This letter writer wants to know how to ask a friend to “turn the blasted phone off” during meals without insulting her.
My best friend has for a variety of reasons become attached to her cellphone. It has gotten so bad that I don’t like dining out with her. Her phone dings with messages and calls constantly. She feels compelled to respond to each ping. Calls are generally from telemarketers, but she will answer “because it might be important.”
Can you suggest how to request that she turn the blasted phone off during our meal, without insulting her? I really miss our conversations, but I don’t want to lose her friendship over the issue.“Put your phone away, please. I did not come out with you to watch you scroll.” But the unwillingness to assert ourselves and say what we mean has been around a whole lot longer, and can still cause its share of analog havoc. So you’re hardly off the hook here.
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