Dear Queenie,
You have written some columns about people who are miffed because the people they are with are so busy on their cell phones they ignore the people they are with.
Now how about the people on the other end of those cell phone calls?
Queenie, what do you think it is like to be talking to someone on the phone and they keep talking to the people around them like the cashier at the bank or the supermarket checkout clerk?—Cellphone Etty Ket
Dear Etty Ket,
On the phone or in person, it is just plain rude to try to carry on two separate conversations at once.
My advice is for the person on the receiving end of such rudeness: If you are on the other end of the phone call, hang up – with or without saying goodbye. If you are there in person, turn around and walk away – with or without excusing yourself.
And if you happen to be in a restaurant, for example, and your walking away leaves your rude companion stuck with the bill – it serves them right!
