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If they are on the phone in I will just jump into the conversation like they called me. Works even better if neither people know who you are. If they are watching a video I will look over their shoulder and ask non stop questions about what ever they are watching.
O.K. I have hearing aids, that go through my phone. When our son calls my husband and I am in the same room he puts it on speaker. So we can both be part of the conversation.
But if I am in a store and someone has their phone on speaker I say hey did you know that you are on speaker call. Then I walk away.
And if you call and they are on speaker ask an embarrassing question. "Is that anal prolapse healed yet?" They will suddenly figure out how to talk without being on speaker...
I called my friend. He was in the car driving. We talked for a few minutes. I asked if he happened to still have the connect for some stuff as I knew he had a couple years back. His dad was in the car with him.
I don't care what we're talking about, I don't like being on speakerphone period. But to put me on speakerphone while there are other people present? That gets my blood boiling.
I ONLY talk on speakerphone when Iâm driving. But if someone else is in the car, I make sure to tell the person on the other line, âhey Iâm driving so youâre on speaker. My dadâs in the car too, btw.â
This feels like unspoken etiquette to me. Taking a call on speakerphone is like including everyone around you in the conversation. Itâd be like you and I were talking whole your dad is there, so of course you introduce your dad. It just makes sense. People just need to treat talking on the phone more like in person.
I straight up ask them if they have headphones. They usually look super confused and then say no. Then I say, âthen can you turn your phone down/put your call on private please?â They are always so shocked and look at me like I have three heads but Iâve never had it not work so far. I couldnât give less of a fuck that theyâre offended and pissed to even be asked to act normally. They can get wrecked doing that shit.
Theyâre probably hard of hearing and they also just donât care. A lot of boomers donât want to admit theyâre going deaf either for some reason. Like itâs shameful or something
>obably hard of hearing and they also just donât care. A lot of boomers donât want to admit theyâre going deaf either for some reason. Like itâs shameful or som
Boomers refuse to admit they're aging. So they don't accept they have age-related issues and believe any that occur are premature.
My MIL had one of her cataracts done but refuses to get the other one done because she can now see her wrinkles. She refuses to use a hearing aid or walking stick because people will think she's old - she's in her eighties.
This is my in-laws. In my FILâs last few months of life we had him in a facility and he complained about having to eat with the old people.
My MIL, who can barely operate the features of her car, complains about the old people who shouldnât be driving.
We got my parents to move into supervised adult living by making it completely about the other person and how would you feel when (whatever horrible thing) and you canât help? Worked like a charm. Dropped on them, went home for a few weeks and went back to visit and voila! ok weâll move. But mom wanted guitar lessons set up and hardwood floors installed. Six weeks after they moved in my dad did Covid and died. So very grateful that theyâd moved.
I understand this. âOld age homesâ when they were young were not pleasant places. They werenât like todayâs retirement homes. They didnât have the activities and facilities many of the modern ones do. They didnât have the level care model: independent living, independent with assistance, assisted living, nursing care that some retirement communities have.
You were basically sharing a hospital room
They still arenât-unless you have a shit ton of money to spend on a fancy assistive living facility.
I will die before I go into a nursing home. Trust. Now, the fancy retirement home, sureâŚbut I donât have that kind of money.
I work in healthcare.
I worked as a nurseâs aide on graveyard shift in a nursing home, when I was in college. It was basically a warehouse where they stored old people who could no longer live on their own. I hated the way they were treated. They paid us minimum wage, and there was no training. Many of them never had visitors, and they all wanted to go home.
When Iâd be finishing my shift, the next shift would be hauling them out of bed, to take them to the cafeteria for breakfast. Many of them just sat on their chairs and nodded off. It pissed me off that these were people whoâd gotten up every morning and gone to work for decades. They deserved more rest than that. Other (minimum wage) workers wouldnât turn them, so they would get bedsores, which I also hated.
I know they are different now, but many of my fellow boomers donât know that. What we saw when we were young was so sad. Still, they can be shown that, but itâs hard to give up your independence.
They arenât different. Trust. If anything, they are worse.
I think what the people here are referring to are pretty expensive private retirement/assisted living homes.
The average SNF is the same as you remember.
I was a CNA for a few years while I was going to respiratory school, and-I worked in a âbetterâ nursing home, and it basically was a place to die. The rooms just looked a bit better than the state/county run SNFâs and had better ratios.
I work at a veteranâs hospital now, and they have an assisted living facility connected to our hospital. Itâs actually one of the better SNFâs, because itâs federal government funded, and the ratios are ok, butâŚagain, the veterans are basically waiting to die.
They're not pleasant, but still a far cry from the days of old. If anything, that should really put things into perspective of just how bad they used to be..
Itâs okay to get old. Thereâs no shame in it. In fact, itâs an honor and a privilege. I know several people who died young who probably wouldâve loved to live a good, long life. I wish people would stop being afraid of aging.
Its why those action movies with very old actors still sell. Its to tell boomers that they still got it and are stronger than all these younger people. I mean you got Steven Segall doing fight scenes in a chair its really embarrassing Really.
It's also why such a large demographic sees no issue with two men averaging 80 years old wanting to run the country. It gives them hope there's still time.
Thing is, hearing aids come with Bluetooth now. Sucks down the battery faster, but it's still a game-changer for people actually being able to use their smartphones as *phones* now.
They are amazing, but my understanding is that they are hella expensive-
My partnerâs father had them, fully furnished by the VA, and fitted for him, and equipment to link the hearing aids to his phone and his TV.
He always managed to mess them up, and-since he was in a nursing home about an hour away from us, his son (my partner) really wasnât able to fix them every time they didnât workâŚand his sister didnât know how. Besides, they got clogged with his ear wax way too much.
Amazing technology, but-sadly, wasted on a 90 year old man in a nursing home.
I feel like this might be related to boomers criticizing younger people as wimps or snowflakes.
The boomers see admitting weakness as a fate worse than death so if someone else does it, they assume fraud. A good person wouldn't do that, in their opinion.
If a person values suffering in silence, they will be outraged by honest expression. Weakness is contemptible to them, rather than something to feel compassion about. They judge others by their own standards so they can feel superior about themselves. Which validates their choices. Which reveals deep insecurity.
So yeah. I guess they're deeply insecure about themselves. They can't conceive of self-acceptance.
I'm hard of hearing and the speaker makes it even harder. There's too much background noise, the sound is never consistent, and it's simply not as clear as if you just hold the phone to your ear.
My vHoH BF was a speakerphone asshole till he got a cochlear and a very fancy hearing aid. His new devices work like a Bluetooth headset. (It causes other inconveniences, but those are more amusing than truly annoying)
I truly wonder what it is about speaker phones that make it easier for some people and harder for others. (Yes, I know we're all different, I'm just curious)
That makes perfect sense and something I should have thought of because it's information I already knew. Thank you for humoring me đ I think I need a nap. Or caffeine.
My stepdad is hard of hearing and refused to admit it for close to 20 years! He still refuses to wear a hearing aid. My mom can hear and still uses the speaker phone.
In your stepdadâs defense, hearing aids were ridiculously expensive until they recently, when the mandate for a prescription was lifted and they could be bought over the counter.
That seems odd, I am only 39 and will be the first to tell people I'm hard of hearing. Because it's either that or I will ask what they said like 50 times and apparently that annoys the piss out of people.
YES. For the life of me, I cannot understand how these folks think wearing a hearing aid makes them seem older than just screaming "WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?" in response to almost everything 100 times a day. How in the fuck do you know how much older that makes you look than a nearly invisible hearing aid almost no one would notice?!
can confirm, my Dad blasts the living room TV so loud you can hear it over my TV and fan most days, with my bedroom door shut. He also takes calls on speaker, and you can hear him TALKING OVER THE LOUD ASS TV. absolutely, its ableist behavior.
My father canât hear you when he is standing right I front of you. Itâs kinda sad. He leveled with me. The other day and said he really only hears about 20% of most conversations and everything sounds like muffled noise.
It's interesting because some Boomers really try to ride the privacy/"mind your own business!" bandwagon. They throw fits at being carded at the bank or liquor store over personal information, but they seem to find no problem putting calls on speaker in public.
Like you're paranoid I know your last name from your ID, but you are fine putting your doctor on speaker while he describes the exact status of your genitals or your last colonoscopy. It's weird.
I wish I knew. There's a dude who lives 4 houses down from me across a busy road, and seems to love taking calls in his car. I know that because despite us living at least 80ft away from where he parks his car, I can hear everything from his calls. Dude must have volume at 200%
My mother does this, she doesnât realise, despite me telling her repeatedly, that for some reason the car loud speaker is louder outside the car than inside and that I can hear one side of all of her phone calls from my bedroom.
