Am I hopelessly old-fashioned?

[psychmom]

I went to a workshop today for various professionals (almost all women). I was sitting at a table with three very friendly women whom I did not know. The presenter was about 15 feet away throughout the day. The three women around me frequently texted on their phones, sometimes in full view of the presenter. One woman even accepted two phone calls (although she whispered and left the room), and later she set up her Ipad and did some work.

 

This behavior shocked and surprised me so much that I just wasn't sure what to say. We were told at the beginning to shut off our phones. These women were not particularly young, so I can't use that as an excuse. I just tried to ignore them and focus on the presentation (which ironically was about ADHD), but it was quite distracting. Is this behavior typical these days? Am I just really old-fashioned to find this rude and disrespectful? :confused:

[OrganicAnn]

Very rude.

[TranquilMind]

I went to a workshop today for various professionals (almost all women). I was sitting at a table with three very friendly women whom I did not know. The presenter was about 15 feet away throughout the day. The three women around me frequently texted on their phones, sometimes in full view of the presenter. One woman even accepted two phone calls (although she whispered and left the room), and later she set up her Ipad and did some work.

 

This behavior shocked and surprised me so much that I just wasn't sure what to say. We were told at the beginning to shut off our phones. These women were not particularly young, so I can't use that as an excuse. I just tried to ignore them and focus on the presentation (which ironically was about ADHD), but it was quite distracting. Is this behavior typical these days? Am I just really old-fashioned to find this rude and disrespectful? :confused:

Please scoot over on that old-fashioned bench of yours and let me join you?

 

Incredibly rude. And hilarious that it was about ADHD. It's one thing if it is a kid emergency, in which you pick up your phone and go, but another to simply text through the day.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Very rude.

 

:iagree:

[AdventureMoms]

Very rude. And I'm generally not old-fashioned in the least.

[ssavings]

Rude.

[supermom1]

:iagree:

Very rude.

[GWOB]

Rude. Period. This is coming from a person whose phone is essentially a third appendage.

[acurtis75]

I don't think you're old fashioned at all. However, sometimes I take notes on my ipad or before I had it on my smartphone. I have no idea if they were doing that but I do know it looks just like texting. I know this because my husband attended a pastor's conference a few years ago with several men from church. He's not a pastor but attended because he enjoys the teaching. After one session another man in the group came up to him visibly angry asking him how he could fly across the country, pay good money to hear a respected teacher and then spend the whole time texting. Dh was quite confused until he realized that his note taking/typing had been mis-interpreted. Needless to say we all had a good laugh about it after the fact. The gentlemen in the group admitted that he didn't pay as much attention as he should have to the speaker because he was worried about dh missing the message.:lol:

[aCountingHouse]

You are not old-fashioned....just respectful.

 

I ran a conference last month where I was speaking for 3 full days, and I was appalled that delegates were texting, reading emails and using ipads. I ended up asking them to not use these things, and thankfully they did. However, it was unbelievable that I even had to ask. :confused:

[aCountingHouse]

You are not old-fashioned....just respectful.

 

I ran a conference last month where I was speaking for 3 full days, and I was appalled that delegates were texting, reading emails and using ipads. I ended up asking them to not use these things, and thankfully they stopped using them. However, it was unbelievable that I even had to ask. :confused:

[fraidycat]

They were very rude! Is there room on your "old-fashioned" bench for me?

 

I still vividly remember when DH and I went to get new cell phones a few years back. After we chose our phones, we were choosing which plan we wanted. The person helping us was dumbstruck when we told her we didn't want texting because we didn't text.

 

Her response was something along this line: "But, like, well... uh...like what happens when you're in a meeting or something and want to talk to each other?"

 

I'm sure I probably looked at her like she'd grown another head when I replied that we would wait until the meeting was over. :001_huh:

[Bluegoat]

I was going to mention too that note-taking was a possibility.

 

But I think that texting etc has become common during presentations. my step-father, a doctor who is normally a very polite person, mentioned once doing work on his little computer thing while at a boring prepresentation. I was quite shocked and told him i found it very shockingly rude.

 

I think he was a bit embarrassed, but what he said was that he was obliged as part of a larger medical organization to go to quite a few of these things, and a lot of them were stupid and useless, and that he felt at least by working he was making some use of his time.

 

I have some sympathy for that, because I think there are a lot of stupid useless meetings and such inflicted on people. I still think it is inappropriate to text and such - maybe if no one did, they would rebel more about the wasting of their time?

