Inappropriate times/places for texting...

[Gregg2]

Saw this one the other day:
Sitting in his car at a busy gas station after filling up. I guess it was an urgent text message he was reading/sending!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Family meals, or during meals with friends.

 

[mollyc]

Saw this one the other day:
Sitting in his car at a busy gas station after filling up. I guess it was an urgent text message he was reading/sending!

Well, he was apparently oblivious to the people behind him, but I'd rather he text there than while driving. There are some of us who actually won't text while driving but still need to give an update as to whereabouts when out.

 

[SDColorado]

If I ever require surgery and the surgeon is texting while performing it. I think I would definitely have to consider that inappropriate

On a more serious note, I did have a person in front of me at the grocery store that just *had* to bang out a text before pulling out their credit card to complete the transaction. I suppose that is very similar to the gas station scenario.

 

[0388631]

Funeral? Mid-coitus? Mid-coitus at a funeral behind the scenes inside the coats closet?

 

[chown33]

Funeral? Mid-coitus? Mid-coitus at a funeral behind the scenes inside the coats closet?

Been there. Done that.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

At a play, a concert, or in the cinema.

 

[0388631]

Been there. Done that.

You dog, you.

 

[Gregg2]

Well, he was apparently oblivious to the people behind him, but I'd rather he text there than while driving. There are some of us who actually won't text while driving but still need to give an update as to whereabouts when out.

I busted a cop doing that once, on a freeway. Passing him on the left, saw his "thumb action", mouthed the words, "Are you kidding me?", shook my head, he gave a stern look and slowly lowered his left hand. He got behind me, probably running my plate number, got off the expressway before I did.

If I ever require surgery and the surgeon is texting while performing it. I think I would definitely have to consider that inappropriate

You'd be sleeping. Maybe he/she is getting instructions from another surgeon.

 

[Gutwrench]

From the stand in court. Not advisable.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

THE MOVIES!!!!!

 

[BigMcGuire]

Saw this one the other day:
Sitting in his car at a busy gas station after filling up. I guess it was an urgent text message he was reading/sending!

My boss told me something very similar to this a few months ago. The gas station across from our work is the only gas station for a good 8-10 miles, so it is very busy, especially in the morning. My boss was in line to get gas and he said the person in front of him was in no rush, took their time, and then after filling up, spent a few more minutes in their car texting on their phone. I'm convinced that people like this create a lot of the traffic, lines, waste of time that we experience in this life.

Cops are allowed to use their phones while driving. We had a local police officer rear end another car because she was texting - and was known for it. We all knew it was going to happen, and it did. Nothing happened as far as I know.

Movie theaters do a good job going after texters these days, at least the ones I go to. But back in the late 90s early 2000s, during Lord of the Rings, I had a guy next to me that sent 100s of text messages, answered his phone several times, was completely oblivious. This, along with a lot of the other things people do that are insensitive, drove me to Roku and eventually Apple TV. I avoid the theaters and have for many many years.

What I've seen in the last few years? Restaurants have had to put up signs asking people to put away their phones before ordering their food. People will stand in line, on their phone, then walk up to the counter on their phone making the person taking the order wait, along with the people behind them wait. Or while on a call. I've seen this happen in person handfuls of times.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

THE MOVIES!!!!!

Agreed, or the theatre, or a concert.

 

[Gregg2]

Cops are allowed to use their phones while driving. We had a local police officer rear end another car because she was texting - and was known for it. We all knew it was going to happen, and it did. Nothing happened as far as I know.

A friend of mine is a retired Police Chief of a mid-sized city. Prior to that position, he made Captain here. He told me about banning personal calls, etc. while on patrol. I'm pretty sure that Police Departments do not issue "company" cell phones. Why would they need one? Police officers usually are not alone in a patrol car. If it's necessary to communicate with headquarters or or other officers, the partner of the driver could do that. I have no proof, but I would assume that most PDs have a policy against distracted driving by their officers. It's just common sense that such activity is potentially hazardous to the officers and to the Public they serve. However, I grant you that Police are allowed to violate some traffic laws in the course of their duty, if it is necessary. I also see them doing that when it is not.

 

[Mefisto]

There was a new guy on our crew a few weeks ago while we were tasked with building a ground support system (something like this but a bit smaller) for some lights, video screen and a PA-system at an exhibition hall.

There are all sorts of safety mechanisms in place to insure that when the "roof" of the support with all the lights and other doodads attached to it goes up, it stays there and doesn't fall down possibly killing multiple people. Well this new guy was in charge of 1) securing the pieces of truss to one another so the whole package stays together, and 2) overseeing the cables so that they don't twist or break in other ways while the roof goes up. He had to be told two times to get off his phone, to no effect at all. Before being completely told for the third time, he was already out of the hall before a colleague of mine had stopped yelling at him. Hasn't been back since.

So I guess keep off your phone when you're working and there are potentially lives at stake?

 

[Bugs713]

Had a 24 yr old kid texting and reading his phone during a job interview... I cut the interview short!

 

[arkitect]

THE MOVIES!!!!!

Yes, but, but… How will friends and strangers on the internet know you are watching a movie if you don't tell them… in fact, if you are not sharing this valuable information, how could you yourself even be sure you are watching a film?

/s

People are out of control with this…
[doublepost=1552855407][/doublepost]

Saw this one the other day:
Sitting in his car at a busy gas station after filling up. I guess it was an urgent text message he was reading/sending!

