To think people have gone mad?

[TreatTreat]

I sat through a 90 minute commute with the same woman as always, and others, playing their phones out loudly.

To relax afterwards, I decided a nice cup of tea and croissant was in order, so off I went to the coffee shop.

My Mounjaro is playing havoc with my bowels and so a trip to the bathroom took place. As I was finishing up, the door handle went. They'll see the red engaged thing on the door, I thought, but nope, more trying of the door handle. Constant trying of the door handle for about 30 seconds. Thinking they'd realise someone was in and that's why the door wasn't opening and the red engaged thing on the door would be a sign the toilet was occupied, I didn't say something until I did. When I went out it was a woman about my age and no obvious signs of a learning disability or cognitive impairment. She just laughed and apologised.

Then on the way out of the coffee shop, there's an aisle and I stepped aside to let a man walk down from the entrance. He faffed about and didn't say thank you to me for waiting. I'm afraid I lost my cool and said in a raised voice, 'it's ok, take your time'

Then, on the next bus, more bloody noise from people's phones and a woman singing out of tune loudly!

I think I'm going to have to get headphones - to cancel out others noise on public transport.

Last bus journey there was an older women on speaker phone with a friend the whole journey - really loud much louder than if she'd been speaking face to face - she got lots of looks but just kept on. Previous journeys it been loud game beeps or music - or films playing - and all ages groups - it's pretty much every journey and it's been going on years. It didn't used to be this way - but behavior looks set to stay - so it's coping with it.

Which just makes you sound kind of nosy tbh

90 min commutes are going to be the only time people can make some calls.

I did say not loud

You also don't know if some conversations are "urgent" or not

I was watching a rom com recently where there were lots of extras who were there to admire the main characters, smile, and clap. I live in a touristy area and I do feel increasingly that I’m seen as one of these extras who is just there to look admiringly at the main characters as they stroll along. Er, I live here, and have errands to run and work to get to!

An urgent call doesn't need to be on speaker

Genuine question: why does that sound nosy? Can you explain, please?

Which comes under the "not loud" part...

Because it's like "I can't relax as I only know one side of someone else's conversation"

I think it’s rude eating and drinking things that’ll cause you to shit in a tiny public toilet. Surely drinking coffee and a food high in fat when you are on weight loss jabs is unwise? Nothing worse than walking into a toilet and being overwhelmed by the smell of someone else’s bowel movement.

I think there are many issues, fundamentally people have been emboldened by:

Cancel culture
Political polarisation
Disrespectful music lyrics, themes and visuals. Rap dissing. It s cool to challenge and disrespect.
Disruptors are often excused or mistaken as innovators.
Aggressive activism is more visible.
The challenging woke movement, feeling the need to snap everyone out of their daze.

Yes people are increasingly anti social.

I didn't say anything about knowing/wanting to know one or both sides of the conversation. Can you explain how you've got that from my post?

My point, as I said, was that there is a different quality to someone's voice when they're on the phone than if they were talking to someone in person. You don't have to be listening in/wanting to hear a conversation for your ears and brain to pick up the quality of it.

Eh?

If you were ‘finishing up’ and they didn’t get the memo after another 30 seconds, how long were you in there for?!

Some of us are actually colourblind and /or visually impaired and struggle with the toilet door locks. Neither of these are always obvious

But yes I do get your point. I was once in a disabled toilet and could hear a few people outside. Someone wanted to use the toilet and had got a member of staff to open it as it wouldn't open

Just the way you said "if I can only hear one side of the conversation"

I said so long as its not a loud conversation, you keep arguing back with things which come under "loud conversation"

But I've since explained further – although I don't know why I had to – what I meant. And can you understand that saying 'hear' is not the same as saying 'listen to'?

Yes you also asked why I felt that way so I had replying to that

What, even after I've explained further?
I mean, I found the initial assumption that tom on hearing someone's conversation is nosy really weird, never mind the fact that I've had to keep explaining it.

This is why I'm glad I stayed in London and didn't move out where I'd need an hour plus train commute. I can walk to my office in 20 mins (which has its own problems with people on the move, but at least you just pass them and move on).

Ah i see, but speakerphone/face time conversations are louder by their very nature, although still confused by the urgent comment

Well it's better than blaming the parents 🤷

But yes I can be unreasonable in my head in this heat it occasionally falls out of my mouth

Is the Mounjaro also paying havoc with your patience levels?

I drank tea, not coffee, but thanks for presuming.

Oh, and it wasn't a tiny public toilet neither. It was rather large.