Why is it that as soon as you put headphones on and start your music player people insist on talking to you? It has happened so often and I don’t often use my headphones when others are around as I feel that it does discourage conversation (maybe that is just for me). The first time I remember it happening was on a plane when I was trying to watch a movie. Everyone had their own screen and I couldn’t sleep…I’d already watched 2 movies and had just picked a French one to watch (one I would actually have to concentrate on to understand) when the guy next to me started to chat…2 sentences and then he would stop so I’d put my headphones back on, start the movie, and then he would start again…2 sentences, stop, headphones, etc…over and over. On the ride back from chiwe in the back of the truck the 5 or 6 malawians didn’t talk to me at all the whole way there or back to Lilongwe. When we stopped in Lilongwe I got my headphones out, put them on and as soon as we started driving again one of the guys started asking me questions…my name, pause, what I was doing, pause, when I arrived, pause, how long I’m staying, pause, what he needs to go to the states or Canada, how much a passport costs (I don’t really know as mine is about to expire). And then on the bus back from the lake—it was going to be a long ride and rhona and jane got off pretty early so I put them in and planned to zone out when the guy next to me started chatting…pause…chat some more…pause…chat. Then asked if I was married. I assured him that I was but he didn’t seem believe me. However, he did stop talking to me until he said goodbye when he got off the bus.
If you have any insight I’m sure I’d love to hear it.
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I guess we'll call this phenomenon "Jessi's Law". You know, like Murphy's Law or the law that says leave your umbrella at home and you'll need it or take it and you won't. There must be a name for that.
ReplyDeletePerhaps your law could be used in police interrogations when a suspect won't talk! jim
You know. this is humorous because we often leave head phones off and that is signal for "its ok to talk to me" and then headphones on means, "I want some alone time with my music and your conversation is boring." Maybe its a cultural thing that they get that they were being impolite and think you shut them out by putting on music so they try to start a conversation.
ReplyDeleteOR - maybe its that they think that they can say anything to you because you may not hear it with your headphones on.
maybe just ignore the chat and see what they end up saying :)