OT: Overall rudeness?

[Synthoid]

Is it just me, or has modern communication technology allowed so many to become rude and distant... even in business circles?

 

Before the mid 90's, the landline telephone was the primary tool for business communication. However, recorded messages quickly replaced the receptionist, leaving many annoyed and often unable to speak to whomever we were trying to reach. Email quickly became the proper method for business communication, but how many times are those messages ignored or even deleted?

 

Then there are cell phones. Most people carry their phone with them at all times--in a pocket or purse--so it's always handy. They don't want to miss that all-important call. (Of course back in the old days, we had answering machines for that). But how many times do we call someone's cell, only to hear the familiar voice mail message? Apparently we're not important enough.

 

Call waiting, call forwarding, Caller ID... great features, but more reasons to avoid speaking to someone!

 

Remember when you were growing up, how exciting it was to get a phone call?

 

Meh.

 

 

[rappa29]

I don't get daily communications whether it's phone, email, txt, whatever! So I'm definitely not important enough! LOL! Sometimes I wonder if my DROID is working or my service has been turned off! LOL!

 

Although, I'm real popular with the IRS, bill collectors and SPAMbots!

[ABECK]

I hate my land-line phone at home. I still get frequent tele-marketer calls. As a result, I just never answer.

[Bobadohshe]

The landscape has definitely changed, most notably with E-mail, but I don't know that it's necessarily a bad thing. How much paper has been saved now that you don't need to get paper memos for everything at work? How much easier is it to nail down a rehearsal time when people can check their e-mails on their phones? I see the brightside. That said, there is something missing with the lack of personal phone call time that we once used to share. But as far as getting business done, I don't mind it at all, I welcome it.

[ITGITC]

Is this the new Let's All Bitch And Moan thread?

 

 

[Skinny]

My problem with all our devices is we're expected to be available 24/7/365, and if I don't answer my cell while I'm at work or in my car, EXCUSE ME!!!

 

They're thinking of passing a texting & driving ban where I live. The thing is, ANY cell phone use while driving is dangerous, and how are police supposed to tell the difference between texting and dialing a phone # or whatever.

 

It's not just the physical act of using a phone while driving that makes it dangerous, it's also the fact that a person's concentration is on the conversation, not the road.

 

How many times have you been in a store or wherever, and you hear a cell phone ring, and it's always the same thing... "Hello....Oh I'm here at Mega-Lo-Mart...yeah....yeah....I'm at the checkout...."

 

Back when I was in high school and through college, I worked at a store that rhymes with Tall-Fart, and sometimes worked the front registers. I hated when customers wouldn't even get off the phone so I could talk to them and tell them their total - it was like I was interrupting them and being an inconvenience by talking to them.

 

I hate it too, synthoid. I could go on for a while here about general rudeness, but I'd better stop.

 

 

 

[Bill H.]

Then there are cell phones. Most people carry their phone with them at all times--in a pocket or purse--so it's always handy. They don't want to miss that all-important call.

Actually using my cell as a traditional phone is something I don't do much at all, and certainly not why I carry it around.

 

Unless it's my boss or my kids, I let voice mail take my phone calls. Phone calls are rude and intrusive, with texting a far more polite form of communication.

[Synthoid]

How much easier is it to nail down a rehearsal time when people can check their e-mails on their phones?

 

Yes, and even better when they acknowledge it!

 

 

 

[Synthoid]

Back when I was in high school and through college, I worked at a store that rhymes with Tall-Fart, and sometimes worked the front registers. I hated when customers wouldn't even get off the phone so I could talk to them and tell them their total - it was like I was interrupting them and being an inconvenience by talking to them.

 

I hate it too, synthoid. I could go on for a while here about general rudeness, but I'd better stop.

 

Brings back memories when my stepson and his wife visit us for dinner... having their cell phones positioned "at the ready," right next to their plates.

 

[Mizu]

Email is inherently redundant - the sender got a copy, the recipient(s) got a copy, the RE: email quotes the original, some people send reply-all, others don't. At work we've resorted to using Doodle to find meeting times that work for the majority/everyone. It's free, easy to set up, and everyone can see at a glance what times are likely to happen. I groan everytime I'm in one of those endless email threads where 7 people are trying to coordinate a meeting time...

[Fusker]

Yes, people are far more rude when they are not directly communicating, and if they are anonymous they can be downright ridiculous. What does that say about human nature? I find face to face meetings are much less prone to turn ugly.

 

As to the land line bit, I have been off land lines for 7 years now. Hate to break it to everyone, you get just as many telemarketing calls with a cell phone as land line now. Sometimes I get 6 calls in a day...and don't get me started on text solicits. I get a few of those a week now and it will only get worse.

[ProfD]

I totally dig the conveniences of modern technology. While I can talk on a phone for days, most folks don't have that much conversation in them. So, texting really works for me. Allows for short and sweet communication.

