[lrvick]

If I agreed to spend time with someone I absolutely owe them my attention and respect. To pull out a phone in front of them is to disconnect from being present with them. Everyone says they are still listening when a phone or a laptop is in front of them and they are liars. Some notification will pop up and suck them away and it is 5 minutes before the trance snaps. Rather than passively aggressively insult someone I should just admit to myself I am out of social energy for this situation and leave to be alone.

I have had to resort to offering to buy dinner if people turn their phones off because they are so addicted to being constantly connected to every chat, meme, tiktok dance, and facebook political rant.

All the time I see entire friend groups or families sitting around tables at restaurants all on their phones ignoring each other. It is gross.

I am fine always being the person at the table pushing for the exact opposite of that, and maybe we can all tolerate the middle ground.