We have the education, but not the Etiquette

 

Some of these statistics are blowing my mind.  The majority of people who have their own cell phone are higher educated people, but it appears we have no social decency and etiquette when it comes to handling ourselves in public.  I mean, at what point did we decide we were too important to be present in a conversation or a meeting or WHILE WE ARE DRIVING? 

What’s even crazier is that when we are with someone who pulls out their phone to use it in our presence we often feel offended, but are the first ones to pull out our own phone when we are then in the presence of someone else.  I can’t help but wonder why this is.  Do we believe that we are really that important and that every text, call and email must receive a response right away?  But, we are not able to reciprocate that feeling towards others who use their phone in our company? 

So far I am simply talking about social gatherings, but have you been in a situation where you find yourself in a professional setting and the so called professional pulls out their cell phone?  Not only has this happened to me on more than one occasion I find that I do it as well when I am the professional!  So, I get it.  I can be sitting with a client or a clients family member and they ask me to remind them to do something or they need a person’s phone number (or one of many other things) and in an effort to be efficient, I will pull out my phone and do it then, but all I have really let them know is that I’m afraid I will forget, that I don’t actually think about them or their needs when they are not in my presence, or that I am too busy to wait a moment. 

Here we are.  Educated professionals.  We have taken obvious rude behavior and normalized it to the point that it’s common.  Educated professionals.  Normalizing bad behavior for the mere sake of justifying it.  Who are we and what are we doing?