I need to introduce cell phones and the concept of ‘calling back’ to a lot of people I know. I might be sounding a little paranoid on this. (But, that’s generally how I am….Thank you Black Sabbath).
My generation has been blessed with this necessary evil known as the cell phone. It allows you to call people at any time of day (or night); and at the most inappropriate of times. It is common courtesy; when you say, “I’ll call you back”…. You bloody well call me back. (After all, I wait with bated breath…next to my cell phone…..dwindling my thumbs humming Pink Floyd’s ‘Speak to Me’).
It’s the most annoying thing when someone says they’ll call you tomorrow, or over the weekend, or tonight at 8... And simply forget. It’s even more annoying when you know they’re not doing anything more important with their lives. We’re not living in the 19th century where we have one of those hand cranked telephones, where you call the operator and ask them to patch you through to the other side, and you spend most of the time screaming ‘hello…helloooooo….helloooooooo’ because the line is terrible. Scientists have burnt the midnight oil, toiled hard so that we are blessed with this pain in the neck called a cell phone; so dammit, for their sakes – call back when you say you’ll call.
And here is the icing on the cake, whenever you call, they always seem to be a little busy, “I’ll call you later” they say. But they never do, and one eventually loses interest. And then accusations of, “You never call! You’ve forgotten about your friends! Big man in marketing!” B.S starts. And that really drives me up the wall. I initially thought only girls do this, but no! This disease is equally rampant among guys too! I have not seen enough of the world to say this is a disease that affects only Indians. (Like the disease called, ‘extreme punctuality – my foot’ which almost 98% of this population suffers from).
It’s simple common courtesy. I am bright enough to take a hint when one does not want to speak, but after aeons, if you call and say, “You don’t call!” WTF am I supposed to think. (Yes…I used the F word). If you have no intentions of speaking, don’t say you’ll call back.
At some level, I can forgive friends (there is a certain level of ‘taking for granted’ness), but it is absolute madness when ‘professionals’ you work with behave the same way. You’re staying after hours at the office, waiting for the person concerned to call and give you an update so that you can finish work and get back to that semblance of what I call a 'life'; but they never bother and then go,” Oh! I’m sorry! Got a little busy! The wife, you know!!! “. No I don’t know!!!!! D-uh!!!(Yes! I do not have a life; every moment of my existence is dedicated to waiting for you to call so that I may work more.)
So for heavens sake, if you know me, and if you’ve read this blog, and you say you’ll call back, please do that!
PS: Will not even touch on the topic of IM and e-mails.
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