Letter from the Editor

A Short Rant: When Technology Gets in the Way
At the risk of sounding like your mother or an old, stuck-in-her-ways foogie, it seems to me that sometimes technology gets in the way of good manners. Or, perhaps, respect for the other person is even more to the point.
How many times have you been in a meeting, at lunch or just speaking to someone in passing that they respond to their ever-present life line - a call, e-mail or message via their cell phone?
Yes, I have a cell phone. Yes, I usually look at who is calling when it rings and, yes, I even sometimes excuse myself and take the call. However (you knew there had to be a however, didn't you), when someone is speaking - even in a meeting with a large group - paying attention to a unit that fits in your hand rather than the person talking is just plain rude. Can't get around it, it is just plain rude.
The perceived message? I am more important than you and need to be in constant contact with anyone outside of this room, anyone other than you. What you have to say is not as critical as the message I just received or the one I am sending. Wish I were somewhere else.
Would I want to leave cell phones at the door? No, of course not. I just believe people need to be more cognizant of the "message" they are sending to others. I doubt disrespect and arrogance is what is meant, but it is what is "heard."
With that said, thank goodness for modern technology. But as with anything, it is how it is used that can create the problem. End of rant, thanks for listening.