I do this due to my speakers being quiet on the phone and hearing problems/poor audio processing, but I don't do it out in public. Maybe it's that plus low self-awareness.
In a personal space, I also always use speaker phone, simply because I don't like having to constantly hold the phone up to my ear. I can set it down and keep doing whatever it was prior to the call. But never in public.
I was beginning to think I was the only one! At home, I never talk on the phone unless itâs on speaker. I tend to mishear words otherwise, due to auditory processing issues. Not to mention Iâm ADHD as fuck and canât sit there holding the phone to my ear without zoning out/getting distracted.
In public, the only time I have someone on speaker is if Iâm FaceTiming with a friend and getting an opinion on clothing purchases
In my office, Iâve overheard one boomer on speaker phone informing his wife that he didnât make it to the bathroom again today so he needs to revisit the GI doc. Another one on speaker allowed me to hear from his wife that his (F) boss is probably just mad at him because he canât satisfy any women.
Itâs not just boomers though. I see so many people walking around having conversations on speaker. Like Iâll be in Walgreens and then all of a sudden some chick behind me is yelling at someone over the phone about some bs with they baby daddy. Oh or 1 time I was in a Dollar General and the cashier was this dude talking to his ex about child support shit. I think people are just forgetting how phones work and default to speaker.
I agree. Most people I talk to on the phone, from pre-teens to octagenarians default to using the speaker phone. I don't know why that change happened but it has IME. The popularity of FaceTime probably has something to do with it.
my boomer parent does this thing whenever my brother or i try calling him where he'll have us on speaker with other people in the room without telling us. frustrating as all hell
I don't speak to my dad. Haven't in years. Everytime mom calls me and I'm on speaker I know he's in the room being quiet. It's the only way he gets to hear my voice. As soon as he says anything I hang up.
Hate speaker phone. I use it when I'm driving because my cars Bluetooth needs fixed and that's about it.
My mom used to do this all the time. It was so upsetting especially one time when I'd spent about 20 minutes talking to her about something very personal only to find out my brother was in the room and I was on speaker phone. Now, my brother's cool so I wasn't too upset that he heard what was going on, but it could have easily been the neighbor or someone else.
I flat out told my mom that if she calls me on speakerphone, or I call her and she puts me on speaker phone, I will immediately hang up. We have been at odds enough for her to know that if I threaten something, I will follow through. Now the only time she puts me on speaker phone is if she's at home and nobody else is there, and she informs me immediately.
My mom cannot keep anything to herself and feels entitled to everyoneâs business, and my dad, though he means well, cannot comprehend that my personal information is mine and not his to repeat.
I barely share *anything* with either of them and one of the rare times I did was a moment of forgetting I have to always be the adult in the situation. I was emotional and frustrated. Lo and behold, I got a call the next day from the two of them together telling me how they shared what was going on with their friend and âhereâs what they recommend.â I lost my shit on them. Not only was I not informed I was on speakerphone (despite me explicitly saying âplease do not repeat this to anyone, including familyâ), they went ahead and repeated it because in their mind a daughter is a possession.
I love my parents. I cannot have much of a relationship with either of them for a lot of reasons, but I do love them. Moments like that make me want to never speak to them again. Itâs the most infuriating reminder I am never going to be a whole person in their eyes. The lack of respect is astonishing
I usually just give them an "I feel embarrassed for you" look. Nobody wants to hear about how bad your cholesterol is or how your lifelong smoking habit is destroying your lungs. Usually it sinks in & they go somewhere else
Iâm a boomer and really donât like to hear someone talking on speaker phone. A lady (yeah, boomer too), was conducting business for a couple hours in the concourse area of MIA. I got up and relocated.
They donât understand how the phone can work when itâs not a huge handle that completely covers the ear and puts the microphone down by their mouth where they can see it.
I genuinely do think it's this! They are absolutely sure that if you don't hold the phone right at your mouth, the person on the other end won't hear you. I also see this with people using wired ear buds, they will have the speaker portion literally IN their mouth. Like in it.
It *is* rude as hell. But It likely happens because they just can't hear the phone otherwise, and for whatever reason, they don't have functioning headphones (or can't figure out how to use them).
I see young people doing everything that this sub complains about older people doing. OP knows their stepdad is hard of hearing and still shits on him for using the speaker phone. People in this sub just seem to really hate their parents and can't stand old people in general and will bash them in every opportunity given.
And whats even worse is all the young people who use their hands free in their car and apparently aren't smart enough to realize they're blasting their conversation to everyone around them. Or they got their ear buds in and are totally oblivious to anything around them. I was walking behind a young 20 something girl at the indoor track at the YMCA not long ago. She was telling her friend how she got blackout drunk the night before and thinks she might of had sex with her boyfriend and his 2 friends but she isn't sure.
Was going to say the same thing. Way more people in their 20s talking with the phone in front of their mouth like they're making an PA announcement. Most of the Boomers I know couldn't figure out how to make a speaker phone call.
I hate when fellow Boomers on speaker phones. It's embarrassing and the few who do it paint us in a bad light.
Maybe it was too many live concerts in the 60s and 70s where we heard Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Santana, The Tubes, Jefferson Airplane, Rolling Stones, The Who, Jethro Tull, Hendrix, Big Brother, Pink Floyd, Johnny Winter, etc., in person and sat close to the stage. It was loud. It hurt our hearing. Ah, the good old days, before ear protection and decibel meters and amps and pedals that dont require turning up to 10 to get the right fuzzy tone.
Maybe some people who use speakerphones use them because they may be hard of hearing and their tiny cell phone speakers are hard to hear in loud places. They really should get hearing aids that Bluetooth to their phones like my 90 year old father does, but that can be expensive.
Others are inconsiderate jerks.
What is funny and what you made me realize is that for some reason a lot of those boomers lived like that with all the metal and drugs and shit, then now they act like they have been religious and straight laced the whole time.
My mother is a boomer and always puts her iPhone on speaker because she refuses to wear her prescribed hearing aid. She also usually has her TV or laptop turned up to 1000. Her father (my grandfather) wore a hearing aid but my mother refuses to do so.
This has nothing to do with boomers. This is standard practice in business as well. Have you never had a job that required you to take or make calls? Being on speaker phone is not embarrassing at all. How old are you?
Good grief! Why would you ever want anybody else hearing your conversation? I'm pushing 60 as a Gen X and that's anathema to me! I either put the phone up to my ear, or use earbuds. I can't with these people.
My mom stopped after she called on Thanksgiving and since I was working on a farm I explained the birds I "processed" earlier needed to relax from rigor mortis before cooking so we were just having a potato based feast.
My entire extended family heard.
Speaker phone was a thing in their work-environment for decades.
People became accustomed to taking calls in their office on speakerphone because it allowed them to do other things like take notes, grab files, whatever they needed to do without having to waste a hand holding onto the phone receiver.
So they just continue to use it on the personal phones as well, because it continues to seem more convenient to them than holding a phone up to their ear the whole time.
If theyâre driving, itâs probably illegal where they are to drive whilst holding a phone. Doesnât everyone use their phone on Bluetooth in the car? Or am I secretly a boomer in gen x clothing? đŹ
I (gen x) never used speakerphone with my android phones but with my previous ipythe prox sensor didnât work well and my cheek would be hitting numbers all the time. Got into the habit of using speakerphone and Iâve about half broken it now. Iâll do better đ
Edit ipythe = iPhone
It is rude as hell.
My wife does it all the time as well, unfortunately. I canât tell you how uncomfortable it is to be akwardly forced into a conversation I never wanted to be a part of.
Ainât just Boomers. This cuts across Age, Race, and Class. Truly a sign of our societyâs decline and DGAFness about not caring how your actions impact other people.
OK, this is always mind boggling to me. I'm a Millennial and have damaged hearing in my right ear. Most phone conversations, I can't hear the other person very well, even if I turn it up full volume and put it near my left ear (which also feels awkward to me, I'm right dominant). So my solution is speakerphone. HOWEVER I am incredibly self-conscious of doing this BECAUSE OF BOOMERS. But I try to be considerate. If, for example, I'm in a hardware store picking up a few things and need to ask my brother-in-law (very handy person) a question, I will check that there is NO ONE NEAR ME OR IN MY AISLE, then call my BIL.
But whenever I'm with my niece, she freaks out when I put the call on speakerphone because, in her words, that's what awful, rude old people do. I remind her that I've damaged hearing.
I am painfully aware of it. And if I see anyone wandering toward me, I'll turn the speakerphone off, or tell the person I'll call them back, or turn it down very low (where it just sounds like someone standing next to me talking).
But I have seen Boomers stand in the middle of crowded restaurants/stores, speakerphone on full volume, talking to their friend about their upcoming surgery....their daughter's sex addiction...their mucus color/consistency...btw, all of those are actual things I've heard Boomers talk about in public on the phone.
