It used to be that taking a phone call while at the dinner table or on the john was seen as incredibly bad manners or a sign of mental illness. Now it’s commonplace and acceptable. Self-respect and etiquette are being nudged out of our lives in lieu of convenient connection.
I still believe this is unacceptable in most contexts. I also still believe in removing your hat at the dinner table. ("No hats or guns at the table!" my wild west grandmother taught us when we were young.)
