When did Polite Phone Etiquette on Trains Disappear?

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LingonberryLeading77@reddit

I have been on a train while a guy (HI DAN IT’S MARTIN ) called at least three people in his firm to loudly update them on the success of the meeting. When he’d finished a call and before he could go again this voice boomed out from a few seats ‘Hello love I just wanted to ket you know how Martins f*cking meeting went given he wants this whole carriage to know!’ 😬😬😬😬😬

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Hawkstreamer@reddit

Brilliant! 😁🤣

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Hawkstreamer@reddit

People with NO manners! Dispicable foul behaviour.

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dhardyuk@reddit

Just join in,

Shout random things related to the topic being discussed, join in with oohhhs and aaaahs, “sounds expensive” and so on.

It can be very entertaining for everyone else.

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Quinn_XXVII@reddit

Turn into Dom Joly

HELLLOOOOOOO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30DcHyi-hZE

don’t even use a real phone

Pull out an old Motorola with a big aerial

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Lou-de-Lou-de-Lou@reddit

I am so fucking doing this 🤣🤣🤣

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AWBaader@reddit

I am 100% doing this the next time I encounter one of these fuds. XD

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Evening-Tomatillo-47@reddit

I'm starting to make a soundboard full of fart noises for those who need to talk on the toilet too

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dhardyuk@reddit

Add tension by taking a picture of them and doing a reverse image search to find their LinkedIn.

Shout out ”is that the same -their name- who just interviewed with -insert name of different company- and got laughed out of the room?”

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QuestNetworkFish@reddit

I don't know if it's a cause, but I noticed a sharp uptick in this kind of behaviour immediately after the covid lockdowns started to be lifted. It's like a few weeks stuck at home made everyone forget appropriate ways to behave when in public with other people.

Grown adults playing TikTok/Youtube/Instagram videos with their phone speakers on full blast is the worst, just like.. why.

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No-Bet4612@reddit

Post Boris-wave, you mean?

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Good_Ad_1386@reddit

Speak softly, and carry a harmonica.

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TheJonatron@reddit

Train ettitquette, super simple stuff.

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BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit

Good manners and consideration of other people dropped through covid. I really will argue the toss about this.

It gave a lot of people main character syndrome.

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BoxAlternative9024@reddit

Knew there would be ‘ since Covid’ post. 🙄 People have been cunts with their phones long before Covid

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BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit

It’s become exacerbated 🙄🙄🙄

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BoxAlternative9024@reddit

Nope

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Iain11011@reddit

Hence Trigger Happy TVs phone shouter.

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New_Serve_7309@reddit

Definitely, I used to regularly have to take the train for work. Was baffled how the people in the carriage feel the need to compete to sound more important. Was back in 2013. Thankfully my job now involves long drives alone so can just listen to podcasts and music of my choice.

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BobbyP27@reddit

It never existed. Trigger Happy TV from 25 years ago had a whole thing with making fun of the fact that people had terrible phone etiquette.

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ice-lollies@reddit

HELLO. YES, IM IN THE LIBRARY.

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RitvoHighScore@reddit

As soon as mobile phones came out.

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ice-lollies@reddit

As soon as they started getting popular. It was even a thing on Trigger happy TV at the time.

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QueSeRawrSeRawr@reddit

I was on a train platform the other day with two people on the same business call (with one other person) separately on speaker phone, I couldn't even be annoyed it was so ridiculous. They had to walk away from each other to avoid feedback, incredible.

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jibbit@reddit

last tuesday

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AkihabaraWasteland@reddit

I start playing Slayer or Arch Enemy as loud as my phone will go right next to them.

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Status-Mousse5700@reddit

Play obnoxiously loud music on speaker just because

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LackingStability@reddit

Bet the dutch woman is only doing it to screw with the businessman.

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justeUnMec@reddit

When reality TV started showing people speaking to each other on speakerphone for the convenience of recording both sides of the conversation, combined with the decrease in use of landlines and the flattening of phones to remove the ergonomic shape that made it obvious you were supposed to hold it up to your ear. Also the disappearance of headphone sockets. Basically there's a generation of people who don't know any better and think this is normal, and this started in the early to mid 2010s.

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RobertTheSpruce@reddit

When mobile phones started becoming affordable for everyone.