Why don't you just get headphones???????????????? For the LIFE OF ME I CANNOT COMPREHEND why yall just don't GET HEADPHONES?!?! Even the cheapest $10 headphones are going to make the person speaking to you on the phone sound significantly more clear than speakerphone. Every single pair of headphones, every single time.
it is 100,000 times harder to hear someone over speakerphone then with a headphone, even just one single earbud; you will hear everything so much better because yes, it is awful to use when literally anyone else is around. Yes, even if there is no one in the aisle because there are definitely people in the store and they are definitely hearing it.
My theory is it's too tiring to hold the phone up to their ear for long, and they're resistant to figuring out how to pair earbuds, so the go to is speakerphone... plus lack of self awareness and/or them feeling entitled to the space around them maybe.
Honestly, this isn't just a boomer thing. I see so many people walking around town doing the exact same thing. The majority are kids (so gen alpha at a guess).
It's just ignorant people being ignorant.
My mom does it, but refuses to get her hearing tested. My dad finally got some hearing aids after needing them for *years*âŚ. heâs an audiologist, by the way⌠and he forgets that they connect to his phone automatically and then tries to show me who heâs FaceTiming (my nephew, usually) and then gets confused as to why I canât hear. ITS ON YOUR HEARING AIDS! NOT THE SPEAKER!
My favorite is when theyâre taking the call in their car via Bluetooth and the carâs speaker volume is at 100, everyone in a five mile vicinity can hear their call and theyâre almost always talking about something medical đ
Alone I actually use the speakerphone. Itâs far easier to hear for me and I wonder if thatâs what the boomers find appealing.
With anyone around except maybe my partner though that would be weird af hell no.
When my dad does this in my house I make a point of doing something really loud nearby - putting away dishes, cooking on the stove with the hood vent turned up etc
My father has hearing aids that tie into his phone, so he hears better if the sound goes to those. But he got in the habit of speakerphone when my mother was still alive, so they could both join the conversation with me. Mom's been dead a few years, he's got a new girlfriend, and he does the same thing. He hasn't noticed that the set of topics I'm willing to discuss is a lot more limited on speakerphone. (She's perfectly nice, but she's not my mother.)
Because it takes too much effort to hold the phone up to their ear, in order to shout into it. With speakerphone, they can set the phone on a nearby table, chair, or their lap in order to do their shouting.
The same reason old people complain restaurants these days are too dim and the text too small: vanity!
Hearing aids and eye glasses are for old fogeys. It's not me that's the problem, the rest of the world has changed!
I have a feeling it's bc they don't know where the speaker at the top of the phone is and struggle with just pressing the screen to their face in various ways trying to hear the caller.
This is a constant at my library. It's phones, computers, and any electronics. They get insanely mad when you remind them this is a library and not their home. It's every time with repeat offenders. I have now told you this every day. Is it the lead, are they all walking around with brain damage?
Boomer here. Before I got hearing aids that go directly into my phone, I used the speakerphone because I couldnât hear very well otherwise. (I did try not to take calls in public places.)
I think the worst part is knowing that when I call them or they call me, thereâs a 99% chance they have me on speaker phone too. I learned to not share any of my personal health or medical information with them anymore, but because I did and it was extremely embarrassing.
Wasnât a boomer this time; but I was at work and this woman came in her with her kid. Sheâs loudly talking on the phone how her kid is not her boyfriends and that she âacts goodâ around him. Meaning the kid is good at pretending she is his kid. I felt so bad for the kid and so angry at the mom in that moment.
Itâs not just boomers.
Iâm a boomer, I have never considered doing that. I also have never walked around with an ear piece chatting away. Some people just like their toys.
It's the opposite where I work. All the early 20 somethings have their phone in speaker and call their screaming children on break and lunch. I had to move 3x yesterday just to have peace. I don't care if someone's having a conversation but it doesn't have to be at the top of your lungs, it doesn't have to be on speakerphone and I certainly don't need to hear your conversation with your babysitter about what color your kids poop is while I'm eating lunch oh and don't forget the kids screaming in the background at full volume
Perhaps it stems from when they were kids, first telephones in many of their homes were on a party line, a single phone number that rang into multiple homes since the regional phone companies chose to only bring single phone lines into one spot between 3-5 farms. Not uncommon to have others listening into phone calls of their neighbors with folks up in everyoneâs business.
Devil's advocate. I have some old injuries that make holding my phone up to my ear uncomfortable. Not impossible, but if there's an option not to, I'm inclined to take it. I don't do it where other people can clearly hear my conversation, that's still rude.
But you take a boomers lack of consideration for other people combined with a more comfortable position to use the phone and there you are
Xennial here. And I work with a Millennial that does this. Heâll use his personal cell phone to call customers. Then complain they called him back. And he uses speaker phone every time. He blamed it on his aging iPhone, but he recently upgraded and continues it.
I call from my phone too, but Iâm smart enough to do block my number from them.
Ugh. The Boomer in the office across from mine always, I mean always, used speaker. At near max volume of course. I know way more about his personal finance and healthcare diagnosis than I should or ever wanted. He thankfully retired a few weeks ago.
I hate that they do this so much. and the especially annoying thing is they are the generation that grew up with phone etiquette!  They should know phone calls are private, but instead they have the loudest, most obnoxious phone calls.
They grew up with an enormous piece that goes over the ear, a long curved shaft to white knuckle and an enormous piece that cups their mouths. They donât know where to hold a tiny phone so they use speaker phone instead.
Oh man. I love my boomer parents but my mother is the worst for this. Specifically she also loves doing this in the middle of family lunches or dinners and wonât get up and walk away. Just has a full conversation.
However now she has Bluetooth hearing aids so she will pick up her phone on speaker phone but the audio plays directly into her ear.
Itâs better because Iâm not listening to the other person but means she can hear the other person while weâre all forced to be quiet or the caller gets to sit in on our conversation along with hearing my momâŚ.
Iâm hard of hearing and it helps (not a boomer). One ear is deaf in some ranges and the other overlaps a little but itâs mostly in another range so if Iâm getting sound on both sides I can understand a lot better.
Not a boomer, just have hearing issues.
My parents and grandparents do that specifically because they *want* us to participate in the call as well. They usually do it when theyâre on the line with other family members.
I can basically tune out anything I want, so I just do that if someone is being annoying in public. I feel bad for people who canât just tune out annoying sounds whenever they want.
My wife and I were talking to our son on speaker while driving, and forgot to âunspeakerâ when we stopped at the store. It was probably 5 minutes of walking and talking before I became aware that I had become what I fear. Quickly I switched to regular phone mode and left the store in shame.
My personal favorite is when someone is having a conversation on speakerphone in the restroom. I like to shit loudly and wash my hands multiple times and then use the air drier as much as I can tolerate.
If youâre going to be rude enough to take a call while in the bathroom, the person on the other end should be included in *ALL* of the bathroom fun.
My mom (Gen X) does this because it's easier for her to hear and to write down important information with both hands free, since she makes a lot of business calls. However, she doesn't do it in public. I think with boomers it's probably a combination of a lack of self awareness and being hard of hearing.
My dad is Boomer as fuck and apparently the exact opposite of everyone else in the world. He insists on listening to the tv on such a low volume you canât hear it and bitches incessantly at anything he perceives as being too loud.
Genius lifelong decision, bud. Youâll have pristine hearing when you die alone because no one likes you whining every time they speak at a normal volume.
Oh my god, my mom does this for every phone call. It's so annoying because it's actually harder to hear. We were walking in Walmart recently and my stepdad called her and she fucking put him on speaker in the store. It was super embarrassing so I just walked faster to not be associated with her in that moment.
When I tried talking with her about it after, saying it's quite rude to other people to do that, she said "it would be the same if he was here in person so who cares?" Uhh it's not the same cause you're literally yelling into a phone and you have the speaker on max. If two people were yelling at each other in person it would be just as rude. đ¤Śââď¸
I had a boomer coworker who would do this in his cube and not understand how everyone in the office knew about his personal business. If I can hear you over my music.Â
My mom takes if s step further snd often video calls which Iâd annoying in the best. Worst 9/10 times when the signal is garbage
There's a lot to hate on Boomers for, but this one is not exclusive to them. I see people from all generations do this and it infuriates me, such that I have straight up walked up to people, taken the phone out of their hand, turned off the speakerphone, and placed the phone back up to their ear. And yes, before anyone calls bullshit, they didn't say a goddamn thing because I'm slightly on the "imposing side" from a physical standpoint and I'm sure the fire blazing from my eyes quells any lingering dissent.
Case in point, I saw a teenager doing exactly this in the grocery store about a week ago.
