You may have seen me before—I’m the guy in the airport departure lounge using a hands-free headset with my cell phone, but holding the phone to the side of my face anyway. Why? So I won’t look like a weirdo talking to myself.
Ah—but I think I can stop worrying about how this looks, if observed practice is a sign of social acceptance. In my first half hour in the Frankfurt, Germany, airport this morning I saw people walking through the terminal talking to themselves in at least 3 languages, with their inconspicuous headset cords and cell phones hidden in pockets and the folds of jackets.
Do you feel funny talking to yourself like this in public?