 

However, the downside to cell phones is that they have enabled folks to become more rude. Especially in public. There is no reason to babble on the phone while conducting other business, eating in a restaurant, watching a movie, etc. As mentioned in another thread, it is even worse when the person supposedly helping YOU is on the phone.

 

There is definitely a shift in manners and etiquette. Technology has definitely made it easier for folks to over-estimate their self-importance and push customer service to a back burner.

 

But, I certainly wouldn't blame technology. It starts with people. Maybe some need a reminder that it isn't cool to be the loudest person in a quiet setting.

 

Personally, I have no problems with telling someone who is talking too loudly on a phone to shut the f*ck up.

 

Guess I'm rude too. But, I've got a crushing left hook to back me up. wmp, I haven't picked up that tuning fork yet.

[Ken Beaumont]

It's not just the physical act of using a phone while driving that makes it dangerous, it's also the fact that a person's concentration is on the conversation, not the road.

 

With that logic lets ban passengers! A hands free phone in the car works wonders. Not the stupid in your ear blue tooth, but the one in the radio that mutes the radio. I rarely call anyone except usually when stopped in traffic. I'll call to say I'll be late. But I can receive calls all day with no more distraction than having a passenger. Probably less since your not periodically looking at them. Your eyes never leave the road.

 

Unlike some people any conversation I have is usually less than a minute. I hate talking on the phone anyway.

[Skinny]

So if I see a person driving erratically and that person is holding a phone up to the ear, a hands-free device would help? That person is not driving dangerously because of the phone itself, it's because he/she is not paying attention to driving. That person's mind is somewhere else. What difference would a hands-free device make?

[mcgoo]

I totally get people not being able to answer 24-7, but I know way too many people that, for whatever reason, seem to be impossible to get hold of, whether it be cell, home #, text or Facebook PM.

 

Here's a tip for any freelance musicians... As a guy that frequently has to call subs for a regular paying gig, the folks that get called first are the ones that I'm fairly certain will physically answer the call & be able to give me a yes or no on the spot. Players that take 2-3 to "maybe" return a call evidently don't need or want the work that badly.

 

Rant over.

 

 

[Synthoid]

Here's a tip for any freelance musicians... As a guy that frequently has to call subs for a regular paying gig, the folks that get called first are the ones that I'm fairly certain will physically answer the call & be able to give me a yes or no on the spot. Players that take 2-3 to "maybe" return a call evidently don't need or want the work that badly.

 

Rant over.

 

I hear ya.

 

[Tonysounds]

The landscape has definitely changed, most notably with E-mail, but I don't know that it's necessarily a bad thing. How much paper has been saved now that you don't need to get paper memos for everything at work?

 

Just to target this part of your post: NONE. NO PAPER HAS BEEN SAVED.

 

In fact, I would argue that thanks to email, we now burn up trees and paper at exponentially the rate we did in 1990. If my firm is any indication, you print off a copy of the email (and every freakin response, which can include a string 10 pages long) for the file; then you print off a copy for the billing file; generally you print off a copy so that you can remember/accomplish the task. I was horrified when I started working at my law firm at how much paper we go through a week, and we are only a small-to-mid size firm, not a billing behemoth.

 

No, email is hastening the exhaustion of at least one resource that I can point to.

 

That said, yes, people are just rude, their communication skills are sub-par at best, and frankly, Im beginning to think we are seeing the ascension of the Idiocracy.

 

[Ken Beaumont]

I have seen as many people driving erratically while correcting their kids, fussing with the radio or just plan in a big hurry to go nowhere. What distinguishes the cell phone, the radio, eating while driving is the fact they also have only one hand on the wheel! I see as many people driving stupidly without phones, its just you tend to remember it and blame the phone.

 

That said texting is as stupid as they come, right along the same lines as trying to eat a big mac while driving.

[Ken Beaumont]

Im beginning to think we are seeing the ascension of the Idiocracy.

 

+1000

[Synthoid]

yes, people are just rude, their communication skills are sub-par at best, and frankly, Im beginning to think we are seeing the ascension of the Idiocracy.

 

Here's an example of poor communication skills...

 

I perform original tunes at local coffee house venues. There's one close by where I've wanted to play that came under new management last year. I contacted the manager about a month ago and gave him an explanation of the type of music I play. He expressed interest and asked me to send a few mp3's along to audition. I did, and sent a follow-up email about a week later and received no reply, then another 2 weeks later. I finally called his cell phone but just got his voice mail.

 

Hey, if he's too busy or maybe decided he doesn't like my tunes, is it THAT much to ask for a response? It's been a month now since we originally spoke on the phone... I feel that's rude and definitely poor business practice.

 

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

But how many times do we call someone's cell, only to hear the familiar voice mail message? Apparently we're not important enough.

 

You wanna know what's rude? Someone who's out to dinner (or playing with their kids, or working on music, and so on) whose cell phone rings and they stop everything they're doing to answer your super-important call.

