I remember a time I missed a train going to see my friend. They only ran every 45 mins and she was already out shopping. I had to call my Mum from the station (I still lived at home - this is the olden-days) and tell her to pass on a message should my friend call.

She didn't have the sense to do that (bless her). Instead she stuck a note to the wall of the Tube station using her cough mixture. Made me very wary of cough mixture.

I missed the message, but came out of the station to use the payphone across the road - it was smack bang outside McDonalds (not that olden olden-days) and she saw me....

I don't do it on the phone. I could talk to him directly but I never answer my phone when engaged with business with other people. I think it is rude and disrespectful to the person who is standing in front of you. It sends a signal that your phone call is more important than the persons time you were first dealing with. I ignore calls and keep my phone off most of the time. Most people who know me have stopped calling me on my cell which is just how I want it. If I want to talk to you I will call you when I turn my phone on, when I am done, I turn it off.

Sorry, but it is kind of rude to assume that because it's your business that those of us whose business it is not can turn off our ears and not listen to what amounts to us to be inane caterwauling.

We are an egocentric society. It's no different than the person who thinks they've got the only car on the road, the jerk who lets doors slam in stranger's faces, the person who spits big old hockers in the middle of the sidewalk, the coworker who cracks every bone in their body during meetings; you are assuming your business supercedes everyone else's business and trumps a modicum of class and awareness of the world around you. It's a "look at me look at me" world and frankly I don't always care to look.

That reminds me of a Rita Rudner joke when she talked about our impatient society and how we'll stand in front of a microwave tapping our feet and looking at the timer and muttering "come on, come on...I don't have all minute!)

@merc: no, I mean if two people are stood in a queue talking, then everyone else can hear their conversation and they may be slowed down because they are not concentrating on what they are doing.

I hear what you are saying, but does that mean if I'm standing in line with my wife, I'm not allowed to talk to her?

Well, we live in the ME-generation. People are becoming more narcissist. Who do you blame, society or "the person in front of you".

I have no idea. But that is usually not the case. To listen quietly is easier than conversing.

Hell NO! :)

That's a point, but I think people talk differently on the phone: louder, more pointed, more expressive, because there aren't facial clues to rely on.

I can't put a finger on why I think so, but it seems different to me. Now stop making points I have no idea how to refute! :o

I keep it easy and blame everyone and everything! :p

This article explains the "don't blame me" generation, which covers all our age groups!

I wear earplugs on long train or coach journeys because the inanity of the conversations drives me crazy. I apologise for this again - I freely admit I am an intolerant person, although I try not to inflict it on the world.

I agree with what Shawnee though - people are louder and more pointed on the phone. You are also less likely to just hear a string of, "yeh, yeh, yeh, nah, naaaaah, ok" if the other person is present.

I blame the person in front of me. Get some bloody manners or suffer me tutting quietly behind you!

Not everyone in the world thinks the world revolves around them. I'd rather spend all my time with those who don't, then spend any amount of time around those who do.

Since this is the ME-generation, I'm blaming YOU. ;)

Well?

Shhhhh, he's busy talking on his cell phone.

By the way, when this thread is at the top the mad face just stares at you from the home page. I get enough mad face around here!

Hey! I made a me-generation topic in Home Base under "narcissism" so talk about it there, my thread is lonely....jerks.