TresSugar

Dear Poll: Do You Eavesdrop?

DearSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:00:00 -0700

Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I'll eavesdrop. On the bus, the airplane, in line - I just love overhearing what other people are talking about! Since I'm so fascinated by people, it's a perfect way to get a glimpse inside the lives of others without being creepy or stalkerish. I'm of the mindset that if you're having a conversation in any public place, it can't be all that confidential. Perhaps I'm invading, but it sure is entertaining! Are you the same way? Do you like to eavesdrop, too?

Handle This: Their Marriage Falls Apart in Front of You

DearSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:00:00 -0700

At dinner with a friend, your own conversation quickly turns to that of the older couple seated at the table next to yours when you overhear them in the midst of a serious argument. Though you try to mind your own business, it’s impossible not to get caught up in the throws of their fight.

Before you know it, the husband is proceeding to berate his wife, and divorce and previous infidelities are mentioned. They're not loud, but their whispers are like daggers slicing through the tension. You feel bad for them, but they’re ruining your meal. How would you handle this?

Source

Dear Quiz: Are You Too Nosy?

DearSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700

We all have our imperfections and for some people it's not knowing when to back off. I love good gossip as much as the next person, but I do know that when it comes to other people's personal lives, being too nosy only leads to trouble. So are you too nosy? Take this quick quiz to find out.

Source

If you come across two coworkers talking quietly in the office, what do you do?

Completely ignore them.

Acknowlege that you know they're gossiping with a wink or a joke.

Get in on the conversation, or try to find out what it's about.

Do you hate not knowing what's going on in other people's lives?

Yes, I'm always aching to know their story.

Not at all; it's none of my concern.

Only with my really close friends.

Which best describes your approach if a friend says she's fine, but something is obviously wrong?

I keep asking, until she finally tells me.

I leave it at that. If she wasn't fine, she could say so.

I'll ask again, but if she still doesn't want to talk, I just let her know I'm here when she's ready.

Do you ever eavesdrop on conversations?

Always

Sometimes

Never

You know one friend has a secret about another, but she says she can't tell you what it is. What do you do?

Pry and beg until she finally tells me.

Bring it up slyly with the friend whose secret it is and hope she spills.

Just wait for my friend to tell me.

Is Eavesdropping Impolite?

DearSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0800

I love to people watch. I think it's a fun past time as long as you do it in a way that isn't obvious or rude, but what are your thoughts on eavesdropping? It's like people watching but with your ears, and I'll admit that if the opportunity presents itself, I've definitely been one to listen in on other people's conversations.

I happen to feel that a little innocent eavesdropping is totally acceptable, but what are your thoughts on the taboo subject? Do you think it's impolite to listen in on other people's conversations, or is freedom of hearing the rule you live by?

Source

Paranoid At Heart?

GiggleSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:21:50 -0800

It starts out fairly normal: she wants to read, he wants to watch television, and they're bickering over the TV volume. But this infomercial takes a turn for the creepy when she uses the advertised hearing aid device to listen in on conversations had across the street and some other dude uses it to hear what the girls are saying about him at the gym. You know what they say: ~~sex~~ insecurity sells.

Say What? NSA Workers Detail Eavesdropping on Americans

LibertySugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:15:51 -0700

The Bush Administration says it taps conversations of Americans only if they involved al Qaeda. But two ex-NSA interceptors say Bush's assertions are a lie, and they have come forward after feelings that their conduct was immoral and illegal. ABC News shared a look into the details of intercepted phone conversations between overseas Americans and their friends, colleagues, or family back home. Now, the Senate's Intelligence Committee has begun its own investigation.

Among the saddest anecdotes shared by the NSA workers is the confession that US officers intercepted American soldiers having phone sex, and then proceeded to alert those around them so they could listen in. The details would then be the topic of conversation during smoke breaks. A US intelligence officer told ABC that all US government employees should expect their conversations to be monitored. For more on how the calls of humanitarian workers were also allegedly tapped, read more.

Even when the system told NSA interceptors that callers were with organizations like the International Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders, they continued to monitor the conversations. One NSA interceptor said by casting the intelligence net to include Americans and aid organizations, the NSA made it harder to find the piece of information that might actually improve national security. The NSA has responded to these allegations saying that the organization follows the law, and that illegalities are not sanctioned nor tolerated. Will you watch what you say next time you pick up the phone overseas?

Source

Do Tell: What's the Last Thing You Read in Print?

TresSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:00:00 -0700

The New York City subway roars beneath the city's streets, which means one thing to its riders. No cell phone or Internet reception. (Two things if you don't like climbing stairs!) I consider both to be pluses. No reception means no irritating, one-sided conversations and no furious fingers typing away on smartphones. It gives New Yorkers time to fill their idle moments the old-fashioned way - like eavesdropping on real conversations, or maybe even reading.

Because a blog that chronicles everything its writer sees people reading on the R train isn't enough, the New York Times asked its readers what the last thing they read on the subway was. The top magazine was the New Yorker, the top paper was the New York Times (good job, NYT!), and, more interestingly, the top book was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Since we're not all riding the underground, let me remove technology from the equation and put the question to you: what was the last newspaper, magazine, or book you read?

Source: Flicker User moriza

Beatrice Arthur (1922-2009)

TresSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:10:00 -0700

I remember being on the subway one day eavesdropping on a conversation. A man in his early 20s was telling a woman he was with that when he was younger, no show could annoy his father more than the pioneering '70s show Maude, starring Bea Arthur, who passed away April 25 at the age of 87.

Bea Arthur's character, Maude, was the polar opposite of her television cousin, subservient Edith Bunker of All in the Family. No wonder your average man would feel threatened by Maude - she identified as a feminist (a first for television?), she had a commanding, sarcastic manner, and she didn't suffer fools gladly. Maude, the show, tackled issues like abortion, the Vietnam War, and divorce.

Arthur went on to reprise her popularity as an icon (this time, as a hip older woman) in the more lighthearted (but no less feminist) series The Golden Girls, beloved by women and gay men alike. In the following video, she shows she continued to be a badass by starring in a geriatric version of Sex and the City, which, if you think of it, was simply the younger-woman version of The Golden Girls! Talented, tough, funny - and not above making fun of herself. You will be missed, Bea!

Where Do You Stand? Using the Term "Preggers"

DearSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800

While in line to get a cup of coffee the other day, I overheard a woman talking on the phone. No, I wasn't eavesdropping - everyone in the cafe heard her shout "You're preggers?!" It was really sweet that she got so excited, but I admit I was a little surprised that she used the term "preggers." Of course I've heard it before, but I didn't realize it was so mainstream. I'm kind of indifferent to the word myself, but I know some people who absolutely loathe it. So tell me, are words like prego, preggers, and preggie too cutesy for your taste?

Source

Deconstructing Fabio

GiggleSugar — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

From the covers of Harlequin Romances to the television screens of America and beyond. Fabio of the golden tresses and the freakishly cut chest was a mystery when he busted onto the scene. Let's eavesdrop as such luminaries as porn star Ron Jeremy and Roseanne Barr attempt to figure out what makes Fabio tick. . .