Cell Phone and Other General Etiquette: Rant
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007I just completed a weekend of required acupuncture continuing education. Oof.
I never knew that sitting on my behind for 10 hours straight could be so
draining, but it is.
There were both Chinese and English tracks, and I took the English track
since there were more interesting topics being taught. We are required to take
one hour of ethics (where we were privileged to have a professor from Baylor College
of Medicine come speak to us), where both students from the Chinese and
English tracks were sitting all together.
That was the only class where we were mixed with the Chinese track group, and
these are my observations about cell phone etiquette during that one hour.
Good: cell phone is turned off, or is on silent or vibrate
mode.
Bad: the cell phone is left
on.
Bad: multiple cell phones go off during the class
because owners didn’t take a hint when people were annoyed by previous
offenders.
Bad: a cell phone is left on, and the owner
leaves to use the restroom, and then someone calls the phone.
Repeatedly.
Worst: a cell phone is left on, rings, and owner
answers. LOUDLY.
I would love to be all proud of my people and stuff but … I’m afraid in the
arena of cell phone etiquette, we generally suck. At the temple a couple weeks
back, it was packed for Chinese New Year. There were TWO pleas made by the emcee
for people to please turn off their cell phones. Yet multiple phones still went
off, some even playing polyphonic renditions of rap songs - all in the middle of
the temple service. Niiiice. Why do people think they are immune to this? Do
they think, "Oh, I’ll leave it on, since no one is going to call me"? To the
people who need to answer the phone during situations where answering would be
disruptive (and there are many), please, it really is very simple: turn your
phone to silent or vibrate, take note when someone is calling you, leave the
area, then either answer if you are in time or call the person back. What is so
hard about this?
Another etiquette faux-pas encountered at the continuing education: I was
reminded how much I despise talking to someone (up until now, always a male) who
CANNOT MAKE EYE CONTACT (as in, YO, UP HERE, ON MY FACE, YOU FOOL) when
talking to me. No, I don’t find it flattering that you have your eyes "on the
prize" … especially when there’s not much of a prize there to begin with. And
if I’m already freaked out by your overtly oozing sleaziness (like I have felt
before),
I’m not going to be much inclined to give you a hug. Read the body language
please and see why I am standing more than an arm’s length away with back tensed
and all hair on end. Do NOT approach me and make physical contact.
Not sure if other girls feel the same way, since I’m pretty old-school, but
this is how I operate.
Hokey dokes. End of rant. Class dismissed.
Some of you may remember 
