Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Text This

Anyone who thinks they know me, at least knows that I am something of a technosaurus. Sure, I have a computer. Widdit, I can email (how else do I torment email scammers?). And I can Facebook (when it isn't in meltdown mode).

But that's about the extent of my technosavvy.

Question is, does this lack of technosavvy make me rude?

You'll shortly get to be the judge of that.

I once had a cell phone; after two unsatisfactory years of it, I cancelled the account and donated the phone. It wasn't much of a phone, I'll grant you; it was a phone, it was capable of being a calculator, and it had a 'brick-Pong' type game on it, and that was all. Not like today's cell phones that can apparently do everything include send a ship's doctor psychotically into the past, where he totally screwed the pooch on the future, so a ship's captain and his pointy-earred first officer had to go back and undo what the good doctor dun, further wrecking the captain's alleged love life in the process.

Okay, so he didn't really do that with a cell phone. But it's what he looks like he's doing here, that had me use this picture: it looks like he's texting.

I'm not quite sure when texting became available; perhaps 3-5 years ago. But I know that in the past two years, it's become the national, even world, rage. Many of my friends text. Most of my coworkers text. I see it in the store; at the gym; in the can. Anywhere a cell signal can in and egress, someone is texting from there.

It's like for some, "how DID the human race survive, pre-texting?".

My answer is "just fine", but I digress, and am apparently wrong, in so far as at least some of the texting crowd are concerned, because I didn't text that answer (and email apparently doesn't count).

Not long ago, in a place not far away -- at my place of employment, specifically -- I was involved in a conversation with a coworker. More on that in a mo'.

Now, I am neither the most articulate or glib person I know; far from it. Nor am I the funniest or most passionate speaker I've ever heard. I can even be boring, both intentionally and accidentally. With me thinking thus, it would perhaps be reasonable to assume that when I've encountered having a conversation with someone -- a conversation they solicited in the first place -- who suddenly whips out their cell phone, and begins to text in mid-conversation, I can ponder what's more contributory to this occurence: am I more boring, or are they more ill-mannered?

As this conversation went, it wasn't really all that important in so far as solving national or world problems; but suddenly, I am talking to someone who is texting, and appears thoroughly uninterested in what I had to say, when a moment before, they were soliciting me for chat. So I shut up, until she completed the texting process. When she finished -- I assumed -- she glanced up at me with a "what?" look, and then asked me to remind her what I was saying.

Internally nonplussed, I didn't skip a beat externally, and resumed my thought audibly. For a few seconds, that is: then her eyes dropped to her phone, and she began receiving a text message. And replying to it.

Not interested in competing with something I refer to as a darn fool piece of apparatus, I shut up again. And remained so, once she'd finished being lost in textation.

After closing up her phone, I received another almost-annoyed "what?" look from her, followed by a casual "now, where were we?".

*TOING* The next is from memory:

Me: Apparently nowhere important.
Her: C'mon...you were saying?
Me: Nothing...don't want you to miss a text message.
Her: What's that supposed to mean?
Me: Don't let me interrupt your texting...
Her: You're being rude...(and she looks down at her phone again)

As she began to text again, I repressed a smirk and walked off, conversation incompleted.

I was rude?

There was a time that I would have taken exception to that comment. But, as I said, I am a technosaurus. Perhaps in this day and age, I reckon I am rude. Damn my ambivalence to texting etiquette. Someone whup me into shape here.

Just don't do it via text message. I might display further rudeness in reply from this Jurassic desktop ;-)

19 Comments:

Blogger Herb said...

Well, I must be a technosaur, too, because I think txtn whl tlkng is rd 2. I am not nearly s polite and patient as you are, though. It's usually my younger friends and they have learned that when they are talking to me they better be talking to me. I do txt w thm smtmes but can't get the lingo right, lolol.

23 September, 2009 04:08  
Blogger Andy said...

Skunks, I don't have a cell phone either. My wife does, and will occasionally text.

But my kids!!!!!!!!!! Jeepers, those rascals spend half the day texting. And it bothered me for a while that they would text while we were talking.

But I discovered that they were truly multi-tasking. They didn't miss a lick in our conversation, or with the object of their texting. Of course their minds are much sharper than mine. Kinda like when I was a kid and could do homework, talk on the phone, and watch television all at the same time. Ahhhh, those were the good ol' days!

23 September, 2009 05:49  
Blogger Little Lamb said...

this may surprise you, but I don't text. I don't see the need for it.

