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Yesterday I met an old friend and shared with her my family photo which was in my phone. I didn’t think much of it when she took the phone off my hands. All the better to look at it, I thought. I must have taken just a moment to peep into my handbag when I heard her say,
“You mostly have pictures of your dog on your phone!?”
I looked up in surprise and found her scrolling through all my pictures. Like hell! I fumed silently at the intrusion while quickly going through my mind to make sure there weren’t any pictures I didn’t want anyone to see, though what good it would do now that she was already in my phone, I didn’t know. No, I am not in the habit of storing pictures in my phone that I want to hide from people. But yes, there are the kind where I am making faces or ones where I made a try to take selfies with the dog and due to the uncooperative nature of said dog when it comes to selfies, ended up with some part of my anatomy not meant for public viewing.
Thankfully a quick scan of my brain threw up the fact that there were none of the kind in store (and the phone was returned because she was bored of the dog pictures). But that’s not the point. It doesn’t in the least matter if there was something to hide or not. Someone had intruded into my private space without permission. And THAT is simply not done.
This incidentally, is not my first experience of the sort. A couple of years back, a young couple related to me wanted to see pictures of my children whom they hadn’t met as yet. I obligingly opened the laptop and clicking open an album, showed them one of all four of us. Just about then I turned my head for a moment to listen to the conversation between my mother and the husband. Before I knew what was happening, my hand was unceremoniously pushed away from the mouse-pad by the wife and she started scrolling merrily through my album. Not even a, May I?’!!!
While I tried to contain my annoyance and not explode at the *guests* she, adding insult to injury, stopped at a particular photo of my son and friends to ask if one of the girls was likely his girl-friend. When I told her they were all colleagues, she lost interest and turned away. I took the opportunity to firmly shut the laptop and put it away. Hrrrmph.
Good manners, where be thou?
©Shail Mohan 2016
Shail's Nest 
I hate it when people do that. I am thinking I should make an image which says ‘I hate it when people look at my pictures without my permission’ and keep it in the phone album. 😀
Ooh that should be on the wallpaper 😂
My mac says ‘not to be tampered with’ on the launch screen.
That’s a good idea. Maybe I will borrow it from you. Thanks in advance 😀
Completely agree with you on this. Some people do not understand this simple fact that they are not supposed to scan through your phones, personal diaries or the likes. I simply can’t stand it. At home, everyone including the girls know that even though I do not have anything stored in the phone, they have no right to pick it up without my permission. Wiser folks are harder to be taught simple manners.
That’s a good lesson you are teaching the girls, Rekha. I hope there are more mothers like you and the new young generation will be a better lot. 🙂
Tell me about it! I feel conscious to even browse through my bro’s laptop. I ask him to open any file or folder for me.
Private space is meant to be just that, private.
Exactly. But the understanding of private space is limited to a very few!
I know right. That is annoying… I’m thinking maybe we should tell ’em off, or give ’em a wild stare. Not to mention the public spaces, and how fellow commuters think it’s okay to peep. rolls eyes
I feel you Shail.
Ooh it’s not easy to give them the eyes…they roll eyes in return or worse cry for sympathy over being hurt that they are not close enough to be let in to the private space (as if anyone else is)!
I think I know what u mean 😛
I wish I could have done that, but sometimes it is so difficult 😦
As for fellow commuters, I am right with you, eye-rolling!
some people have no idea about a thing called “good manners”!
Truth.
Yes yes yes yes to all that you say about intrusion. How dare they! Sigh. I’ve had my share of them as well and I hate it when they do that!
Sigh and so frustrated that you cannot bop them one on their coconut 😛
Some people don’t understand the need for personal space and privacy. Some just like to intrude into others’ business so that they can find things to talk about. Others are just creepy people who like to stalk. People these days. Tsk tsk. By the way, what harm is it to have pictures of your dog? I would have done the same with my own pets and kids haha.
Yeah, I’d rather have pictures of my dog! 😀 She got bored 😛
I have given up expecting good manners from people. I expect the worst, and become happy if something better happens. Read something to this effect yesterday – expect worst and be delighted if it something better happens. And I am not the one who can fiercely defend my private place, so I have to put up with light intrusions like this…
Damn auto correct I was typing space!
I am a porcupine. and my quills go up at what I perceive as intrusion. But by then most times it is too late. Sheesh, like locking the stable doors after the horse has been stolen. 😛
When people peek
Of rudeness reek
They irritate
And complicate
When one is compelled to be meek!
Bingo. Trust you to put it all in a compact limerick! 🙂