash register rang and he excused himself and walked over to answer it. He then began to discuss chain saws to the person on the other end of the phone. After he walked past me to check to see if they had the model chain saw the person who called was seeking, he went back to the phone and continued his discussion with this person who - 1. Was probably sitting on the phone in his Barcalounger and boxers and 2. Did not drive across town to stand in the Sears store and wait until all phone queries were taken care of, as I apparently did.

That was about 10 years ago; before I-Phones, I-Pads and laptops. Today that sort of rudeness has taken on a level beyond my imagination when I was growing up. Where is it written that – No matter who you are with at any given time, the person on the phone is more important to talk to – or text, or email, or Facebook, or Twitter?

I arrived at a nice restaurant a few weeks back to see an old friend and do a little catching up. It had been five years since we had seen each other after he moved away. I thought we were equally excited to pick up where we left off and share the good and the bad. Even before we ordered drinks, his I-Phone blared the Indiana University fight song and he immediately began to read his latest text. After he chuckled, he started texting back. Not long after that, he told me what drink to order him, excused himself and went outside to make a call. I finished my first drink, ordered another and waited, and waited . . . and waited. I’m guessing thirty minutes later he came in and sat down. He explained that it was too noisy in the restaurant to talk on the phone before but now the place had cleared out a bit and he could hear better. How wonderful for him. We ordered dinner. The I.U. fight song again jolted me to attention. This time he looked scornfully at the text, said something nasty about his ex and began texting with authority. OK . . .you know where this one is going. When I left him walking to his car, he was reading his email on his I-Phone. I know nothing more about his life now than I did before our dinner; except that he is really pissed at his ex-wife.

I am aware that when I write these little rants, I should offer a solution or two to help with the problem. I really do not have an answer to this one. So I’m going to throw it out to the few people who are currently reading my blog and ask for help. What can we do or say to politely remind our friends that we took the time to be right there in front of them and would like to spend some quality time visiting them without sharing our visit with their ex-wife? I know. I think I just answered my own question.

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cdrake1@hotmail.com 


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