So around 1999.

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Short-Shopping3197@reddit

When mobile phones were invented.

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Cool-Coffee-8949@reddit

I suggest you start singing next time this happens.

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mattius_matteo@reddit

If only it was possible to summon Dom Joly...

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zoppaTheDim@reddit

Did it ever exist?

I don’t believe it did. From the moment mobile phones were invented, they’ve been an intrusive nuisance to everyone around the user.

Texting has mitigated this marginally, but if you use the phone as a phone in public, you’re just as rude as ever.

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Gnarly_314@reddit

Take out your recorder and a beginner's music book.

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Elfynnn84@reddit

Earbuds.

People not wearing earbuds to talk on the phone have to hold the phone to their ear to hear the other person.

People hold the phone at arms length for their convenience when they have headphones on, because they are closed out to the background noise of the train, they think their call is ‘quiet and respectful’ because the speaker isn’t on - oblivious to the volume of their own voice.

People who get on and play music out loud through the phone speakers piss me off more TBH.

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OldLadyoftheMed@reddit

It's always, without fail, terrible music.

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Dflashman@reddit

I have the honest answer, but if I said it there would be a pile on, I would also get banned from here, my address doxed and lose my job.

The word begins with N.

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No-Snow-9605@reddit

Was sitting in Dr. Surgery not feeling that great, when the only other patient there took out her mobile and started playing music. I asked if she had lost her headphones. She switched it off.

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Ruby-Shark@reddit

About 2020. Covid seemed to increase everyone's asshole level by 200%.

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Soggy-Conference-222@reddit

honestly, i can’t remember a time where there was. but if i was to pick out a time where it went particularly terrible, COVID definitely made things worse. my best recommendation is to just do what @dhardyuk said 🤣

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cardbourdbox@reddit

I find it alot easier to talk that way. To me its fine if your short and sweet. It annoyed me when a guy was on his phone for a whole bus ride

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aesemon@reddit

Headphones, hear better and you don't annoy anyone.

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cardbourdbox@reddit

It doesn't come of that often but im considering head phones

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redandbluebadness@reddit

please do

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redandbluebadness@reddit

it's not fine, it makes everyone around you annoyed

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cardbourdbox@reddit

Only for a literal minute or so.

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I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit

I assume you don't speak Dutch, but feel free to join in with the English guy's conversation. It's obviously a conference call involving the whole train so your input is valuable.

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Wild_Beginning_4032@reddit

When people stopped being brave enough to say “excuse me can you turn that down please”

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justbraised@reddit

But when they do, the offenders start arguing back! I asked a woman on a bus playing loud tiktok videos of she could use headphones or turn down the sound, and she told me I should put in MY headphones if I didn't like the noise 🙄

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Wild_Beginning_4032@reddit

If people do that I just put on People=Shit by Slipknot on at maximum volume and sit next to them if they get the message.

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londonbrewer77@reddit

I blame the reality shows like the apprentice where the contestants have to use speakerphone for conversations so it can be picked up by the mics.

I don’t see how it becomes a natural way to hold your phone otherwise.

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Grunn84@reddit

Even then it seems like laziness on their part, unless its a group call they have a camera crew with both parties, they can match it up in the edit.

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Tough_Error_4172@reddit

I feel like its always been this way. I remember being a kid and hearing about these kinds of things from my parents, saying 'oh people don't have manners any more' etc. The things they complained about seemed to be a non issue to me as a kid or a teenager. Now im in their shoes complaining about a breakdown in the fabric of society and so on. I know they heard the same from my grandparents too.

I think its just the things we tolerate change over time, both as a society and an individual. there have always been folks that dont care about that sort of thing, but when you're young you're on the bleeding edge of changes to societal tolerance

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SpectralDinosaur@reddit

There are multiple factors to why this is an issue now. The first is that, with the switch to wireless earphones and the removal of the headphone jack, most phones don't ship with cheap earphones anymore. The second is younger people, who initiated this behaviour in public, are easily influenced by the garbage of reality TV where this holding out your phone on loudspeaker behaviour was normalised so that the audience could hear both sides of the conversation. And finally the COVID lockdowns, where everyone seems to have lost basic public social ability by being indoors for a few months.

