Bright Light! Bright Light!

My fianceé and I went to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets to celebrate the New Year. We’ve been trying to save money since suddenly everything needs expensive repairs around the house (cars, cats, roof, furnace, etc.), and this was our little treat to ourselves. I won’t say much about the movie, both because I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it and because this post is not a movie review. I’d give it a B- because I had some issues being able to suspend disbelief.

I’m sure all of us have had at least one associate go on a rant about people who drive while talking on their cell phones. Likewise, we’ve been in some quiet surrounding like a library, romantic dinner, church, etc. and been interrupted by someone’s peppy cell ringtone. Some places, such as courts forbid cell phones outright. More often, these days we are simply asked to turn off our cell phone ringers. Of course, the movie theatre has just such an announcement on the screen prior to the show, and, to be honest, I didn’t hear a ring all movie.

However, I did find the regular appearance of bright little cell phone screens popping up in the laps of patrons ahead of me as they sent text messages back and forth to their friends rather distracting. Actually, in the dim theatre, they might better be described as mildly blinding.

The thing about common courtesy is that it is so damn uncommon.

I doubt a single one of those anxious texters gave an iota of thought to how their activity might affect anyone else’s enjoyment. It’s not that they knew but didn’t care (I hope), it simply never occurred to them. They thought that part of the movie was not important, got an a text from a friend who was more interesting than the movie, or maybe had just trained themselves to not be bothered by the bright little screen, and got no further. I can’t say; I’m not them. However, it was rude to everyone behind them whether they thought about it or not.

Textiquette doesn’t stop there by the way. Consider the nonverbal message you send when you interrupt a face-to-face conversation you are having with someone to read and/or answer a text message on your phone. If you need help, it runs along these lines: “The person who sent this to me (whether I know who it is or not) is more important and more interesting than what you are saying to me right now.” Ask yourself, if instead of texting you, that person were to walk up to the current conversation and just began talking, interrupting someone in mid-sentence, would that be courteous. By immediately reading the message, that is what you let them do. And, if you should halt the conversation while you answered them, how would that play?

So, to all you folks out there addicted to text messages: THINK! Be polite. Remember in many circumstances sending a text message is just as annoying and just as rude as the ringing cell phone.