Yes, I think texting is evil. If you know me, you undoubtedly know this about me and chalk it up to one of my odd little quirks. If you don’t know me, you probably think I’m ancient (nah, only 27) and out of it (maybe?).
But texting, to me, has always seemed rude. I think I figured out why. This is from an interview with Anna Post, the great-great-granddaughter of etiquette maven Emily Post.
“Technology is very convenient, but convenience doesn’t always make for common sense,” Post says.
Everyone knows they shouldn’t talk or text to a third person while in the company of another (excepting an emergency). But everyone does it, at some point.
The question is, why is it so hard not to?
Helping people find the answer is “one of hardest things I have to teach,” Post says.
“Inspiring people to be self-aware of how their actions affect other people – that’s the most fundamental idea in all of etiquette,” she says.
To confront those who insist on madly texting while you’re talking, she says, you usually have two options.
Ignore it. Or stop talking.
Hehehe.
The bolded part is my doing. Rude people piss me off royally, and often, I think rudeness comes from an utter inability or refusal to acknowledge another person’s feelings. Rudeness, at its core, is rooted in selfishness.
Not that all texters are rude. Of course not. But when I’m at dinner and I see two people dining, and BOTH are on their phones? I want to spit in their food.
My friends know better. I remember taking a lunch break to walk around an outdoor mall last spring, and when my friend started to text, I closed his phone and said, “No, you’re talking to me now!” I punctuated this with one of my giant, cheesy smiles.
Luckily, I know this friend would laugh at my sassiness, and he just responded with, “Oh, Jac, I love you!”
Granted, I knew it would amuse him. I’m normally not that bitchy. But I have been known to ask people to stop texting, especially when driving.
I dunno. I guess I’d just rather hear your lovely voice.
I agree with you . People should start taking the No Phone Zone from Oprah seriously and take the pledge to save their lives and the lives of others .
I know you know…I’m a texter. But it’s not ALWAYS bad. Texting helps me to hear from Adam and see pics of my lil’ guy while I’m at work and cant’ talk on the phone!
All those other times? No excuse…I’m getting better
I don’t have a problem with texting, in general (and I second Stephanie’s comment that it’s great for getting pics of your kid while you’re away). But texting while spending time with family/friends is beyond rude, and texting while driving really scares me. I hope-hope-hope people will stop doing that.