[Intro] It’s always important to be polite. But what this means isn’t
always the same. It’s different across cultures .
. . and it changes as new technologies emerge and develop. Take the mobile phone,
for example. Twenty-five
years ago, phones were only for talking. And phones couldn’t move very far. But
now we use them for everything—all the time! Because of this, we need new rules
around when we should—and, more importantly, when we shouldn’t—use our phones.
[US] A recent survey in the U.S., for example,
says that 62 percent of people believe it’s rude and inappropriate to
speak on your phone in a restaurant. 88 percent of people say it’s bad
manners to use your phone at a family dinner. And 95 percent of people
say it’s completely unacceptable to use your phone in quiet places, like in a
movie theater.
But
in the U.S., most people think talking on your phone is OK in public spaces,
like in the street or on public transportation.
[Others]
This is very different in Japan. You can use your phone, but it’s
very disrespectful to talk on it while on
the bus or train. This is because chatting loudly invades
people’s personal space and can make others feel awkward.
But
in some countries, like China,
this isn’t a problem. People chat on the phone anywhere and everywhere,
and it isn’t unusual or uncommon to interrupt conversations to answer the
phone.
But
there is one place where using the phone is always impolite: the classroom. In
2018, primary and secondary schools in France banned
mobile phones because children used them too much. Now many other countries
want to do the same thing.
[CS]
But it’s a bit more complicated with adult learners.
After all, it can often be impossible not to use smartphones. They are our
calendars, dictionaries, calculators—even our notebooks!
But
whenever and wherever we use our phones, it’s
important to do so with respect.
That’s always a sure way to avoid embarrassment.