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If theres one thing that I find really annoying, it's bad mannered people who eavesdrop on a private conversation and then butt in at the most inappropriate time with some stupid comment. They weren't part of the discussion, so why then did they feel the need to interrupt when they don't even know what they are talking about?
For example, a friend of mine was talking to me and he began to ask a fairly technical question. I was waiting patiently for my friend to finish before asking for more detail, however this ignorant individual listening to the conversation decided to chip in and give the obvious (and silly) answer. This wasn't what my friend wanted to hear as he already knew THAT answer!
My friend had asked me, How do you connect to the mains? Of course the idiots answer would be Easy, plug the mains lead in. But the question was more to do with wiring and circuits connected to the mains box, not a simple plug and socket. He had wanted a detailed and technical answer, but this bad mannered eavesdropper who wasn't part of the discussion, decided to cut the question short to fuel his own ego.
Of course when this rude person realised it was beyond his level of understanding and he had made a complete fool out of himself, he looked like he was ready to blow a fuse himself!
Why don't bad mannered eavesdroppers wait until they are asked, or at least until the people in conversation have finished speaking? This to me is a sign of an inner weakness. They need to be seen looking good by overcoming a challenge and answering the question, but all they are really doing is being foolish and opportunistic by blurting out the obvious answer.
Perhaps they should have been better educated during their schooldays.
By: J2R
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Repeat this scenario several times a day, and it starts to get annoying.
He also once sent an e-mail after a phone conversation I had. I was talking to a lower-level co-worker on the phone about an issue in his department. The eavesdropper then immediately sent an e-mail to my boss about the lower-level worker's issue. The e-mail was written as if the eavesdropper had witnessed the issue himself, when in fact I had witnessed the issue and already rectified the situation with the lower level worker himself. The eavesdropper was trying to score points with the boss. This is just plain annoying an irritating.
I think you if you asked the "butt-inner" why they did it, they quite probably would claim "a desire to 'help' one of their fellow human beings and (be) socially interactive."
However I see this in the same category as unsolicited advice from a stranger. The answer may be right, and the advice might even be really good, but the manner in which it is offered usually dilutes the message and reflects poorly on the social awareness of the stranger.
I had a colleague come to my cube today to ask a travel question, and before he could finish asking me the question, the guy in the cubicle next to me got up, butted in, and answered it. It was a travel question, and the colleague had spent 1 week in the country-in-question, while I had spent 5 months. I thought it was extremely rude, and while eavesdropping in a cubicle environment is unavoidable, (and perhaps even by design), jumping into it in such a manner is offensive
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Humans are social animals and, in certain circumstances, it is quite natural to eavesdrop. Instead of viewing this in such a negative sense, the initiator of this topic may be better to view someone "butting-in" as a desire to 'help' one of their fellow human beings and socially interactive.
J2R, you need to lighten up a bit.
You'll never know when or where you'll meet a true level-headed scientist, I did, & in a bar. Hours & hours & more hrs. we talked. We ended up on quantum physics & what light waves energy is, his specialties. I gave him a few things to think about... and I'm just a painter at high school level! Yes they were realistic thoughts, not like that "opportunistic blurting" person.
But then,... you'll never know if you keep quiet.
Have fun people... life is shorter than you think.
If you're in a group of people isnt it normally assumed that anyone can join the conversation at any point?
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