In Case You Think Scott and Borgman Made This Up
Cidu Bill on May 25th 2010
This actually does reflect teenager logic: phone calls take longer to deal with and can easily sit in voice mail for long periods of time. Texts get more immediate attention.
Of course that leaves us with the “then what’s the joke?” problem…
Filed in Bill Bickel, Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman, Zits, cell phones, comic strips, comics, humor | 32 responses so far
Its Justme May 25th 2010 at 09:31 am 1
I guess the joke is that teenagers’ priorities are different than adults’. I know we’ve been brought up that “the phone’s ringing, drop everything and answer it! Now!” This is evidenced by the rudeness of salespeople who answer telephones while a real live paying customer is right there in front of them.
hm May 25th 2010 at 09:32 am 2
I think the joke is generational…if you’re old* then his response seems ridiculous and silly, if you’re young* then HER response seems ridiculous and silly. Not sure it’s actually funny, perhaps more a wry commentary?
*technologically speaking
Rasheed May 25th 2010 at 09:40 am 3
I’m definitely not a teenager anymore, but I’ve always screened calls. First with a tape answering machine, then with caller ID. Certain individuals do warrant immediate response of course, in any communication method, but the joy of texting is you can read it and not have to respond immediately, or at all.
padraig May 25th 2010 at 09:45 am 4
I’ve noticed this too. If a teenager gets a phone call, the usual reaction is to look at the caller ID and immediately put the phone down while they decide whether they want to talk to that person. Just answering is not an option. Yet, texts almost always get immediate responses. No idea why.
Blinky The Wonder Wombat May 25th 2010 at 10:16 am 5
Teens seem to go to ridiculous extremes to avoid talking on the cell phone. Recently my teenaged son was furiously typing and responding to a series of text messages. I asked him what it was about and he said he was explaining to a classmate how to do a math problem. When I suggested that it would probably more efficient if they just discussed the problem on the phone, I was treated to the patentned gee-my-parents-are-stupid eye roll. (I will note, though, that about five minutes later he was on the phone with his friend talking about the problem.)
Judge Mental May 25th 2010 at 10:19 am 6
I for the life of me will never understand the logic that “phone calls take longer to deal with (then texts)” Regardless of how fast someone can text, wouldn’t you be able to say the same words more quickly with less effort?
People tell me the reason I think this way is because I don’t engage in smalltalk on the phone. I have a friend who says his favorite story about me is the one time he was out with a group of 5 or 6 people and he called me with some trivia question (this was before most phones had internet access). Without engaging in pleasantries, he asked me the question, I answered it, he said thanks, end of phone-call. It seemed very normal to me, but the people he was with were slack-jawed in amazement. Most thought it odd, but there was at least one person was jealous that we were able to keep our phone-call so on-subject.
wordlass May 25th 2010 at 10:20 am 7
I’m the mother of a teenage son. If I call and leave a VM he’ll inevitably say he didn’t realize I called, didn’t have time to listen, didn’t have a signal, etc. And if he doesn’t actually HEAR my message, somehow he can’t be held accountable for that. (”Gee, I didn’t know you wanted me home to mow the lawn!”) But if I text him, there’s no use in pretending he didn’t get it. He knows that _I_ know that he checks his text messages every 30 seconds. At first I hated text messaging, but now I love it, just for that reason.
Cidu Bill May 25th 2010 at 10:22 am 8
Its Justme, it’s common practice for salespeople to pick up the phone when a live customer is standing in front of them. Oddly enough, I remember where and when I was when I was taught that.. It does make sense, really: the window of opportunity before a caller hangs up is under half a minute, while the live customer is already there.
Keera May 25th 2010 at 11:24 am 9
To add to what Bill said @8, the customer who is calling doesn’t know why you aren’t answering the phone and will assume bad service. It’s better to apologize and answer the phone and maybe put that one on hold, than to just let the phone ring.
I would have loved texting when I was a teen. I prefer texting to calling. I was the odd female teen who did not rack up a huge phone bill nor ask to have my own phone in my bedroom.
James Schend May 25th 2010 at 11:40 am 10
I’m 30, I don’t have the “OMG answer the phone!!!!” urge that my parents tortured me with. Man, when that ring started, they would sprint towards the nearest phone like they were going for the Heismann. And they’d be visibly angry and upset if they didn’t reach the phone on time. I think that attitude is for people who grew up pre-answering machine.
I will answer the second time if it rings twice in a row, usually that’s a signal that the call is actually important and not ignorable.