23 September, 2009 07:44  
Blogger Right Truth said...

No you were not rude, you were right. She was the one who was rude and she was too stupid to know it.

I don't text either. If I have something to say I call someone and tell them, or leave a message for them to call me back. I do not talk on the phone while at the same time trying to carry on a conversation with someone else either.


Deborah F. Hamilton
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

23 September, 2009 08:07  
Blogger Sandee said...

No, she was rude. Try having dinner with folks that test the entire time. Drives me batty.

Have a terrific day. :)

23 September, 2009 10:06  
Blogger Sandee said...

I meant text. Geeeeez!

23 September, 2009 10:06  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hate to say it, but I hate texting. The person you are speaking to is having two conversations. You have been rudely interrupted by someone who is not even present via the texter. I notice many of my friends keep their cell phone out on the table just in case a life shattering text comes in when we are at dinner. The cell phone has become the unwelcome guest that I dread seeing come out. I am always puzzled as to how to respond. I am rude if I am offended (what right do I have to demand their attention?), I am rude if I do not wait for them to read and text back (after all they must be VERY important to never be without their phone and to loom at it every five to ten minutes in case THE message arrives).

I wish it were always as simple as walking away. I find adults to be as rude on this as teens. I believe it makes people feel terribly important to need to reached at all times. And it leaves those who know them feeling just the opposite.

I may have to do a post on this one!

23 September, 2009 17:54  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hope I did not ramble! Sometimes I do :). But never by text!

23 September, 2009 17:56  
Blogger Lawyer Mom said...

You're not a technosaur. You're an etiquette-osaur. Like me.

Don't ever, EVER, even THINK of going out to lunch with Miss Mary Jane texter. Pfft.

23 September, 2009 19:34  
Blogger Cheffie-Mom said...

I must admit I do text often. But for business only of course!! Wink, wink!!

24 September, 2009 08:55  
Blogger Da Pixie said...

Heh- I do text quite a bit. However, not when I'm trying to talk to someone else. It is rude, and the texts can wait.

What's even worse is most of the time with teens, the texts are one worded. I have quite a few friends who just text me to say "hi" and then ask in the next message "watcha doing?". Its often pointless conversation that is thoughtless- making those with unlimited texting absolute fiends. :p

Skunk I hope your Anon realizes that by posting that comment with the spelling of a 4 year old they only make themselves look like a bigger idiot. Truly.

^^ funny as ever- your posts always leave me laughing!

;) Have a good day!

24 September, 2009 09:29  
Blogger Mayden' s Voyage said...

We have a set "No phones" rule at dinner time, and it has helped my children continue to stay a live. :) (seriously, it has)
The coworker was rude. I text almost as much as the kids do, but with the intention never to offend anyone.
Hugs- (anon posters are lame and smell funny)

24 September, 2009 09:46  
Blogger Frank Baron said...

They'll have to pry my rotary dial phone from my cold, dead hands.

24 September, 2009 11:06  
Blogger Suburban Turmoil said...

I'm glad you wrote about this as a post, because it was definitely worth the story!

Texters. Bahhhhh. So many people are annoyed with me right now because I rarely text, but I absolutely hate it- It's a colossal waste of time!

24 September, 2009 12:43  
Blogger Sniffles and Smiles said...

Hello, my funny friend!!! Just want you to know that I had EVERYONE in my family read this post!!!! LOL...This is brilliant!!!! You use your humor to deliver a devastating and powerful argument!!!! I applaud you!!! Go, Skunkfeathers!!!! When and where are you publishing? I want to go buy a copy!!!! ~Janine

24 September, 2009 12:43  
Blogger Serena said...

I text only occasionally, mainly when I need to get a message to "Call me when you can" to someone who's somewhere I know they can't take a phone call. I think it's ridiculous to do it all day long, though.

24 September, 2009 16:20  
Blogger Skunkfeathers said...

Paul (though you haven't commented): you never told me my anonymous moron was refillable?!

24 September, 2009 17:30  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That anon poster above was not me (big sis, who is technosaurus enough not to have a log in for these blogs LOL). That person and your texting friend were rude, not you.

This younger generation...they'd probably whither and die if they had to live in the world we grew up in. Seriously. LOL!

26 September, 2009 15:13  
Blogger Queen Mander's said...

Wow, so people have just gotten so rude. My sister does that to me when she stops listening than just texts...ahhh...they just need to stop it.

27 September, 2009 12:49  

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