Cell phone rudeness

Grrrrrr.  this makes me so mad!

Cell phones are a part of our daily existence and most of us are aware of the proper etiquette involved.  But it seems some have not gotten the memo, or feel it can't possibly pertain to them...they who are "special".  I'd add "you know who you are" but I really don't think they do.


I had the pleasure of observing enforcement of "please silence your cell phone" recently.  We were gathered in a cluster waiting for the docent to begin her presentation and the sign to turn off the cell phone was front and center on the desk.  Hard to miss.


She began her speech, which was very interesting and then the dreaded phone began to ring.  Now, this can happen to anyone...and most are quick to reach in and silence the noise and look a bit chagrined.  Not this lady, she blissfully ignored the ringing in her purse like someone trying to pretend it wasn't their expulsion of gas that is stinking up the room.  It rang...and rang...and rang.


You could see a brief glimmer of frustration on the docent's face as she pondered how to handle this.  She apparently decided the person was clueless as to how to stop the ringing and continued with her spiel to allow her to save face.   And the phone rang...and rang...and rang.

I'm thinking of adding this intercom so I
can summon Left Brain when I need him.

My G-d!  How many rings until the voice mail picks up!  And the phone rang ...and rang...and rang.  Apparently it was set for about 15 - 20 rings.  Finally there was the distinct bling indicating she had new voice mail.


Now, what would you do in this circumstance?  I think it's safe to gander most people would be glad it stopped ringing and wait until later to check the message.  But no...not her!  She brought the phone up to her ear and was listening to the message.


Now the docent was appropriately rankled.  The audience was spellbound , the history lesson she was trying to impart to us forgotten as we watched the drama unfold.  And yet she remained polite as she asked "Would you like to take that outside?"


This is where the lady (I don't know her name, so I'll just call her Ima Important) responded with "No, this is fine" accompanied by a condescending little smile.  Apparently she was offended by the docent interrupting her call.  That did it.


The audience turned back to the docent as if in a tennis game to see what the next play would be.


The docent very calmly and professionally responded to her declined offer with "No, really...I must insist that you take the phone  outside."  It was all I could do not to applaud.   Although I was curious to see if she would have actually responded to the call and started to talk on the phone.  It wouldn't have shocked me at that point.


Long Live the Queen of Cell Phone Etiquette