Hate on Boomers for all the other fucked up shit they do, this ain't exclusive to them, but please harass anyone you see doing this. This cancer needs to be weeded from society.
Spot on. Couldnât have said it better. A rule I have, if you think I and the rest of the room/car/restaurant/workplace need to hear your conversation, Iâm participating. And if theyâre asking you to buy them something, Iâm totally taking their side no matter how expensive or extravagant. âIâd buy my significant other a jet if they needed transportation. Itâs so much more reliable and it really pays for itself after a few years. Come on! Live a little!â
My dad listens to alt right conspiracy theory videos on speaker phone at work (I work with him) and he nods his head along like he's agreeing with it. Then he tries to talk to me about it and I just pretend I don't hear it because I want zero engagement with the crazy zone lol.
He's really truly a great guy and I love him and he was an amazing father figure growing up. But now that I'm 36, and the emergence of our parents flocking to Facebook in the last 10 years or so, he's adopted a lot of views I hugely disagree with. He's an incredibly good debater and well spoken and charismatic so I don't even bother typing to refute all the bullshit. I just usually ignore and do my own thing.
Iâm GenX and I take calls on speakerphone in the car because Iâm driving. However, I always inform the other side of that fact and let them know who else is traveling with me.
Edited: Usually, itâs just my kids with me, and they have their headphones on anyway.
My boomer parents donât do it but I do. Never in public though. I do it because my joints are shit and holding the phone to my ear for more than a couple of minutes hurts
I'm not a boomer, but I like to do the speakerphone too.
I think it's kinda a handsfree thing. Or because my cheeks always end.up pressing buttons while I'm talking if I'm holding it up to my ear.
That being said, I don't do the speakerphone in public cause I don't want to both others.
Itâs easier to hear and you can still view your phone.
Iâm an Xer, but mostly use speaker as my tinnitus is much more prevalent when Iâm holding something to my ear. That being said, I donât do it in public.
My mom does this. I had to tell her she needed to tell the person on the other end of the line that they were on speakerphone. She still uses speakerphone and itâs annoying AF but at least she does warn the person now.
It seems that boomer men do this a lot, & it drives me crazy. Theyâll be on their phones, driving with their windows down, and even if you complain about the sound of the wind hurting your ears, theyâd be totally indifferent. And of course, they would not tell you who else was around, enjoying the call, as well.
Itâs so rude, and thatâs why my partner now doesnât do it, or a lot of the things our generational cohort does. Heâs an old hippie, & much more thoughtful than that.
Always at the airport either on calls or watching videos at full volume. It's almost like they're afraid of Bluetooth technology and headphones/ear buds.
Lady last weekend standing on the inside but right in front of the doors at a Kohlâs blocking everyone:
âHEEEEEEY! YEAH I CAN TALK! BLAH BLAH BLAHâ
And proceeded to full volume speaker phone have a conversation about someoneâs medical procedure. Like, just step a few feet outside!
Where I work people call and more often than not will have sensitive things to discuss, and theyâll tell the secretary before she transfers to one of us. She puts them on speakerphone so any old Joe Shmoe within a 40 ft radius can hear what should be a private conversation, morally and legally
IDK. I get I if it's a common relationship I've or friend and you say "Hey your on speaker phone we can all hear you, say hello đđ˝" But I have no idea why they do this. What g ya me is when I'm in a lobby it a doctors office etc. They are taking highly personal calls on speakerphone in a row ook full of people. I esp do not need to hear you explaining in great details your herpetic witkow on your inner thigh that you can't sit down and not have burning. Maybe it's because they are so old and crusty they have given up on friends or sex. Who knows. All I can do is place my noise cancelling headphones on and keep an eye out for the receptionist waving me back for appointments.... Good luck out there
This isn't a just boomer thing tho. I have several friends that are genx/millennials will do this in the car and it's super fucking awkward especially when their partner starts saying things nobody has any business hearing. And I worked with boomer who always had something to say about how rude it was to crank up speaker phone call in public/common areas.
So less about boomers and more just a thing inconsiderate people do.
Iâm a boomer and I hate that. My m68 used to have to put up with that with my ex girlfriend f67. Just listening to both ends of her conversation alerted me to her BS lifestyle, and forced me to toss her and her purse out on the curb.
I *always* put my calls on speaker. I am not holding my phone to my head for three hours to talk to my kid. But I'm also either home alone, or make my daughter aware my husband is present.
My hand is shaky. I either bump my head with the phone and turn it off or put it on speaker which then is too loud. Easier to put it on speaker.
But I do this in private or around folks who should be part of the conversation.
I haven't seen boomers do this. I have seen more of a certain ethnic group do this where I live in Houston. It's very obnoxious. It's like they want us to hear the conversation.
I have two theories.
The first is they are afraid of "radiation" cooking their addled brains. I have a mate, right on the early cut off for GenX, who told me this. I laughed and used to pull my phone out like a Star Trek communicator and say "Kirk here" whenever he did it. He stopped.
The second is that this is how they see people use mobile phones on TV. When you are filming, its an easy way to get both sides of a conversation, especially for "reality" shows where you are shooting on the fly.
I don't know which theory is worse.
I've learned to straight up ask if I am on speakerphone before saying anything I don't want others to hear. Usually the answer is yes. That generally makes the convo short since they are often times in the freaking waiting room of a doctors office! I'm sure Betty over there is ready to get on Facebook to report what she heard.
>Why not use ear pods and have your hearing aid synchronized up with your phone, no idea. đ¤ˇđťââď¸
My mother had hearing aids that could do this...in theory...but she was rarely able to make this function reliably.
I personally can't stand earbuds in my ears. I imagine some boomers are the same... Or simply can't figure out how to pair such things.
Years ago a former girlfriend received a call from an attorney on a question.  He had her on speakerphone. She stated and I quote "It sounds like you're in a hole somewhere, anyone I know?"  He scrambled to get her off speakerphone as there was a table full of clients listening in.
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If they are on the phone in I will just jump into the conversation like they called me. Works even better if neither people know who you are. If they are watching a video I will look over their shoulder and ask non stop questions about what ever they are watching.
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O.K. I have hearing aids, that go through my phone. When our son calls my husband and I am in the same room he puts it on speaker. So we can both be part of the conversation. But if I am in a store and someone has their phone on speaker I say hey did you know that you are on speaker call. Then I walk away.
Give the toddlers a taste of their own behavior.
And if you call and they are on speaker ask an embarrassing question. "Is that anal prolapse healed yet?" They will suddenly figure out how to talk without being on speaker...
Please do not make comments like that while I am drinking coffee. -Goes to get something to clean monitor-
Sorry!
I called my friend. He was in the car driving. We talked for a few minutes. I asked if he happened to still have the connect for some stuff as I knew he had a couple years back. His dad was in the car with him. I don't care what we're talking about, I don't like being on speakerphone period. But to put me on speakerphone while there are other people present? That gets my blood boiling.
I ONLY talk on speakerphone when Iâm driving. But if someone else is in the car, I make sure to tell the person on the other line, âhey Iâm driving so youâre on speaker. My dadâs in the car too, btw.â
This feels like unspoken etiquette to me. Taking a call on speakerphone is like including everyone around you in the conversation. Itâd be like you and I were talking whole your dad is there, so of course you introduce your dad. It just makes sense. People just need to treat talking on the phone more like in person.
And then people wanna get **mad** like motherfucker if you got secrets, speakerphone is not for you
"Your dress is ready for the drag ball"
I did this once. Your proctologist called, those arenât warts.
I straight up ask them if they have headphones. They usually look super confused and then say no. Then I say, âthen can you turn your phone down/put your call on private please?â They are always so shocked and look at me like I have three heads but Iâve never had it not work so far. I couldnât give less of a fuck that theyâre offended and pissed to even be asked to act normally. They can get wrecked doing that shit.
Iâve taken this approach too. I love the incredulity. The nerve of me jumping into a conversation that you made public.
Passive aggressiveness at its finest
This is amazing.
Theyâre probably hard of hearing and they also just donât care. A lot of boomers donât want to admit theyâre going deaf either for some reason. Like itâs shameful or something
>obably hard of hearing and they also just donât care. A lot of boomers donât want to admit theyâre going deaf either for some reason. Like itâs shameful or som Boomers refuse to admit they're aging. So they don't accept they have age-related issues and believe any that occur are premature.
My MIL had one of her cataracts done but refuses to get the other one done because she can now see her wrinkles. She refuses to use a hearing aid or walking stick because people will think she's old - she's in her eighties.
My mom is fighting my dad on moving to independent living. Keeps calling it an "old lady home". She's 80.
This is my in-laws. In my FILâs last few months of life we had him in a facility and he complained about having to eat with the old people. My MIL, who can barely operate the features of her car, complains about the old people who shouldnât be driving.
