My new cell phone has one of those fancy-schmancy Bluetooth earpieces. While it is a nice thing to have if you must talk while driving, it also can be a new source of cell phone rudeness when placed in the ear of someone without manners.
The first thing that is irritating about them is when someone says something, and you think they are talking to you. Or maybe they are delusional and talking to themselves. Then you see the Bluetooth sticking out of their ear.
Now while that is bad enough, I think I saw the ultimate in Bluetooth stupidity last weekend. My wife and I had dinner at Pappadeaux Cajun Kitchen, and across the aisle from us, a family comes in to eat. The father, mother, two little girls, and a boy all came in and were seated. That is not the stupid part. The part that I thought was both stupid and sad, is that the father sat there for the entire meal with a Bluetooth cell phone earpiece attached to his head for the entire meal. No, he didn't receive or make a single call, but even if he is an emergency room doctor, certainly could answer a call without having an earpiece permanently affixed. No, I guess he felt important with a piece of plastic stuck on his ear, but it made him look like an idiot.
I also have a real issue about people who suddenly ignore anyone they are with to get stuck on a cell call. Here's an idea . . . if you are having dinner with the family, turn the frickin' thing off. Voice mail will catch it. Usually, the call is just someone calling to chat. It can wait. It isn't that important. For those who truly MUST take emergency calls, only answer those. Cell phones have Caller ID. Let the rest go to the messaging service. And dammit, put that idiotic-looking earpiece away!
If any call coming in is more important than conversing with the people you are with, you probably should just stay home and take calls. You are not fit for human socialization. I can tell you this, if I were just dating someone, and she pulled this trick, it'd be the last date with her!
