Why is a husband and wife talking to each other in a grocery store so vexing? Is it only if one is remote, or have you also looked into the ramifications of muzzling fellow shoppers? Is it that you prefer to hear both sides of stranger's conversations?
I ask in a flippant way, just to highlight the incongruence, but I'm sincerely curious.
I think the image here in this person's mind is of someone bumbling around an isle, not looking where they're going (2 people tend to look around more and be more cogniscent of their environment, especially when the sounds they're listening to are coming from the environment (human voice, 3 feet away) and not a small box a few inches away)... and then occasionally yelling, "WHAT?!!?" into the phone when they can't hear.
> Is it that you prefer to hear both sides of stranger's conversations?
Yes. Hearing just one half is irritating, I think because I can't help expending brainpower on filling in the other side. A speakerphone conversation is much less annoying.
I ask in a flippant way, just to highlight the incongruence, but I'm sincerely curious.