Do you ever listen in on other peoples conversations?
By firecracker
@sacmom (14192)
United States
November 20, 2007 3:26pm CST
I went to get a pizza yesterday with my oldest son. I had ordered it by cell phone right before I went shopping. I had finished sooner than expected and my son and I walked over to pick up the pizza. As it wasn't ready yet we sat and waited. While we waited a girl (I'm guessing in her teens) walked in and starts talking to one of the employees there kind of loud. She was PO'd that the cell phone company she goes through won't give her a new phone because her current phone's screen got broken. Apparently she never got insurance for it, so she'd have to pay for a new one herself. She told her friend that she asked the person at the company "Can I get insurance for it now?" and they of course said "no, you have to get insurance for it when you first get it." Like that's a big surprise. But I guess she didn't know this and said "that's stupid". She went on to say that she DID get insurance for it as she always had insurance for all her other cell phones. But in the end, she admitted to her friend that maybe she did forget. I ended up overhearing this same conversation two other times as she told another employee her dilemma as well as someone on her cell phone. So I overheard the story 3 times in about 15 minutes! It's not like I wanted to hear it, but like I said she was rather loud. It was kind of unavoidable as I wanted my pizza. :P
So do you ever listen to other peoples conversations? Or do you somehow block it out? Or are you able to just ignore it? Or do you join in?
Please share your thoughts.
13 people like this
43 responses
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
20 Nov 07
i do listen in on other people conversations lol. Like you said though most times its unavoidable because they will be talking really loud or talking on a cell phone. Sometimes I can block it out too. although i have "mom ear" i can hear things that some people don't because i'm used to always listening for my kids.
3 people like this
@mummymo (23706)
•
26 Nov 07
I guess it would depend on how interesting the conversation was!!!!
Having worked with both pre schoolers and in a pub I have overheard a lot of funny, dull, interesting, embarassing and lots of other types of conversations - it can be quite fun but sometimes hard not to laugh out loud and say D'uh to the person having the conversation! xxxx
1 person likes this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
22 Nov 07
If it is interesting, why not? At times, I just feel people talk loudly just to let others hear, so why not oblige them? Of course, I do not try to eavesdrop on any whispering though I would be interested to hear what they are eavesdropping about :P
1 person likes this
@stanzi2007 (602)
• United States
21 Nov 07
dear sacmom, that story is funny...yeah sometimes you can't help but overhear other's conversations. one time last year, i went in to purchase a couple of slices of pizza at a pizza place during my lunch hour. the girl at the counter took my order and behind her was the kitchen area, in another room. well, i couldn't see the guy cooks that were speaking...but i could sure hear them!!it was so embarassing...because one of the guys was telling the other guy about his getting "lucky" with his date the nite before...it was awful...and the weird thing about it was you would of thought that the girl that took my order would of told them to be quite, that you could hear all this discussion...in the dinning room, but she didn't...i haven't been back there...needless to say the guy used very crude and anti-women comments in his bragging...stanzi
1 person likes this
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
21 Nov 07
When I first met my boyfriend, I know this might sound like I was stocking him, but whenever he was having a conversation with someone, I wanted in on it, so I would listen to everything that he had to say. There are a lot of conversations that I listen in on whether I want to or not, it just depends on where my ear wants to go.
1 person likes this
@SViswan (12051)
• India
21 Nov 07
I don't voluntarily listen in on people's conversations..but like you said..sometimes they can be pretty loud and I can't help but overhear. When I am with my son, I try to engage him in conversation. I've done that a couple of times when I didn't want HIM to overhear (some people use very bad language and I didn't want him to hear it).
1 person likes this
@marymarj2002 (1769)
• Philippines
21 Nov 07
I can also overheard other peoples converstaion. I just listen to it but I would not give comment unless they ask me to join to. I think there is nothing wrong with it because it is their fault why they talk so loud and let other people hear it.
1 person likes this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
21 Nov 07
This whole thing about phone insurance is still very strange to me. How does it even work lol?
We don't have such things here. Most people here (not me) change their phones more often than they eat pizzas anyway.
And no, it is not possible to block out other people's conversation especially if it is too loud. I listen, why not? I call this OBSERVANT. :P
In my opinion, if you do not want someone to listen it, you jolly well lower your volume. If I notice someone hushing, then I would not eavesdrop since it is understood that they prefer to be private and I respect their wish.
But no, I do not interrupt or chip in. Now that would be rude. An exception would be when they are obviously e.g. lost or need help, then I would step forward with a smile and ask if I can help - and hope that they would not be offended that I accidentally overheard them. So far, my help has always been received with gratitude. ^^
1 person likes this
@Monkeyrose (2840)
• Canada
21 Nov 07
Yes I have listened to other people's conversations. If I'm just eating or reading I find it difficult to block out noise. I find a lot of people talk really loud nowadays.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
21 Nov 07
I have to say that I have. Most of the time, you cannot help it. Alot of the time it is one sided, as they are on the phone standing next to me. It is not that I really want to hear them, but who can help it.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
21 Nov 07
My husband finds it funny that I can listen to three or four discussions going on in a restaurant while at a table with him. He is either able to ignore them or just deaf enough that he does not hear them at all. He sure enjoys some of the discussions I relay to him.
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
21 Nov 07
I think it is very difficult to ignore listening to the converstion of others when they are talking loudly... it seems that they want to be overheard in one way or another...... we cannot control our ears not to hear...
So i think it is but natural to listen as long as we don't but in to a converstion... or let it affect our day or life...
1 person likes this
@jalbeos (1175)
• Philippines
21 Nov 07
It happened to me too. I was in the bus that time. Well, I think the word "hear" and "listen" are different. Hearing other people's conversation is unavoidable like what you've said. I can't forget what my friend said to me "you can hear it, but don't listen to it". I never listen to other people's conversation... well, it always depends on the situation.
1 person likes this
@teteimathews (265)
• Singapore
21 Nov 07
Sometimes, if I overhear an interesting conversations, I keep listening to them, in fact, I learn many things from them. But, sometimes, I overhear nonsense conversations, so I just ignore and walk away.
1 person likes this