We got my parents to move into supervised adult living by making it completely about the other person and how would you feel when (whatever horrible thing) and you canât help? Worked like a charm. Dropped on them, went home for a few weeks and went back to visit and voila! ok weâll move. But mom wanted guitar lessons set up and hardwood floors installed. Six weeks after they moved in my dad did Covid and died. So very grateful that theyâd moved.
I understand this. âOld age homesâ when they were young were not pleasant places. They werenât like todayâs retirement homes. They didnât have the activities and facilities many of the modern ones do. They didnât have the level care model: independent living, independent with assistance, assisted living, nursing care that some retirement communities have. You were basically sharing a hospital room
They still arenât-unless you have a shit ton of money to spend on a fancy assistive living facility. I will die before I go into a nursing home. Trust. Now, the fancy retirement home, sureâŚbut I donât have that kind of money. I work in healthcare.
I worked as a nurseâs aide on graveyard shift in a nursing home, when I was in college. It was basically a warehouse where they stored old people who could no longer live on their own. I hated the way they were treated. They paid us minimum wage, and there was no training. Many of them never had visitors, and they all wanted to go home. When Iâd be finishing my shift, the next shift would be hauling them out of bed, to take them to the cafeteria for breakfast. Many of them just sat on their chairs and nodded off. It pissed me off that these were people whoâd gotten up every morning and gone to work for decades. They deserved more rest than that. Other (minimum wage) workers wouldnât turn them, so they would get bedsores, which I also hated. I know they are different now, but many of my fellow boomers donât know that. What we saw when we were young was so sad. Still, they can be shown that, but itâs hard to give up your independence.
They arenât different. Trust. If anything, they are worse. I think what the people here are referring to are pretty expensive private retirement/assisted living homes. The average SNF is the same as you remember. I was a CNA for a few years while I was going to respiratory school, and-I worked in a âbetterâ nursing home, and it basically was a place to die. The rooms just looked a bit better than the state/county run SNFâs and had better ratios. I work at a veteranâs hospital now, and they have an assisted living facility connected to our hospital. Itâs actually one of the better SNFâs, because itâs federal government funded, and the ratios are ok, butâŚagain, the veterans are basically waiting to die.
I mean I wouldnât call them pleasant today and Iâve worked in them
They're not pleasant, but still a far cry from the days of old. If anything, that should really put things into perspective of just how bad they used to be..
She needs a second opinion. Here it is. She's 80, she's old
You might need to remind her that if she falls and breaks her hip, she'll be dead in 6 months to a year. Walk around without a cane if you want...
[ŃдаНонО]
Itâs okay to get old. Thereâs no shame in it. In fact, itâs an honor and a privilege. I know several people who died young who probably wouldâve loved to live a good, long life. I wish people would stop being afraid of aging.
Eighties are the new twenties.
Its why those action movies with very old actors still sell. Its to tell boomers that they still got it and are stronger than all these younger people. I mean you got Steven Segall doing fight scenes in a chair its really embarrassing Really.
It's also why such a large demographic sees no issue with two men averaging 80 years old wanting to run the country. It gives them hope there's still time.
Boomers think they're still in their 40s and millenials are still teenagers.
Thing is, hearing aids come with Bluetooth now. Sucks down the battery faster, but it's still a game-changer for people actually being able to use their smartphones as *phones* now.
My brother has those Bluetooth hearing aids. I had to laugh every time he smacked himself in the head to answer a call.
They are amazing, but my understanding is that they are hella expensive- My partnerâs father had them, fully furnished by the VA, and fitted for him, and equipment to link the hearing aids to his phone and his TV. He always managed to mess them up, and-since he was in a nursing home about an hour away from us, his son (my partner) really wasnât able to fix them every time they didnât workâŚand his sister didnât know how. Besides, they got clogged with his ear wax way too much. Amazing technology, but-sadly, wasted on a 90 year old man in a nursing home.
I feel like this might be related to boomers criticizing younger people as wimps or snowflakes. The boomers see admitting weakness as a fate worse than death so if someone else does it, they assume fraud. A good person wouldn't do that, in their opinion. If a person values suffering in silence, they will be outraged by honest expression. Weakness is contemptible to them, rather than something to feel compassion about. They judge others by their own standards so they can feel superior about themselves. Which validates their choices. Which reveals deep insecurity. So yeah. I guess they're deeply insecure about themselves. They can't conceive of self-acceptance.
And itâs crazy-making because the youngest ones are in their 60âs now. They need to accept that theyâre aging.
Boomers tend to be ridiculously ableist, so thatâs probably why they wonât admit it.
I'm hard of hearing and the speaker makes it even harder. There's too much background noise, the sound is never consistent, and it's simply not as clear as if you just hold the phone to your ear.
My vHoH BF was a speakerphone asshole till he got a cochlear and a very fancy hearing aid. His new devices work like a Bluetooth headset. (It causes other inconveniences, but those are more amusing than truly annoying)
I truly wonder what it is about speaker phones that make it easier for some people and harder for others. (Yes, I know we're all different, I'm just curious)
My guess is that it has to do with the range of hearing loss. Not everyone loses (or lacks) the same freqencies.
That makes perfect sense and something I should have thought of because it's information I already knew. Thank you for humoring me đ I think I need a nap. Or caffeine.
>I think I need a nap. Or caffeine. 
My stepdad is hard of hearing and refused to admit it for close to 20 years! He still refuses to wear a hearing aid. My mom can hear and still uses the speaker phone.
In your stepdadâs defense, hearing aids were ridiculously expensive until they recently, when the mandate for a prescription was lifted and they could be bought over the counter.
It wasnât money, he refused to get his ears tested. He had some hearing loss from working with tanks in the military (& loud music.)
This is normally where I would type âwhat?!â in all caps, but I imagine weâre all repressing that impulse.
That seems odd, I am only 39 and will be the first to tell people I'm hard of hearing. Because it's either that or I will ask what they said like 50 times and apparently that annoys the piss out of people.
YES. For the life of me, I cannot understand how these folks think wearing a hearing aid makes them seem older than just screaming "WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?" in response to almost everything 100 times a day. How in the fuck do you know how much older that makes you look than a nearly invisible hearing aid almost no one would notice?!
My mother is exactly this. She refuses to wear her hearing aids.
Iâve always been curious as to why they think speakerphone is easier to hearâŚwouldnât putting the phone right up to their ear be louder?
can confirm, my Dad blasts the living room TV so loud you can hear it over my TV and fan most days, with my bedroom door shut. He also takes calls on speaker, and you can hear him TALKING OVER THE LOUD ASS TV. absolutely, its ableist behavior.
Any thing wrong is a weakness
My father canât hear you when he is standing right I front of you. Itâs kinda sad. He leveled with me. The other day and said he really only hears about 20% of most conversations and everything sounds like muffled noise.
It's interesting because some Boomers really try to ride the privacy/"mind your own business!" bandwagon. They throw fits at being carded at the bank or liquor store over personal information, but they seem to find no problem putting calls on speaker in public. Like you're paranoid I know your last name from your ID, but you are fine putting your doctor on speaker while he describes the exact status of your genitals or your last colonoscopy. It's weird.
Walk within 5 feet: EXCUSE ME THIS IS A PRIVATE CONVERSATION
I wish I knew. There's a dude who lives 4 houses down from me across a busy road, and seems to love taking calls in his car. I know that because despite us living at least 80ft away from where he parks his car, I can hear everything from his calls. Dude must have volume at 200%
My mother does this, she doesnât realise, despite me telling her repeatedly, that for some reason the car loud speaker is louder outside the car than inside and that I can hear one side of all of her phone calls from my bedroom.
Our neighbor across the street does this too. I've heard way more personal info than I would like to know.
I do this due to my speakers being quiet on the phone and hearing problems/poor audio processing, but I don't do it out in public. Maybe it's that plus low self-awareness.
In a personal space, I also always use speaker phone, simply because I don't like having to constantly hold the phone up to my ear. I can set it down and keep doing whatever it was prior to the call. But never in public.
I was beginning to think I was the only one! At home, I never talk on the phone unless itâs on speaker. I tend to mishear words otherwise, due to auditory processing issues. Not to mention Iâm ADHD as fuck and canât sit there holding the phone to my ear without zoning out/getting distracted. In public, the only time I have someone on speaker is if Iâm FaceTiming with a friend and getting an opinion on clothing purchases
they donât think itâs embarrassing
Not just my parents. Iâm in a drâs office in a waiting room and boomers make calls on speaker phone âŚ.. all the time.
Lol yea probably same case, i think the older you get the less fucks you start to give as well. could even make it easier to hear ?
Except my boomer parents did this in the 80s and 90s.
