Eric Mack points to an article at CNN that postulates that email is worse for people’s IQ scores than smoking pot is. My favourite bullet from the article is this:

Nine out of 10 people thought colleagues who answered messages during face-to-face meetings were rude, while three out of 10 believed it was not only acceptable, but a sign of diligence and efficiency.

So this means that at least two people thought that it was rude if someone interrupts a face-to-face conversation to reply to an email, yet they believe it is a sign of diligence and efficiency. I’m not calling this statistic into question; I think it’s accurate. I think we are all developing double standards with respect to politeness and respect, and somehow are able to take no notice of the inherent conflict we force ourselves to live with.

Thanks to (who else) Marc for pointing out the link.