Maybe I’m old-fashioned or nitpicky but there are certain places where I don’t think a phone conversation belongs.
The latest example came while I was in a public restroom recently.
I was using a urinal, doing my own business. In the stall near me, another fellow was…well…doing his brown business. Except he wasn’t doing it quietly. He was carrying on a perfectly normal phone conversation as if he were sitting in his living room.
I stood there thinking, really?
The poor soul on the other end of that call had no idea where this conversation was taking place. Or maybe they did, which somehow makes it even stranger.
Think about what accompanies that call: The unmistakable splash and the rustling of toilet paper. The flush. The handwashing (I sure hope so). The hand dryer, or maybe the automatic paper towel dispenser that sounds like it’s trying to launch a small aircraft.
Why?
Surely whatever was so important could have waited another few minutes. And if the call came in rather than being sent? Ignore it and let it go to voicemail.
This isn’t really about bathrooms, though. It’s part of a much bigger trend where we’ve forgotten that just because we can use our phones anywhere doesn’t mean we should. Are we really so addicted to our phones that we can’t go anywhere without them?
Take the people who answer or place calls while eating.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
Smack. Chew. Slurp. Crunch. Pause to swallow.
“So anyway…”
More chewing.
I don’t care whether your mouth is open or closed. Today’s microphones are seriously good at amplifying voices – and noises we’d rather not hear. Somehow every potato chip sounds like someone stepping on dry leaves, and every sip of coffee resembles a shop vacuum.
Then there are the people who put you on speakerphone while they’re wandering through the grocery store, the airport, or a crowded restaurant. Suddenly you’re part of a conversation with forty strangers who never asked to participate.
Technology has made communication wonderfully convenient. The downside is that we’ve started acting as though every moment is an appropriate moment for a conversation.
It isn’t.
Sometimes the considerate thing to do is simply say, “I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”
That’s it. The world won’t stop turning, and the conversation will survive.
The person you’re calling will probably appreciate that you waited until you weren’t chewing a cheeseburger or eating a plate of nachos, pushing a shopping cart, or occupying a restroom stall.
Good manners haven’t changed nearly as much as our technology has.
A phone is still just a tool. It doesn’t grant us permission to ignore the people around us – or subject the person on the other end to a soundtrack they never signed up for.
Some experiences should remain private. Using the restroom is one of them.
And if your conversation includes the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing in the background, it might be time to hang up, wash your hands, and call back later.