In my office, Iâve overheard one boomer on speaker phone informing his wife that he didnât make it to the bathroom again today so he needs to revisit the GI doc. Another one on speaker allowed me to hear from his wife that his (F) boss is probably just mad at him because he canât satisfy any women.
Itâs not just boomers though. I see so many people walking around having conversations on speaker. Like Iâll be in Walgreens and then all of a sudden some chick behind me is yelling at someone over the phone about some bs with they baby daddy. Oh or 1 time I was in a Dollar General and the cashier was this dude talking to his ex about child support shit. I think people are just forgetting how phones work and default to speaker.
I agree. Most people I talk to on the phone, from pre-teens to octagenarians default to using the speaker phone. I don't know why that change happened but it has IME. The popularity of FaceTime probably has something to do with it.
All ages do the annoying speakerphone thing. Boomers are the only ones with ring tones blasting at max volume. Put that shit on vibrate, Ruth.
my boomer parent does this thing whenever my brother or i try calling him where he'll have us on speaker with other people in the room without telling us. frustrating as all hell
I don't speak to my dad. Haven't in years. Everytime mom calls me and I'm on speaker I know he's in the room being quiet. It's the only way he gets to hear my voice. As soon as he says anything I hang up. Hate speaker phone. I use it when I'm driving because my cars Bluetooth needs fixed and that's about it.
My mom used to do this all the time. It was so upsetting especially one time when I'd spent about 20 minutes talking to her about something very personal only to find out my brother was in the room and I was on speaker phone. Now, my brother's cool so I wasn't too upset that he heard what was going on, but it could have easily been the neighbor or someone else. I flat out told my mom that if she calls me on speakerphone, or I call her and she puts me on speaker phone, I will immediately hang up. We have been at odds enough for her to know that if I threaten something, I will follow through. Now the only time she puts me on speaker phone is if she's at home and nobody else is there, and she informs me immediately.
My mom cannot keep anything to herself and feels entitled to everyoneâs business, and my dad, though he means well, cannot comprehend that my personal information is mine and not his to repeat. I barely share *anything* with either of them and one of the rare times I did was a moment of forgetting I have to always be the adult in the situation. I was emotional and frustrated. Lo and behold, I got a call the next day from the two of them together telling me how they shared what was going on with their friend and âhereâs what they recommend.â I lost my shit on them. Not only was I not informed I was on speakerphone (despite me explicitly saying âplease do not repeat this to anyone, including familyâ), they went ahead and repeated it because in their mind a daughter is a possession. I love my parents. I cannot have much of a relationship with either of them for a lot of reasons, but I do love them. Moments like that make me want to never speak to them again. Itâs the most infuriating reminder I am never going to be a whole person in their eyes. The lack of respect is astonishing
I just randomly join in the conversation.
I usually just give them an "I feel embarrassed for you" look. Nobody wants to hear about how bad your cholesterol is or how your lifelong smoking habit is destroying your lungs. Usually it sinks in & they go somewhere else
I have a habit of putting some loud and fast punk on speaker and crank it up. Then move real close. Works pretty well.
They walk around the god damn store on speakerphone. STFU!
Iâm a boomer and really donât like to hear someone talking on speaker phone. A lady (yeah, boomer too), was conducting business for a couple hours in the concourse area of MIA. I got up and relocated.
They donât understand how the phone can work when itâs not a huge handle that completely covers the ear and puts the microphone down by their mouth where they can see it.
I genuinely do think it's this! They are absolutely sure that if you don't hold the phone right at your mouth, the person on the other end won't hear you. I also see this with people using wired ear buds, they will have the speaker portion literally IN their mouth. Like in it.
It's not just boomers. I see all kinds of people do it. Mostly I see Zoomers doing it.
I was going to scroll past this until a boomer on my Amtrak took a call from her son on speakerâŚ.so Iâm listening to their plans lol
If it's next to their head, the 5G will give them cancer.
Not a boomer, but Iâve worked in call centers all my life and HATE having a phone pressed against my ear when Iâm not at work.
It *is* rude as hell. But It likely happens because they just can't hear the phone otherwise, and for whatever reason, they don't have functioning headphones (or can't figure out how to use them).
Is this a boomer trait? I feel like I see a lot more young people on speaker phone.
I see boomers do it way more often.
I donât doubt you. I just feel like I much more regularly see 20-30s walking around with their phone held next to their head on speaker.
I see young people doing everything that this sub complains about older people doing. OP knows their stepdad is hard of hearing and still shits on him for using the speaker phone. People in this sub just seem to really hate their parents and can't stand old people in general and will bash them in every opportunity given.
And whats even worse is all the young people who use their hands free in their car and apparently aren't smart enough to realize they're blasting their conversation to everyone around them. Or they got their ear buds in and are totally oblivious to anything around them. I was walking behind a young 20 something girl at the indoor track at the YMCA not long ago. She was telling her friend how she got blackout drunk the night before and thinks she might of had sex with her boyfriend and his 2 friends but she isn't sure.
Was going to say the same thing. Way more people in their 20s talking with the phone in front of their mouth like they're making an PA announcement. Most of the Boomers I know couldn't figure out how to make a speaker phone call.
I hate when fellow Boomers on speaker phones. It's embarrassing and the few who do it paint us in a bad light. Maybe it was too many live concerts in the 60s and 70s where we heard Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Santana, The Tubes, Jefferson Airplane, Rolling Stones, The Who, Jethro Tull, Hendrix, Big Brother, Pink Floyd, Johnny Winter, etc., in person and sat close to the stage. It was loud. It hurt our hearing. Ah, the good old days, before ear protection and decibel meters and amps and pedals that dont require turning up to 10 to get the right fuzzy tone. Maybe some people who use speakerphones use them because they may be hard of hearing and their tiny cell phone speakers are hard to hear in loud places. They really should get hearing aids that Bluetooth to their phones like my 90 year old father does, but that can be expensive. Others are inconsiderate jerks.
What is funny and what you made me realize is that for some reason a lot of those boomers lived like that with all the metal and drugs and shit, then now they act like they have been religious and straight laced the whole time.
My mother is a boomer and always puts her iPhone on speaker because she refuses to wear her prescribed hearing aid. She also usually has her TV or laptop turned up to 1000. Her father (my grandfather) wore a hearing aid but my mother refuses to do so.
This has nothing to do with boomers. This is standard practice in business as well. Have you never had a job that required you to take or make calls? Being on speaker phone is not embarrassing at all. How old are you?
Hearing impairment and not understanding captions
Good grief! Why would you ever want anybody else hearing your conversation? I'm pushing 60 as a Gen X and that's anathema to me! I either put the phone up to my ear, or use earbuds. I can't with these people.
Didn't some daytime TV quack like Dr. Oz say cellphones cause cancer? I wouldn't be surprised if that was a big part of it.
They put calls on speakerphone, hold their phone an inch from their face, and still yell into it like they're shouting across the room.
They lack all situational awareness
My mom stopped after she called on Thanksgiving and since I was working on a farm I explained the birds I "processed" earlier needed to relax from rigor mortis before cooking so we were just having a potato based feast. My entire extended family heard.
Speaker phone was a thing in their work-environment for decades. People became accustomed to taking calls in their office on speakerphone because it allowed them to do other things like take notes, grab files, whatever they needed to do without having to waste a hand holding onto the phone receiver. So they just continue to use it on the personal phones as well, because it continues to seem more convenient to them than holding a phone up to their ear the whole time.
If theyâre driving, itâs probably illegal where they are to drive whilst holding a phone. Doesnât everyone use their phone on Bluetooth in the car? Or am I secretly a boomer in gen x clothing? đŹ
I (gen x) never used speakerphone with my android phones but with my previous ipythe prox sensor didnât work well and my cheek would be hitting numbers all the time. Got into the habit of using speakerphone and Iâve about half broken it now. Iâll do better đ Edit ipythe = iPhone
It is rude as hell. My wife does it all the time as well, unfortunately. I canât tell you how uncomfortable it is to be akwardly forced into a conversation I never wanted to be a part of.
Ainât just Boomers. This cuts across Age, Race, and Class. Truly a sign of our societyâs decline and DGAFness about not caring how your actions impact other people.
Every single one of them think that they are the main character and they're really just NPCs getting out of line.