 

I tend to prioritize what's happening around me, and yes, that means not answering my cell phone when it's not convenient or when it's disrespectful to the people I'm with at the moment.

[Synthoid]

But how many times do we call someone's cell, only to hear the familiar voice mail message? Apparently we're not important enough.

 

You wanna know what's rude? Someone who's out to dinner (or playing with their kids, or working on music, and so on) whose cell phone rings and they stop everything they're doing to answer your super-important call.

 

I tend to prioritize what's happening around me, and yes, that means not answering my cell phone when it's not convenient or when it's disrespectful to the people I'm with at the moment.

 

I hear you, but that's not my point at all.

 

What my original message was--even though people have a cell phone with them 24/7, they seem to ignore more calls than they did with a landline.

 

:idk

 

 

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

What my original message was--even though people have a cell phone with them 24/7, they seem to ignore more calls than they did with a landline.

 

Right... because they're often out doing things that require their attention, and should therefore ignore the calls. I wish more people would ignore cell calls! They might be able to focus on things like having conversations with the people in front of them, eating, driving (!), playing music, looking at landscapes, and writing love letters. That seems like a much better world to me than a bunch of morons with phones pressed against their heads, or talking to the air with their Bluetooth while looking like a schizophrenic.

 

Be polite. Don't answer.

[Cygnus64]

The landscape has definitely changed, most notably with E-mail, but I don't know that it's necessarily a bad thing. How much paper has been saved now that you don't need to get paper memos for everything at work? How much easier is it to nail down a rehearsal time when people can check their e-mails on their phones? I see the brightside. That said, there is something missing with the lack of personal phone call time that we once used to share. But as far as getting business done, I don't mind it at all, I welcome it.

 

90% of my gig booking is done by email. When I'm the leader it's 100%. As a result, I never have to deal with:

 

You said 2, not 3.

You didn't say tux.

You didnt give the right address.

 

Email is proof.

[Synthoid]

I wish more people would ignore cell calls! They might be able to focus on things like having conversations with the people in front of them, eating, driving (!), playing music, looking at landscapes, and writing love letters. That seems like a much better world to me than a bunch of morons with phones pressed against their heads, or talking to the air with their Bluetooth while looking like a schizophrenic.

 

Be polite. Don't answer.

 

Agreed, Jeff.

 

My wife and I often have our cell phone turned off when we go out (we share one phone)... much to the annoyance of our relatives, who are always sharing life's every nauseating detail via the phone! They've often expressed their displeasure when unable to reach us, but I prefer peace and quiet in the car, at the mall, and while dining.

 

And yes, we do return their messages later.

 

[B3_borne]

I got rid of my cell phone and only use email and my home/office phone with a message machine. I answer all calls and email within 24 hrs and usually within 4hrs.

 

I was finding that I didn't want to be that accessible for work or WHY.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

And yes, we do return their messages later.

 

 

There you go... and by the way, people who don't return messages are indeed rude (unless the message is from a creditor or a telemarketer, in which case they're just smart).

[DanL]

I pretty much have to carry a cell 24/7 for my job, but unless it's my boss or someone on my team that I know is only calling because they need help, I don't answer it when I'm eating or having a conversation with someone.

 

They recently instituted a text ban while driving here. Not sure how they will enforce it, but 99% of the dumbass moves I see on the road are from texters. I'm especially aware because I ride a motorcycle a lot.

 

My wife's phone will ding all the time and it pisses me off when she starts texting someone while we're out to dinner or something like that.

 

One time we were out and one of our local town council people was eating at a table next to us with his young grandson. He was on the phone the entire time- so much for bonding time between them.

[Synthoid]

One time we were out and one of our local town council people was eating at a table next to us with his young grandson. He was on the phone the entire time- so much for bonding time between them.

 

I've also seen that in restaurants and coffee shops with kids though--they can't put their cell phone (or iPod) down for more than a minute.

 

 

[Adan]

What my original message was--even though people have a cell phone with them 24/7, they seem to ignore more calls than they did with a landline.

 

Right... because they're often out doing things that require their attention, and should therefore ignore the calls. I wish more people would ignore cell calls! They might be able to focus on things like having conversations with the people in front of them, eating, driving (!), playing music, looking at landscapes, and writing love letters. That seems like a much better world to me than a bunch of morons with phones pressed against their heads, or talking to the air with their Bluetooth while looking like a schizophrenic.

 

Be polite. Don't answer.

 

I'm in the Klopmeyer camp. I wouldn't call it rudeness, but it's kind of a tragedy that most people are not living in the moment anymore. Apparently, any spare time is time you could be staring at your handheld. They're checking sports scores, or their email, or Facebook, or who knows, maybe they're reading Crime and Punishment. They are not connecting with what's around them. I'm at a loss to understand where this is all leading as far as the good of humanity, but I do know that I'll be keeping as much distance from it as possible.