Take this Quiz on Socially Acceptable Behaviour

Here's a quick quiz on socially acceptable behaviour...

Question 1: You are sitting in a room with 4 other people. Two of the people begin whispering in each other's ears, smirking, giggling, and rolling their eyes intermittently.

Is this:
a) Socially acceptable?
b) A little off-putting, but okay?
c) Insanely rude?

Question 2: You are out on a date. A friend of your companion approaches your table and begins having a hushed conversation with him/her. The conversation continues for several minutes and during that time neither your companion nor his/her friend looks at you or acknowledges your presence. The friend finally walks away and your companion continues talking to you as if nothing ever happened.

Is this:
a) Socially acceptable?
b) A little off-putting, but okay?
c) Insanely rude?

Question 3: You are sitting on a subway reading a book. Discreetly glancing up, you see the man sitting across from you pull out a fancy camera case, remove his camera, point it at you and proceed to take several snapshots - flash and all.

Is this:
a) Socially acceptable?
b) A little off-putting, but okay?
c) Insanely rude, not to mention very creepy?

Question 4: You invite several families over to your house for a family celebration. Once dinner has been finished (and without a word) several people pull their briefcases out from under the table, open them up, and take out file folders, note pads, calculators, and other office-related materials - and start doing their work right at the table.

Is this:
a) Socially acceptable?
b) A little off-putting, but okay?
c) Insanely rude?

Question 5: You invite a friend out for a quiet dinner. She brings along every person she's ever known.

Is this:
a) Socially acceptable?
b) A little off-putting, but okay?
c) Insanely rude?

If you answered something other than c) for any of the above questions, re-read that question and try again.

Now do the quiz again, but substitute a smart phone into each situation. Are your answers the same? Why not?

(And before you accuse me of hypocrisy, I know. I will try to be better.)