Well as examples go, that is not exactly the most egregious… rather that than when they're busy driving.
[doublepost=1552855486][/doublepost]

Family meals, or during meals with friends.

Oh I 100% agree.

In fact never mind meals, anytime you are having a conversation with someone.

When that happens (and, yes it has) I just stop talking and sit/stand there waiting for them to finish. Pointedly. Most get the idea pretty fast…

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In fact never mind meals, anytime you are having a conversation with someone.

When that happens (and, yes it has) I just stop talking and sit/stand there waiting for them to finish. Pointedly. Most get the idea pretty fast…

Couldn't agree more with you.

 

[SDColorado]

You'd be sleeping. Maybe he/she is getting instructions from another surgeon.

I would hope if that was the case, whomever the "surgeon" texted, would tell him to get off the phone, out of the ER and to stop pretending to be a surgeon

 

[Apple fanboy]

In the bathroom. If you are using the facilities it can wait.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In the bathroom. If you are using the facilities it can wait.

Agreed.

And I can see no reason to bring a phone to bed (and there is such a thing as an alarm clock); to my mind, phones and bedrooms belong to different spheres.

Personally, I don't want texts, selfies, or being photographed with a phone while in a bedroom, or in my bed.

 

[yaxomoxay]

A somewhat illuminating short video on the subject:

 

[retta283]

I've seen the smartphone epidemic first hand many times. Bothers me the most when younger family members just fiddle around on their phone during dinner. Or when you try and talk to them and they check their phone and get caught up in a ton of useless crap, not even saying "wait a second"

 

[yaxomoxay]

I've seen the smartphone epidemic first hand many times. Bothers me the most when younger family members just fiddle around on their phone during dinner. Or when you try and talk to them and they check their phone and get caught up in a ton of useless crap, not even saying "wait a second"

A couple of days ago I was at dinner with my wife at a Babe's Chicken (oh my, fried chicken. Oh my!).
Since both my wife and I are researching phone addiction, we took note of how many people were on their phone. People watching is fun.

• Table on my right was a family of four. Little girl (about 6) had an iPhone with the volume turned to the max in front of her for the entirety of her dinner; she was playing a videogame. Older brother (10-ish) had an iPhone on before the food arrived, and right after it arrived. Mom kept texting, father checked his phone twice that I could see (he basically ate alone despite being with his family)
• Table on my left was a birthday table. 6 coed kids about 12yo and a few parents. Parents kept texting, especially a woman. Lots of pictures taken (obviously). The six kids were on their phone off and on. One of them had the volume on, we couldn't hear the others. I'd say that the kids spent about 50% of their time with their peers and 50% of their time on their phone. Major distraction for them was... me playing "soccer" on the table using sugar packets; it seems that they enjoyed the impromptu game my wife and I created which suddenly ended when I unintentionally hit with insane precision the purse of the lady sitting behind my wife. Kids on the left laughed, kids on the right didn't notice anything; the woman will find some mysterious package of sugar.
• According to my wife, the African-American couple behind me texted for the entire duration of the dinner. She said that they exchanged just a few words when the food arrived. They arrived after us, they left before us.
• Behind my wife there was a pretty large group (I counted 12 people + 1 baby). I'd say that they were 50/50 between the people that kept checking their phones and those that didn't. Interestingly, those that checked their phone the most had their phone on the table.
• We notice a disturbing trend of kids on their phone when with their families. Virtually all tables that had a single family had at least one kid on the phone while the food was on the table.

Totally un-scientific, but it was an interesting experience.

 

[retta283]

A couple of days ago I was at dinner with my wife at a Babe's Chicken (oh my, fried chicken. Oh my!).
Since both my wife and I are researching phone addiction, we took note of how many people were on their phone. People watching is fun.

• Table on my right was a family of four. Little girl (about 6) had an iPhone with the volume turned to the max in front of her for the entirety of her dinner; she was playing a videogame. Older brother (10-ish) had an iPhone on before the food arrived, and right after it arrived. Mom kept texting, father checked his phone twice that I could see (he basically ate alone despite being with his family)
• Table on my left was a birthday table. 6 coed kids about 12yo and a few parents. Parents kept texting, especially a woman. Lots of pictures taken (obviously). The six kids were on their phone off and on. One of them had the volume on, we couldn't hear the others. I'd say that the kids spent about 50% of their time with their peers and 50% of their time on their phone. Major distraction for them was... me playing "soccer" on the table using sugar packets; it seems that they enjoyed the impromptu game my wife and I created which suddenly ended when I unintentionally hit with insane precision the purse of the lady sitting behind my wife. Kids on the left laughed, kids on the right didn't notice anything; the woman will find some mysterious package of sugar.
• According to my wife, the African-American couple behind me texted for the entire duration of the dinner. She said that they exchanged just a few words when the food arrived. They arrived after us, they left before us.
• Behind my wife there was a pretty large group (I counted 12 people + 1 baby). I'd say that they were 50/50 between the people that kept checking their phones and those that didn't. Interestingly, those that checked their phone the most had their phone on the table.
• We notice a disturbing trend of kids on their phone when with their families. Virtually all tables that had a single family had at least one kid on the phone while the food was on the table.

Totally un-scientific, but it was an interesting experience.

Really sad that families can't even sit down to enjoy a meal anymore. I really fear for the next generation.