Judge Mental: I have some friends who are incapable of short calls, they feel compelled to “have a conversation” even if I just called to find out where we’re meeting to have an in-person conversation.
I wonder if any sociologists study phone behaviors. There’s a lot of weird stuff there.
Another Josh May 25th 2010 at 11:43 am 11
My sister-in-law, who is far enough beyond her teenager years to have a teenager herself, does the same thing. She ignores phone calls to her cell, but the instant a text arrives, she jumps on it. Sometimes I wonder if she’s ever going to grow up.
Kamino Neko May 25th 2010 at 11:52 am 12
Like James Schend - in my 30s…don’t rush to grab the phone. (In fact, I actively avoid it, unless I’m expecting a call - comes from having to deal with too many of my brother’s friends as a kid.) Emails, I get to ASAP. (I don’t have a cell, so I don’t text, anyway.)
Cynic May 25th 2010 at 12:35 pm 13
When I was in college with several roommates, I learned pretty quick to ignore the phone. My friends called me at work or saw me in class. I still ignore it because the kids RUN to get it anyway.
Nate May 25th 2010 at 01:18 pm 14
What I’m getting from Scott and Borgman here is: OHH THE TEENS, THEY USE THE TEXTS, AN IT’S SOOOOOO INCONSIDERATE NAAAAAAAAAAARRGH!
Hunt May 25th 2010 at 01:32 pm 15
I’ve noticed that teens are more likely to call back if you DON’T leave a voice mail–they respond quickly to missed calls. I’ve had to impress on them that if they want ME to call back, they need to leave a message.
Kate C May 25th 2010 at 05:19 pm 16
I’m a tacky, ignorant young person, and I admit–I rarely answer my phone. In fact, 90% of the time, I have the ringer turned off, so I’m not even aware of it. And the thing is, I am more likely to respond to texts, because usually when a person calls, they don’t say one thing and then let the conversation end, the way a text would–there’s more going on, the conversation’s longer, etc. I’m also really bad on the phone–I always have been. I either need to be watching a person’s face/body language, or given some extra time to think about my responses, as in texts or e-mails.
turquoise cow May 25th 2010 at 07:17 pm 17
@Kate C yeah, that’s exactly it. I remember a few times having a texting conversation in front of my mother, to which she asked “Why don’t you just call the person?” The answer is, because I would then get caught up in a whole conversation. A text can just be “Where are you/what are you doing?/ Wanna hang out later?” or something like that, to which you respond quickly. But a phone conversation would have to have a “Hello” and a “how are you” and a whole bunch of other small talk.
I remember even from when I was a kid my mother never having short phone conversations, a practice she continues to this day. She says she’s calling my aunt to ask her one particular question, but then they’re on for over an hour. Text messaging is much more succinct and doesn’t require an actual conversation.
Ray Brady May 25th 2010 at 07:57 pm 18
At work, I always prefer communicating by email rather than phone. I like having a “paper trail”. I like the fact that it’s harder to misquote me when you can just forward my words to someone else. I like the fact that when the same person asks me the same thing a dozen times, I can send them the same email back a dozen times.
My absolute #1 pet peeve: getting a voicemail that says, “Hi, it’s Bob. I’ve got a question I want to ask you. Give me a call.” If Bob would just ask me the question IN THE VOICEMAIL, I could have an answer prepared by the time I called back, saving us both time.
mitch4 May 25th 2010 at 08:22 pm 19
Along the lines of Ray Brady @18, here’s what my outgoing greeting says:
I don’t quite spell it out in the detail I once would have wanted to — something like “And of course, if we were talking on the phone live, you certainly wouldn’t just be asking me to call you back.”
Carolyn May 25th 2010 at 09:05 pm 20
I hate the phone! It seems like such a waste of time most of the time. I am 43 and grew up with a phone call never unanswered. And if it was Grandma or an aunt you knew you wouldn’t be able to talk to mom for a minimum of an hour, often longer. I know not having caller ID and answering machines made it harder to ignore the ring but I think it’s so rude to ignore the people in front of you to answer a phone. I just find it so intrusive - ANSWER ME, I want to talk to you NOW! Send me an email and I’ll get back to you quickly but don’t make me make small talk just because you want my potato salad recipe. I’m not a big texter but I definitely get the allure.
Carolyn May 25th 2010 at 09:10 pm 21
Forgot to add how much I agree with Ray Brady - tell me WHY you are calling! I often return calls to my home from my cell sitting at ball fields while the kids practice and if the caller wants to know if I can fit something on my calendar I have to make ANOTHER call to them because I don’t carry my calendar so I have no idea if I am free that day.
