firecat

It seems to me that being able to ignore someone and calmly go on texting is a way of asserting power. Like, if you need to keep someone happy with you, you look at them and smile and nod along to what they say. So the Asian woman is ignoring the man, asserting power over him -- no wonder he's pissed, 'cause man, he's not used to that. But she's not meant to do that, she's not allowed -- she should be paying attention to him, he thinks. Hence the screaming at her.

Personally, spending all the time texting or checking email or whatever does strike me as rude, most of the time. I usually apologise if I find myself doing it a lot, and try to explain why I do. It's basically fidgeting, for me -- I find it hard to maintain one-on-one conversation because it drains my batteries so fast. Quickly checking my phone gives me a second out, a moment for me rather than the person I'm talking to.