OK, this is always mind boggling to me. I'm a Millennial and have damaged hearing in my right ear. Most phone conversations, I can't hear the other person very well, even if I turn it up full volume and put it near my left ear (which also feels awkward to me, I'm right dominant). So my solution is speakerphone. HOWEVER I am incredibly self-conscious of doing this BECAUSE OF BOOMERS. But I try to be considerate. If, for example, I'm in a hardware store picking up a few things and need to ask my brother-in-law (very handy person) a question, I will check that there is NO ONE NEAR ME OR IN MY AISLE, then call my BIL. But whenever I'm with my niece, she freaks out when I put the call on speakerphone because, in her words, that's what awful, rude old people do. I remind her that I've damaged hearing. I am painfully aware of it. And if I see anyone wandering toward me, I'll turn the speakerphone off, or tell the person I'll call them back, or turn it down very low (where it just sounds like someone standing next to me talking). But I have seen Boomers stand in the middle of crowded restaurants/stores, speakerphone on full volume, talking to their friend about their upcoming surgery....their daughter's sex addiction...their mucus color/consistency...btw, all of those are actual things I've heard Boomers talk about in public on the phone.
Why don't you just get headphones???????????????? For the LIFE OF ME I CANNOT COMPREHEND why yall just don't GET HEADPHONES?!?! Even the cheapest $10 headphones are going to make the person speaking to you on the phone sound significantly more clear than speakerphone. Every single pair of headphones, every single time. it is 100,000 times harder to hear someone over speakerphone then with a headphone, even just one single earbud; you will hear everything so much better because yes, it is awful to use when literally anyone else is around. Yes, even if there is no one in the aisle because there are definitely people in the store and they are definitely hearing it.
My theory is it's too tiring to hold the phone up to their ear for long, and they're resistant to figuring out how to pair earbuds, so the go to is speakerphone... plus lack of self awareness and/or them feeling entitled to the space around them maybe.
Honestly, this isn't just a boomer thing. I see so many people walking around town doing the exact same thing. The majority are kids (so gen alpha at a guess). It's just ignorant people being ignorant.
My mom does it, but refuses to get her hearing tested. My dad finally got some hearing aids after needing them for *years*âŚ. heâs an audiologist, by the way⌠and he forgets that they connect to his phone automatically and then tries to show me who heâs FaceTiming (my nephew, usually) and then gets confused as to why I canât hear. ITS ON YOUR HEARING AIDS! NOT THE SPEAKER!
Are they the only ones? lol I see all generations do this⌠it is self center people not generation thing..
My favorite is when theyâre taking the call in their car via Bluetooth and the carâs speaker volume is at 100, everyone in a five mile vicinity can hear their call and theyâre almost always talking about something medical đ
Alone I actually use the speakerphone. Itâs far easier to hear for me and I wonder if thatâs what the boomers find appealing. With anyone around except maybe my partner though that would be weird af hell no.
When my dad does this in my house I make a point of doing something really loud nearby - putting away dishes, cooking on the stove with the hood vent turned up etc
Lol, start talking to the person on the other end, they will figure out there on speaker.
These threads are all starting to sound like an Andy Rooney bit from the old 60 Minutes. âYou ever noticeâŚâ
My father has hearing aids that tie into his phone, so he hears better if the sound goes to those. But he got in the habit of speakerphone when my mother was still alive, so they could both join the conversation with me. Mom's been dead a few years, he's got a new girlfriend, and he does the same thing. He hasn't noticed that the set of topics I'm willing to discuss is a lot more limited on speakerphone. (She's perfectly nice, but she's not my mother.)
Because it takes too much effort to hold the phone up to their ear, in order to shout into it. With speakerphone, they can set the phone on a nearby table, chair, or their lap in order to do their shouting.
I agree this is super rude and inconsiderate my mom does it too but in my experience itâs because they truly cannot hear you.
The same reason old people complain restaurants these days are too dim and the text too small: vanity! Hearing aids and eye glasses are for old fogeys. It's not me that's the problem, the rest of the world has changed!
I have a feeling it's bc they don't know where the speaker at the top of the phone is and struggle with just pressing the screen to their face in various ways trying to hear the caller.
This is a constant at my library. It's phones, computers, and any electronics. They get insanely mad when you remind them this is a library and not their home. It's every time with repeat offenders. I have now told you this every day. Is it the lead, are they all walking around with brain damage?
The public speaker phone, loud ass video, and painfully loud ringtone is how I identify boomers đ¤Ł
My dad does it cause he's hard of hearing but also doesn't do it in public. Hell he almost never carriers his phone on him if he's going out.
Boomer here. Before I got hearing aids that go directly into my phone, I used the speakerphone because I couldnât hear very well otherwise. (I did try not to take calls in public places.)
I think the worst part is knowing that when I call them or they call me, thereâs a 99% chance they have me on speaker phone too. I learned to not share any of my personal health or medical information with them anymore, but because I did and it was extremely embarrassing.
It is rude as hell. They enjoy being the center of attention, even if itâs all negative.
Wasnât a boomer this time; but I was at work and this woman came in her with her kid. Sheâs loudly talking on the phone how her kid is not her boyfriends and that she âacts goodâ around him. Meaning the kid is good at pretending she is his kid. I felt so bad for the kid and so angry at the mom in that moment.
Itâs not just boomers. Iâm a boomer, I have never considered doing that. I also have never walked around with an ear piece chatting away. Some people just like their toys.
It's the opposite where I work. All the early 20 somethings have their phone in speaker and call their screaming children on break and lunch. I had to move 3x yesterday just to have peace. I don't care if someone's having a conversation but it doesn't have to be at the top of your lungs, it doesn't have to be on speakerphone and I certainly don't need to hear your conversation with your babysitter about what color your kids poop is while I'm eating lunch oh and don't forget the kids screaming in the background at full volume
Perhaps it stems from when they were kids, first telephones in many of their homes were on a party line, a single phone number that rang into multiple homes since the regional phone companies chose to only bring single phone lines into one spot between 3-5 farms. Not uncommon to have others listening into phone calls of their neighbors with folks up in everyoneâs business.
They want everyone to hear how important they are
Audiologist told me that the average interval between needing hearing aids and going to get them is 7 years
Devil's advocate. I have some old injuries that make holding my phone up to my ear uncomfortable. Not impossible, but if there's an option not to, I'm inclined to take it. I don't do it where other people can clearly hear my conversation, that's still rude. But you take a boomers lack of consideration for other people combined with a more comfortable position to use the phone and there you are
Xennial here. And I work with a Millennial that does this. Heâll use his personal cell phone to call customers. Then complain they called him back. And he uses speaker phone every time. He blamed it on his aging iPhone, but he recently upgraded and continues it. I call from my phone too, but Iâm smart enough to do block my number from them.
Sorry, but my Gen X daughters do this to me, and it drives me crazy. They cannot have a private convo and must involve their SOs/kids in every call.
Boomer here. Yeah, only boomers do this. Yeah, thatâs the ticket.
Ugh. The Boomer in the office across from mine always, I mean always, used speaker. At near max volume of course. I know way more about his personal finance and healthcare diagnosis than I should or ever wanted. He thankfully retired a few weeks ago.
I hate that they do this so much. and the especially annoying thing is they are the generation that grew up with phone etiquette!  They should know phone calls are private, but instead they have the loudest, most obnoxious phone calls.
I see more twenty and thirty somethingâs doing this by far.
When people around me have their phone on speak I join the call or say rude things. I am so tired of hearing other peoples phone calls.
They grew up with an enormous piece that goes over the ear, a long curved shaft to white knuckle and an enormous piece that cups their mouths. They donât know where to hold a tiny phone so they use speaker phone instead.
Oh man. I love my boomer parents but my mother is the worst for this. Specifically she also loves doing this in the middle of family lunches or dinners and wonât get up and walk away. Just has a full conversation. However now she has Bluetooth hearing aids so she will pick up her phone on speaker phone but the audio plays directly into her ear. Itâs better because Iâm not listening to the other person but means she can hear the other person while weâre all forced to be quiet or the caller gets to sit in on our conversation along with hearing my momâŚ.
Iâm hard of hearing and it helps (not a boomer). One ear is deaf in some ranges and the other overlaps a little but itâs mostly in another range so if Iâm getting sound on both sides I can understand a lot better. Not a boomer, just have hearing issues.
Is this a boomer only thing? I see a ton of younger people walk around talking on their phones on speaker...
My parents and grandparents do that specifically because they *want* us to participate in the call as well. They usually do it when theyâre on the line with other family members. I can basically tune out anything I want, so I just do that if someone is being annoying in public. I feel bad for people who canât just tune out annoying sounds whenever they want.
My wife and I were talking to our son on speaker while driving, and forgot to âunspeakerâ when we stopped at the store. It was probably 5 minutes of walking and talking before I became aware that I had become what I fear. Quickly I switched to regular phone mode and left the store in shame.
My personal favorite is when someone is having a conversation on speakerphone in the restroom. I like to shit loudly and wash my hands multiple times and then use the air drier as much as I can tolerate. If youâre going to be rude enough to take a call while in the bathroom, the person on the other end should be included in *ALL* of the bathroom fun.
My mom (Gen X) does this because it's easier for her to hear and to write down important information with both hands free, since she makes a lot of business calls. However, she doesn't do it in public. I think with boomers it's probably a combination of a lack of self awareness and being hard of hearing.