CIDU Bill May 25th 2010 at 09:20 pm 22
Absolutely, Ray! I’ve been married over 30 years and I still can’t convince my wife to stop leaving “Call me back I have to ask you an important queston” messages.
I just mentioned it again this afternoon, in fact.
Keera May 26th 2010 at 01:06 am 23
My company has switched everyone over to cell phones rather than landlines on each desk. The advantage is that if a co-worker calls, I can see who and call back, even if they don’t leave a voice message. Actually, voice messages are a waste of time, because the system is fiddly and it takes longer to dial in just to get a Bob message (like Ray @18 gets) than to just call back. (So to my co-workers who call and just hang up when I don’t answer, thank you.)
Carolyn @20, I’m like you. I prefer e-mail. Since I’m a graphics designer, most of my “conversations” are about edits and those are impossible to keep track of when delivered orally. It’s much better to receive them in written form in some way. The newest annoyance at work, however, is the increasing use of the chat function, which I find is far more intrusive than phone calls.
Cidu Bill May 26th 2010 at 02:26 am 24
Keera, that’s interesting: My younger son is a graphic arts student, and now that you mention it the only time I hear him actually speaking on his phone is when he’s discussing some project he’s working on.
waferthinmint May 26th 2010 at 04:05 am 25
I think part of the amount of pointless, insincere small talk is a function of where you grew up. People in California get violently upset if you somehow accuse them of calling for a reason. I, as a previous east coaster, often answered the phone with some variant of “what do you want”? Caliphonies usually took umbrage at the idea that I didn’t think they were just calling to hear my voice. they seemed to expect that I would stand in the kitchen next to the garage door for however long it took them to feel that social debt had been paid BEFORE they would get to the point.
I have found it hilarious — when it is not too irritating — to fake a reason to get off the phone: I would usually get called again in 5 minutes with a new list of asinine rituals to perform. repeat.
another fun game is to tell the caller you need to leave in 3 minutes but you’d LOVE to talk. “Let me just set this kitchen timer so I won’t be late!” most of these people are incapable of bringing up the point of the call within the time limit.
Elyrest May 26th 2010 at 11:45 am 26
waferthinmint (25) I lived in California for 12 years and I never found that phone habits were any different than anywhere else (Caliphonies? You must have had an awful experience there.) I think some people love to talk on the phone and some don’t. I don’t really like long pointless conversations, but my younger sister (and mother when she was alive) did and since I don’t see her often it is nice to hear her voice and exchange inanities. I think phones, email and text are all useful and I use them all. I agree with Keera about chat - that I hate and after a few times never used again.
Keera May 26th 2010 at 01:10 pm 27
Bill @24, perhaps your son is like me: Gets his information through his eyes, not his ears. When I attend talks, I write. I never read my notes afterwards, but writing during the talk helps me retain what I hear anyway.
waferthinmint May 26th 2010 at 07:48 pm 28
Elyrest (26) wrote “Caliphonies? You must have had an awful experience there.”
ZOMG I just LOLed IRL!
sorry, but I think I caused some confusion: while I do find a mandated level of small talk insincere I was using caliphonies as a portmanteau of California and Phones. not the other, much funnier meaning you discovered!
btw, i was not complaining about long rambling phone calls — i can enjoy those time to time with some of my friends but when we call each other for that purpose we will usually say upfront, “i have no reason for calling.”
what i was complaining about was a phenomenon in which some people will not tell you the point of their call until you have engaged in a set piece of ritual kabuki “hello how are you i’m fine and you how’s your dog what’s up…” if you have never noticed this taking place you are probably one of the people who do it.
Dan May 26th 2010 at 08:24 pm 29
I’m pushing 40, and if I don’t recognize the caller ID, I’m probably not picking it up. Likewise if it says PRIVATE NUMBER or UNKNOWN or something. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message and I can call them right back. But more often than not, it’s some scammer/telemarketer, someone out to waste your time.
Kamino Neko May 27th 2010 at 08:09 am 30
Today’s Arlo and Janis seems to be a bit of an answer to this one…
Todd May 28th 2010 at 04:52 pm 31
cidu Bill (22), how often is the “important question” not really that important, and if she said what she wanted, you wouldn’t immediately return the call.
Waferthinmint (25), “what do you want” tends to come across as “I’ve got more important things to do than talk to you.” Maybe that’s why people get upset.
I’ve never used telephone text messaging, and can’t imagine sending a text if its urgent.
CIDU Bill May 28th 2010 at 05:22 pm 32
Todd, you don’t stay married for 31 years by not returning phone calls.