Inappropriate?

Since Gianina is in Chicago towards the end of every week, Adrian and i have made Thursdays our "Boys Night Out."  While the night's activities are never set in stone - sometimes we just stay in and watch a DVD, and sometimes we go to the mall - we typically go out for dinner before deciding on what else to do.

This week we went to the local Quaker Steak and Lube for some chicken.  Aside from being neglected for five minutes after sitting down at our table (try listening to a toddler saying "I'm thirsty" incessantly for five minutes, and you'll know how it can seem like an eternity), dinner was uneventful.  I did however espy something odd going on at the bar:

Missed it?  Let me point it out for you:

That guy is reading his Amazon Kindle... while sitting at the bar, where everyone else is watching sports and having a good time.   

Now, i know it's a free country, but it just seemed weird to me.  In this increasingly digital world, the sheer technological aspect may make this slightly more acceptable.  But, translating it into its analog counterpart - walking into a sports bar, sitting down to order a beer (and maybe some hot wings), and then suddenly whipping out a pocketbook (or worse, a textbook) - reveals how simply ridiculous it is.

It makes me wonder about the other inappropriate stuff that's slowly seeping into our lives, mainly because technology has outpaced social conventions: checking email and playing games while at a business meeting, ignoring common courtesy when conversing online, and interrupting real-world interactions to answer a call on our nifty little bluetooth headsets.

Of course the latter example crosses beyond simple inappropriateness into the realm of actual douchebaggery, but that's exactly the point: technology may be cool, but unless we put it in its place, we'll all just end up douchebags.  Or dorks who read Kindles at the sports bar.