People need to be more willing to confront those that do this. The whole "stiff upper lip" "just perservere" attitude just lets them get away with it. People need to be reminded about what is and isn't socially acceptable behaviour.

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exile_10@reddit

At some point around when Dom Jolly stopped satirising it and The Apprentice started popularising talking on speakerphone in public.

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Major-Credit-2442@reddit

I don’t get why people take calls on speakerphone at all. It seems more common in other countries though. I do food delivery work sometimes and it’s very common for me to see (non British) drivers using their phone like this when waiting for an order. I also saw it quite a lot in China. I just really don’t get it at all.

On the flip side I often see people here taking a call while driving and holding it up to that ear. In that case I don’t get at all why they don’t user the speaker haha.

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Due-Parsley953@reddit

All you have to do is pretend you're taking a phone call and say very loudly;

"I can't talk right now, because a couple of rat shagging bellends are having loud conversations on their phones. I really hope they get a prostate exam from Freddie Kruger!"

It might not work, but at least it'll be entertaining.

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Double-Use4816@reddit

Its not just the uk, i travel as much as I can, and in the last few years have been shocked at how many people think its fine to walk around communal areas of hotels/breakfast rooms, having full conversations on loudspeaker. Even lookout spots on hikes, or beauty spots in nature, theres always someone FaceTiming people loudly. People just seem to have become more selfish, and less able to just sit quietly either their thoughts. Maybe im getting old haha!

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Ok_Claim2613@reddit

Just get your phone out and play some music as loud as you can, then when they look over just apologise for being an ignorant twat on the train and disturbing everyone else's journey, hopefully they'll get the message.

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LandofGreenGinger62@reddit

I recommend Thrash metal, or else 'Ride of the Valkyries', at top volume...

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ChiSandTwitch1@reddit

Mr Blobby on repeat worked a treat last time for me.

I had a little speaker with me... they shut their call off real quick!

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spnelson@reddit

I’ve noticed they do regular announcements on buses now to not play videos or music out loud and to use headphones. They should do the al same on trains

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el_duderino_316@reddit

There's been a significant increase in phone arseholery since the headphone jack was removed from many smartphones.

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According_Arm1956@reddit

Have you considered singing loudly? 😄

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peddersmeister@reddit

I. Hate. This.

Some of it i would say is traced to The Apprentice, where the contestants would use a phone like that, but thats for the show so the viewer can hear both sides of the conversation

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Physical-Win-1975@reddit

Join in the conversation, they obviously want to everyone to be able to hear!

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Chopsticks_Charlie@reddit

This is the way

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Lover_of_Sprouts@reddit

And make sure to include plenty of inventive swear words

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rainaftermoscow@reddit

This is the way, and people either shut up or move 10/10 times

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Nuo_Vibro@reddit

.....join in the conversations. If they want privacy they can leave the carriage

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Open-Apartment-4937@reddit

Are… are they using FaceTime? That can be the only reason they’re holding their phones so far away 😂

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NervousEssay5074@reddit

Asshole are only assholes because people let them get away with it. -Ray Shoesmith

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front-wipers-unite@reddit

I loved Mr in-between

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NervousEssay5074@reddit

I watch it back twice a year, never gets old.

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front-wipers-unite@reddit

I'm too busy re watching the sopranos at the moment. Breaking bad is next, but I think Mr in-between is in need of a re watch.

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Remarkable-Ad155@reddit

I'm in two minds about this. Nothing wrong with taking a phone call on a train as long as you're not in the quiet carriage (sometimes unavoidable and, provided you speak at a sensible volume, it's no different from having a conversation with the person you're travelling with).

I do agree that use of speakers whether to have a phone call or listen to music or watch TV is antisocial though. If it bothers you so much though, just ask them politely not to or put up with it. Moaning on reddit won't change anything.

I sometimes get the impression people expect absolute silence on a train though, which just isn't reasonable. Longer distance trains have quiet carriages but other than that you are going to have to suck up the fact that you will have to be around other humans if you want to use public transport and that will entail having to be a bit tolerant.

I guess the question I would fire back is, when did we all become such intolerant little snowflakes that not only can't cope with being around other people but actually wear this level of intolerance as a badge of honour? It's actually pretty unpleasant when you start to unpick it.

Just carry some decent headphones if you really can't hack it.

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