- Image by Roo Reynolds via Flickr
The scenario’s a common one – out with friends, eating pizza. My phone buzzes in my pocket – someone loves me! Is it a text? Maybe a text from a real person rather than an advert! Maybe it’s an e-mail or a reminder to buy sponges that I’ve snoozed from two weeks ago or whatever, but I must check it!
So I do. And it turns out to be a warning that I’ve got low battery. But it feels so good to touch that phone again and slip it back into my pocket. Perhaps I’ll surreptitiously leave it on the table next to my plate in case it buzzes again.
Then someone else takes a quick glance at their phone as they text their ‘real friends’ to organise to go out for drinks after without me. Idiot. How rude. Put your phone away.
Thankfully, this entire situation could be avoided if we all committed to The Phone Stack. Everyone puts their phone in the middle of the table as they arrive – not only are you then constantly reminded of how intrusive mobiles are, but the first person to touch the phones has to pick up the entire bill. Ouch. I like it.
Now, before you hail me as a genius I’d like to point you to the source of this genius idea I’m going to enforce next time I go out anywhere. As you’d expect, there were initial objections but these have all been dealt with over here.
A good idea if you havn’t left kids at home either alone or with babysitters if they are small . I like to be available in case of emergency.
Can’t argue with that, but I’d go one step further: they have to pay the bill and I get to stomp on the phone until it’s reduced to nothing more than pieces.
Nice. That way, it doesn’t just solve the whole ‘rude’ thing, it also gives you an outlet for your rage issues