UNITED STATES—This has become a bit of a pet peeve of mine for years, and I know I’m not the only person. Why is it when people have a conversation on their cell phone, blue tooth or mobile device they have this need to be louder than normal? You could be at the bank, the post office, a restaurant, the cleaners, the mall, the grocery store, and for some reason I know exactly what Betty ate, who she ate with, what she likes, what she hates, who is on her naughty list and her entire life story.

At first I used to think it was people just being insensitive to other people in the room, but I no longer think that. Why? You don’t speak that loud unless you want the world to know every single detail of your conversation. I hate even saying this, but it feels like women do this so much more than men and I don’t quite understand why. Either they want to be HEARD or they don’t realize how loud they are until someone calls them out on it. Yes, sometimes you have to call a spade a spade in order for people to realize their behavior is inappropriate.

Hmm, I think that is called etiquette and there are too many Americans who don’t seem to know what that means. That’s like if you go to the bank. They tend to have that sign at the teller’s window that screams “Please put your cellphone away” or “No talking beyond this point.” Unfortunately, people don’t heed that advice, and all their dirty business becomes everyone else’s. Don’t get upset if someone questions your conversation or decides to give their input, because you invited them to do so by speaking so candidly without a filter.

Heck, I’m one of those people who get nervous with the thought of people listening to my conversation and it’s not because I’m discussing something salacious. I just hate the notion of all ears honing in on my conversation. There are those people out there who are ear hustlers; they lend their ears to a conversation that has absolutely nothing to do with them and never required their input to begin with.

Before anyone jumps on the bandwagon that it’s a millennial thing, it’s not. The people who I see speaking LOUDER than the Gods if given an opportunity to do so are those 40 and up. Yes, it sounds crazy, but I see it happening more with older adults than the youngsters. That might be the result of youngsters being glued to their cellphones and utilizing social media to send a tweet, post something on Instagram or Facebook.

Simply put, if you’re in public, the conversation should be between you and the person you’re talking to. You should NOT be so loud the entire world hears every single detail of what you’re discussing. Remember not everyone wants to hear what you’re talking about, even though you might suspect it.