To think this is the rudest behaviour

[InanimateCarbonRod]

We were out for an early dinner. Myself, DH and DC (teenagers) picked a local eaterie with a good early bird deal. The restaurant is empty except for a man dining alone a few tables away.

He takes a smartphone out of his pocket and proceeds to watch TV on the phone with the volume up. We were speechless.

AIBU to think this is so rude?!

He was annoying and selfish, but you could have nipped it in the bud by asking him to turn the volume down. Then you could have got on with your day and thought nothing more of it.

What was he watching?

I was on your side in thinking he was ruder than your teenagers until you said I was terribly "Irish".

It's not rude to watch it.. Only if its very loud.

I was on the top deck of a bus once on my way home from work. A woman was on her phone and started playing music. At first I thought her phone was going off but no she was listening to music full volume without a care in the world. I've been on busses before when younger people have done the same and the driver has pulled over and told them to turn it off. I found it rude. If you want to listen to music use earphones

Slightly rude. Rudest would have been coming over and calling you a bunch of c*ts though

Wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up......

Yes, so rude. Once worked in a cafe where a colleague would go watch tv and videos on her phone in the middle of the cafe while on her break. Was so inappropriate, but she was a horrible bully and no one was comfortable calling her on it.

I swear I lost a good few mm of tooth enamel the day she had Hakuna Matata blaring in a packed cafe from grinding.

YANBU. But it seems to be the way of the world now. Its the reason I never go out to restaurants and prefer having people to my home or to theirs. There is nothing I wouldn't wish on the type of people that ruin the pleasure of others...nope...nothing.

YANBU, people playing the volume on their phones/tablets in public is the height of rudeness - you can buy perfectly good headphones for just a few pounds so why not do that.

I don't see how the OP's children silently looking at their phones with their parents' blessing is rude - they are disturbing precisely nobody! However the tinny noise from someone's device is really irritating.

I think some of you are being harsh to the OP regarding the fact she didn't approach this man. Sometimes I would say something but sometimes I don't feel in the mood for a potential row or perhaps verbal abuse so would leave it. She is still entitled to be irritated even if she didn't speak to the man.

It's not a library, if you're allowed to talk then why isn't someone allowed to listen to talking on an electronic device?

No, because he was on his own. Would be rude if he was with friends.

Obviously is not really good behaviour to have your own device making noise in a restaurant, but it depends on the volume and type of restaurant a bit.

He should really have used headphones

It is rude op he could of used earphones.

YANBU - it may not be rude exactly, but I do think it is very anti-social. He should have worn headphones. Imagine if everyone started doing it!?

I recently had a bit of a to-do with a grandfather in our local Waitrose cafe (of all places!) who was allowing his granddaughter to watch Peppa Pig at full volume at the next table. It was so loud that I even knew which bloody episode it was, having been subjected to it at home by my own children for years.

I was feeling a bit brave, so politely asked him if he could turn the volume down a bit. He was SOOOO rude to me...asked me why it was any of my business & asked me why he should!

I told him I thought it was anti-social to subject the rest of us to Peppa Pig at that volume.

He told me that I was the anti-social one!

He turned it down for about 2 minutes and then turned it back up again.

If I had been staying longer in the cafe I would've got the staff involved.

I very nearly started a thread about it here.

Peachpudding because the noise of peoples' voices is fine but the tinny noise from devices is very irritating.

What would happen if we all watched tv without headphones on our tablets/phones - can you imagine the noise?

I was listening to Metallica on the way to work this morning - do you really think the rest of the tube wanted to listen as well?

YANBU. But it seems to be the way of the world now.

It's only the way of the world because so many people put up and shut up. Don't be a bystander, folks.

I think OP is projecting a bit. I doubt you would have even noticed him if your kids were not on their phones and you were all chatting amongst yourselves.

Tivermeshimbers what an absolute arsehole of a man. I'd have had to do something massively PA to get him back.

I was brought up to assume that no-one should ever be able to over-hear me - be it talking, listening to music etc in public. Always remember my mum saying to the people in front of us on the bus 'I can hear you from all the way back here'. If only everyone was more considerate, how much more of a wonderful world would it be.

I blast the fuck out of music at home as I am detached but have full self-awareness when I am out and about.

I think it's rude to watch TV or listen to music in a public place without headphones.

I assume he wanted to drown out other sounds from other tables which can be annoying. As he was alone noises from others become magnified. We've encountered noisy diners whilst out and we just tolerate it.

Yes he was rude. Yes its fine for your teenagers to use their iPhones and no this doesn't warrant censure since it impacts on nobody else. No - you shouldn't have to go over and ask him to turn it down, he should have the wit and wherewithal to use headphones....and yes the nit pickers on this thread are being twats.

So he was hugely rude. You and family weren't. The end

YANBU, that's really rude behaviour. Overhearing people's conversations is bad enough, but TV? No need.