A *heh* Timely Poll

[packbat]

Naming no names, of course.

Edit: And greetings to all the peeps from the_zaniak chiming in!

Edit #2: And thequestionclub! (Wow, that's a lot of people.)

[Poll #1166935]

Comments

[andalusi.livejournal.com]

In a professional setting in the US, I try to be there early, but I don't consider it late if I get there a minute or two beforehand.

In an informal setting, being up to 15 minutes late isn't a big deal. More than that and I'd call as soon as I thought I was going to be more than a few minutes late. But if it's a friend who's really uptight about punctuality, I'll do my best to be there on time.

But seriously, this country is so hung up on being early to everything. I like it when I'm in places who aren't so wound up about time.

[andalusi.livejournal.com]

"Places that," even, or better yet, "places with people who."

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Didn't even see that. Some pedant I am. :P

[andalusi.livejournal.com]

My inner pedant is still berating me for making the mistake in the first place.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Webcomic reference (http://www.ozyandmillie.org/d/20080213.html). (:

[packbat.livejournal.com]

I think it's a Red Queen's Race thing - once we had mechanization and efficiency experts and foremen, it al started running further and further into the time-is-expensive end. And then, a century later, here we are, bragging about how little sleep we get at night. :/

[andalusi.livejournal.com]

So very true. I just never saw the point in being proud of rushing and cutting into your own personal time because of a ridiculous "early is on time" policy. I understand it even less when it's not even work-related.

I'll still show up to interviews, assignments, and meetings with a few minutes to spare---I don't have to like the precept to know my professional future depends on following it---but I'll never be convinced it's as important as most people in this country do.

[obfuscate.livejournal.com]

I consider it disrespectful. It shows me that you (you being the late person) do not value my time, and if you don't value my time, you don't value me. I don't think it's an irrational issue of being "wound up" about time so much as understanding that being on time is a commitment that's important to honor.

[andalusi.livejournal.com]

And that's why I think people are too wound up about it: when someone takes it as an offense against his or her honor, one reads way too much into it. Not willing to wait a couple of minutes for a friend without bitching at that friend strikes me as more disrespectful and dismissive of a person's worth.

[obfuscate.livejournal.com]

And while I can see your point, I just disagree. You're also assuming about the "bitching" thing.

[andalusi.livejournal.com]

Fair enough about the "bitching" part. I retract that.

I get your perspective, too, by the way. I think this is something that you just feel one way or the other about, though. The simple fact is that (at least in my case) no disrespect is intended, but also true is that regardless of intent, someone with a firm sense of punctuality would still take offense.

[obfuscate.livejournal.com]

My biggest problem is with people who are late and don't understand why it's necessary to call. My experiences make me someone who starts wondering the second someone is late if they've died in a car accident, and while that's totally neurotic, it's still only appropriate to call to say, "Hey, be there in 10."

[andalusi.livejournal.com]

My wife is like that. I reflexively keep her informed about when I expect to be home or to meet her somewhere, updating if it looks like I'll be late (or early).

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Part of it may be expectations - if it is assumed that people will be on time, a host of other assumptions follow: that a brief meeting is worth the time it takes out of one's schedule, that one should reserve a table immediately upon reaching the restaurant, that one will make the bus/train/flight to one's destination, etc. When they deviate from the cultural default, people need to be specific (maybe "The movie start time has tolerances (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering_tolerance) of +10/-25 minutes", or even just "Show up at least ten minutes early to the photo shoot").

[candent.livejournal.com]

Completely agree.