Comment by __david__ | Hacker News Reader

Comment by __david__ | Hacker News Reader

I see a lot of posts from the anal retentive crowd. Here's the opposite opinion:

I think it's ok to touch laptop screens. I touch my own and if I'm interested enough in pointing something out I may touch yours because at that point I'm at a completely different place mentally and not thinking about your little quirks. One of my co workers stressed out every time I touched his screen but it didn't make me stop. I'd avoid it when I remembered but I frankly don't believe it's a big issue. He'd let a loud annoyed sigh and reach for the cleaner that he kept by his desk and I'd laugh at him.

Your pet peeve is not really my problem.

Your expensive screen is not brittle and will not crack at the slightest touch. It will not melt under the powerful corrosive force of my finger oils. It just makes a little streak. Get over it and carry one of those fuzzy lcd wipey things with you if it bothers you that much.

Anyway, people like me exist. We will annoy you but it's (mostly) unintentional. You can try to point out your annoyance in all sorts of amusing/passive aggressive ways but it's not going to completely work. It's still going to happen. Realize that you're being a bit irrational and get over it.

I've learned that people like you exist, and there is an easy way to deal with them. Simply flat-out refuse to engage in a meaningful dialog unless you stop touching my fucking screen. In fact, I'll even get up and walk away if necessary. ("How about we go discuss this at your monitor?")

It's not about the expense, and calling it a pet peeve is very dismissive. It's about respect and personal space more than anything else.

Consider this: I'm more comfortable without pants on. When I work from home, in my own space, I'm usually not wearing pants. But when I come into the office, I put on pants, because I have some modicum of respect for the people I work with, and I know that pantslessness is going to make people uncomfortable.

Your behavior doesn't bother you, but ignoring the fact that it bothers others is the very definition of rudeness. Do you also lick strangers?

There is a comment above about people being so attached to inanimate objects, you comment kinda solidifies that for me. It is a laptop, not your person (or my person, I won't let people touch my screen either).

Damn, now I want to take my pants off and smear my hands across your screen.

Honestly, if you started getting up and walking away every time I came to your cube, I'd be there 3 times a day and half of the other people in the office would be in on it and find it hilarious and you'd probably end up in the cupboard crying and hand in your notice.

Seriously just say "please don't touch my screen" instead of this hilarious behaviour.

Jeez, why would anyone want to work with such a bully? Do you take your coworkers' lunch money, too?

I'd just quit, simple as that. If my boss wanted me to stay, he'd make sure you stopped or left. I'm an experienced javascripter in Silicon Valley. Finding a job is not a problem, in this or any economy, and nothing's worth working in a hostile environment. If you were working for me, you'd be fired on the spot for such behavior.

In a professional environment, blatant disrespect should not be tolerated. I'm pretty sure my feelings on this matter are not unusual.

So you'd tolerate your co-workers passive aggressive bullshit?

The "don't touch my screen" thing is fine by me, but that mardy shit can fuck off, either say it or get out.

Now replace "touching my laptop" with "urinating in my car".

It won't ruin the car. And it's just an object after all.

If you urinated in someones car and they were upset, would you tell them they were being irrational or to get over it? Maybe tell them they should keep a towel in the car in case the passengers urinate? I mean, if you think it's ok to urinate in a car then it's not really your problem if they seem annoyed by it...

For me, that attitude is heading beyond rude and into the realm of sociopathic.

Seriously, are you really saying that you think it's irrational to try to set the boundaries on how other people interact with your own personal property?

For that matter, I think touching a car is widely seen as legitimately annoying to anyone who wants to keep it shiny.

Doubly so for the windshield.

yea i know its fun to touch things, but if i was your co-worker i would have put up one of those protective screens that covers the LCD panel. That way everyone's happy.

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