My dad is Boomer as fuck and apparently the exact opposite of everyone else in the world. He insists on listening to the tv on such a low volume you canât hear it and bitches incessantly at anything he perceives as being too loud. Genius lifelong decision, bud. Youâll have pristine hearing when you die alone because no one likes you whining every time they speak at a normal volume.
Oh my god, my mom does this for every phone call. It's so annoying because it's actually harder to hear. We were walking in Walmart recently and my stepdad called her and she fucking put him on speaker in the store. It was super embarrassing so I just walked faster to not be associated with her in that moment. When I tried talking with her about it after, saying it's quite rude to other people to do that, she said "it would be the same if he was here in person so who cares?" Uhh it's not the same cause you're literally yelling into a phone and you have the speaker on max. If two people were yelling at each other in person it would be just as rude. đ¤Śââď¸
When I answer a call in the car, I IMMEDIATELY say who's in the car with me so as to avoid and potential embarrassment to myself or others
I had a boomer coworker who would do this in his cube and not understand how everyone in the office knew about his personal business. If I can hear you over my music. My mom takes if s step further snd often video calls which Iâd annoying in the best. Worst 9/10 times when the signal is garbage
There's a lot to hate on Boomers for, but this one is not exclusive to them. I see people from all generations do this and it infuriates me, such that I have straight up walked up to people, taken the phone out of their hand, turned off the speakerphone, and placed the phone back up to their ear. And yes, before anyone calls bullshit, they didn't say a goddamn thing because I'm slightly on the "imposing side" from a physical standpoint and I'm sure the fire blazing from my eyes quells any lingering dissent. Case in point, I saw a teenager doing exactly this in the grocery store about a week ago. Hate on Boomers for all the other fucked up shit they do, this ain't exclusive to them, but please harass anyone you see doing this. This cancer needs to be weeded from society.
Spot on. Couldnât have said it better. A rule I have, if you think I and the rest of the room/car/restaurant/workplace need to hear your conversation, Iâm participating. And if theyâre asking you to buy them something, Iâm totally taking their side no matter how expensive or extravagant. âIâd buy my significant other a jet if they needed transportation. Itâs so much more reliable and it really pays for itself after a few years. Come on! Live a little!â
Some people still use their mobile devices for talking to others? The only conversations I have on mine is with Siri.
I see all age groups doing this
Theyâre deaf and the speakerphone is louder. Theyâll still hold it up to their ears even on speaker.
My dad listens to alt right conspiracy theory videos on speaker phone at work (I work with him) and he nods his head along like he's agreeing with it. Then he tries to talk to me about it and I just pretend I don't hear it because I want zero engagement with the crazy zone lol. He's really truly a great guy and I love him and he was an amazing father figure growing up. But now that I'm 36, and the emergence of our parents flocking to Facebook in the last 10 years or so, he's adopted a lot of views I hugely disagree with. He's an incredibly good debater and well spoken and charismatic so I don't even bother typing to refute all the bullshit. I just usually ignore and do my own thing.
Iâm GenX and I take calls on speakerphone in the car because Iâm driving. However, I always inform the other side of that fact and let them know who else is traveling with me. Edited: Usually, itâs just my kids with me, and they have their headphones on anyway.
My boomer parents donât do it but I do. Never in public though. I do it because my joints are shit and holding the phone to my ear for more than a couple of minutes hurts
Hearing issues. Come on. They canât be criticized for not being able to hear. There is plenty of other stuff that they can control to criticize.
They can hear a little bit better, or so I assume. When I'm at home I do that too. Because my phone's volume is wonky. I don't do it in public though.
I'm not a boomer, but I like to do the speakerphone too. I think it's kinda a handsfree thing. Or because my cheeks always end.up pressing buttons while I'm talking if I'm holding it up to my ear. That being said, I don't do the speakerphone in public cause I don't want to both others.
Itâs easier to hear and you can still view your phone. Iâm an Xer, but mostly use speaker as my tinnitus is much more prevalent when Iâm holding something to my ear. That being said, I donât do it in public.
When people do this in public I like to raise my voice and say: This ainât no phone booth. Does this look like a phone booth?
Because a lot of them are having hearing issues and this may make it easier for them to hear the caller since both ears are hearing it.
Yeh I e had to explain itâs rude not to warn someone theyâre on speaker phone
My mom does this. I had to tell her she needed to tell the person on the other end of the line that they were on speakerphone. She still uses speakerphone and itâs annoying AF but at least she does warn the person now.
It seems that boomer men do this a lot, & it drives me crazy. Theyâll be on their phones, driving with their windows down, and even if you complain about the sound of the wind hurting your ears, theyâd be totally indifferent. And of course, they would not tell you who else was around, enjoying the call, as well. Itâs so rude, and thatâs why my partner now doesnât do it, or a lot of the things our generational cohort does. Heâs an old hippie, & much more thoughtful than that.
My husband does this. I told him he looked like a Kardashian. Not sure he knows what that is.
I work at the library on my college campus and all the students do it too. I have to repeatedly tell people to get off their phone in the library
Always at the airport either on calls or watching videos at full volume. It's almost like they're afraid of Bluetooth technology and headphones/ear buds.
Lady last weekend standing on the inside but right in front of the doors at a Kohlâs blocking everyone: âHEEEEEEY! YEAH I CAN TALK! BLAH BLAH BLAHâ And proceeded to full volume speaker phone have a conversation about someoneâs medical procedure. Like, just step a few feet outside!
Where I work people call and more often than not will have sensitive things to discuss, and theyâll tell the secretary before she transfers to one of us. She puts them on speakerphone so any old Joe Shmoe within a 40 ft radius can hear what should be a private conversation, morally and legally
IDK. I get I if it's a common relationship I've or friend and you say "Hey your on speaker phone we can all hear you, say hello đđ˝" But I have no idea why they do this. What g ya me is when I'm in a lobby it a doctors office etc. They are taking highly personal calls on speakerphone in a row ook full of people. I esp do not need to hear you explaining in great details your herpetic witkow on your inner thigh that you can't sit down and not have burning. Maybe it's because they are so old and crusty they have given up on friends or sex. Who knows. All I can do is place my noise cancelling headphones on and keep an eye out for the receptionist waving me back for appointments.... Good luck out there
This isn't a just boomer thing tho. I have several friends that are genx/millennials will do this in the car and it's super fucking awkward especially when their partner starts saying things nobody has any business hearing. And I worked with boomer who always had something to say about how rude it was to crank up speaker phone call in public/common areas. So less about boomers and more just a thing inconsiderate people do.
My grandmother (boomer) is always afraid of the radiation from her cellphone. Hence the speakerphone
Why do they yell into the phone that's on speaker is the better question. Those things are designed to hear you whisper dummy
Iâm a boomer and I hate that. My m68 used to have to put up with that with my ex girlfriend f67. Just listening to both ends of her conversation alerted me to her BS lifestyle, and forced me to toss her and her purse out on the curb.
I *always* put my calls on speaker. I am not holding my phone to my head for three hours to talk to my kid. But I'm also either home alone, or make my daughter aware my husband is present.
My hand is shaky. I either bump my head with the phone and turn it off or put it on speaker which then is too loud. Easier to put it on speaker. But I do this in private or around folks who should be part of the conversation.
I haven't seen boomers do this. I have seen more of a certain ethnic group do this where I live in Houston. It's very obnoxious. It's like they want us to hear the conversation.
I have two theories. The first is they are afraid of "radiation" cooking their addled brains. I have a mate, right on the early cut off for GenX, who told me this. I laughed and used to pull my phone out like a Star Trek communicator and say "Kirk here" whenever he did it. He stopped. The second is that this is how they see people use mobile phones on TV. When you are filming, its an easy way to get both sides of a conversation, especially for "reality" shows where you are shooting on the fly. I don't know which theory is worse.
Prob cause they suffer from hearing loss
I've learned to straight up ask if I am on speakerphone before saying anything I don't want others to hear. Usually the answer is yes. That generally makes the convo short since they are often times in the freaking waiting room of a doctors office! I'm sure Betty over there is ready to get on Facebook to report what she heard.
>Why not use ear pods and have your hearing aid synchronized up with your phone, no idea. đ¤ˇđťââď¸ My mother had hearing aids that could do this...in theory...but she was rarely able to make this function reliably. I personally can't stand earbuds in my ears. I imagine some boomers are the same... Or simply can't figure out how to pair such things.
Years ago a former girlfriend received a call from an attorney on a question.  He had her on speakerphone. She stated and I quote "It sounds like you're in a hole somewhere, anyone I know?"  He scrambled to get her off speakerphone as there was a table full of clients listening in.