My gal spends almost all her downtime in LA in the executive lounge of the LAX Hilton. The pastries are yummy, and if you’re a people watcher it’s the place to be. Because LAX is something of a crossroads for Eastern and Western business people, and a trend-setter, it’s the future of cellphone etiquette.
Overheard last visit: a woman having a very loud personal conversation with her partner about their kids; apparently they disagree on how much each partner should have to consult the other when making decisions about pre-school, playdates and eating habits. Immediately after getting off the phone with her partner, a business phone call came in, and she spoke in whispers for about 30 seconds before going out into the hall to finish the conversation. Hmm.
And that reminds me: I’ve stopped looking sideways at people who appear to be talking to themselves while walking down the street. Next time you see somebody you know but don’t want to talk to, just hold your hand to your ear and start talking. I’ve done this a few times while walking through dicey neighborhoods late at night (hard to find in SF, I know–this was actually in Emeryville): menacing youths totally ignore you if they think you’re preoccupied with a phone call.
And once more on the subject of etiquette, most 24th St shops are cellphone-free zones now. What further measures are we likely to see that combat open-air out-loud one-sided conversations?
- personal cellphone jammers
- YouTube upload category of people having annoying public conversations
- Cellphones allowed in back of bus (like smoking on airplanes)?
- What else?