 

But I suspect that in general, technology has come to control us, and rather than alleviate stress and work it increases it - people are really expected to be multi-tasking and available all the time.

[Faithseed]

I agree with everyone else- rude.

 

Although, it does seem that respect has gone the way of old-fashioned as of late. :glare:

[CupOCoffee]

I see this so much and it makes me cringe. I see it in meetings, I see it in classes, I see it while co-workers are sitting at their desks and supposed to be working, I see it when driving, I see it in ppl walking down the street and bumping into things...

 

I so totally hate that this has permeated our society. I ride a commuter bus service 45 minutes into the city, every day. I watch people on the highway in their cars as they pass...20 cars will pass and more than half of the drivers are on the &^%%$ phone, talking (and not necessarily hands free) or texting. Grrrrrr. :glare:

 

 

So, yeah, I guess I am old fashioned too.

 

~coffee~

[TammyinTN]

I agree with everyone else- rude.

 

Although, it does seem that respect has gone the way of old-fashioned as of late. :glare:

 

:iagree: on both counts.

[KungFuPanda]

Why were these people at this meeting in the first place?

[psychmom]

So glad to know I'm not alone! And to answer the various questions re: note-taking, etc. I am absolutely positive they were not taking notes about the workshop. At times, they were texting each other and then laughing about their "conversation." It was a continuing education seminar which I found reasonably interesting. I guess my feeling is that if you don't want to be there, at least try to sit at the back of the room and not disturb everyone around you. The presenter either didn't notice or chose not to notice.

 

So scary to think about all those people texting while driving--my kids are going to hate me when they are old enough for phones and I won't pay for them (at least not the smart ones with all the bells and whistles). Oh well.:001_smile:

[EmilyK]

I guess here's a dissenting view. I think the phone thing is really odd -- I think you turn off your phone in a meeting. But I don't think it is a big deal to text. I pretty much have to respond at least briefly to client emails during the days even if I'm at a continuing ed seminar, and I use my blackberry for that. I would sit in the back however.

 

I speak pretty often at continuing ed for my profession and I don't care a bit what people do as long as they don't throw tomatoes.

 

I would turn it off in a meeting of 2 or 12 people.

[SKL]

Well, obviously you are not as important as those people. Unlike you, they have to remain in constant communication with their colleagues or the world will stop spinning. :glare:

 

Rudeness depends on the type of presentation, in my opinion. As a CPA and lawyer, I have to attend a certain amount of continuing education annually, and everyone knows that some (or most, or all) of the people are there only because they need credits, not because they find the topic compelling. So they aren't listening anyway, and more likely than not, the speaker expects this.

 

Personally in such a case, I will sit with my Blackberry next to my "note-taking" [doodling] pad and take a quick look when I receive a message or missed call. I would only respond if it were a very urgent matter. My phone ringer would be off.

[Lisbeth]

Depends on the meeting. So many meetings are dreadfully dumbed and slow paced, it is painful. It is not the nicest thing, but if it is required but pointless to a professional, I can see sitting in the very back and doing other things, though rude. Personally, I learn better w the written word. Send me a document to read or an email, and stop with the useless mtngs. That is how I feel. The slow pace is what gets me the most....and the people who manufacture questions just to hear their own voices or appear engaged. ;) It is rude...don't get me wrong, but so is wasting an hour+ of my life.

Edited March 9, 2012 by Lisbeth
typos

[Lizzie in Ma]

I don't know if it is old-fashioned or not but in my book, rude is rude and they were rude.

[Marylou]

I think it is very rude to text and call during presentations.

 

However, if it means the person won't text later while driving I'm all for it.

 

I hate our culture's obessession with the cell phone and ithings.

[Marylou]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/jobs/16pre.html

[warneral]

I get annoyed with people non the phone at the grocery. Mostly because they don't steer their carts well, and it just seems rude!

[RoughCollie]

Very rude.

 

:iagree:

[livingmydream]

Yup rude!

[In the Rain]

Very Rude!

[curlylocks]

Is this behavior typical these days? Am I just really old-fashioned to find this rude and disrespectful? :confused:

 

Unfortunately it is typical -- of all age groups.

 

No, you are not old-fashioned -- it is rude and disrespectful.

 

OT: I hosted a bridal shower this past weekend. One lady sat there texting the ENTIRE time...:glare:

[freeindeed]

I think that behavior is rude. If that makes us old-fashioned, then so be it.

 

:)I'd rather be old-fashioned than rude.