It's not black/white situation. Sometimes only part of the meeting will be relevant to you. By using laptop or any device you show no respect to the person that organised the meeting but as well you might losse a lot. I agree that people tend to organise to many meetings but doing anything else on that meeting is not a solution. Sadly (as I am developer too) I realised that developers often thing that they are to smart to do anything else to code and this is the only good way of spendign their time.

I am, believe it or not (i'm not sure I believe it myself sometimes), socially aware enough to realise that there are different cultures, personalities, etc etc, some of whom believe various actions are "disrespectful".

I get that. I really do. But there's so many things on that list these days. Its what I feel if i'm told to close a laptop when its quite clear i've already made a decision on whether what is being said is relevant to me or whether i have better things to do. I'm also aware of the social power/authority plays involved in such, as well as traditional etiquette.

But i'm also getting to that stage of life where I'm no longer as concerned about whether some numpty feels i'm disrespecting them by prioritising my time against their preferences or being "rude" by being practical.

I'm aware you can't do this in many workplaces/contexts where you basically have to be submissive/concordant with a workplace culture that says otherwise.

But my life is too short for me to worry seriously about such things anymore. I don't go out of my way to offend, nor do i take said actions as some kind of social/political power play. If a person doesnt want to work with me because of that or gets offended, well, rack another one up on the board...

Its not black and white, granted...but I think its more statistically valid that people who make a big fuss about such are more likely to be on my own "waste of time/oxygen" list...

Easier solution: quit demanding "respect" by asking people to pay attention through irrelevant stuff to appease your ego. Some meetings will have things relevant to different groups of people over time, and you don't need everyone's full attention for the whole meeting.

Why bother turning up in the first place if it is so irrelevant?

It's not always a choice. Even when it is not overtly made mandatory, it often have "political" consequences if you are seen as detaching from what happens in the team. Being physically present has significant signalling effects.

"You guys can probably handle this without me. Do you need for me anything else?"

Or, if that is not acceptable due to workplace hierarchy, talk to your manager and explain the problem. If being present is a political necessity, chances are so is not secluding yourself behind a screen.

Telling people to "quit demanding respect" can have "political" consequencs, too.

And may be you missed the point that, like being physically present, opening laptops in the meeting also has significant signalling effects.

It was always ironic going to a school that touted laptops in the classroom as a selling feature, and then having professors demand the lids be closed. I'm divided on the issue, but having a laptop reassures me that I can reclaim my time during a redundant/slow lecture. My alternative of choice, being a lazy student, was to not go to class, going from 20% listening to 0%.

If the meeting isn't relevant to you, why do you even go to it? Just decline the invitation with your reason.

Because modern corporate/professional life is filled with ridiculous events where they care more about headcount/attendance than whether there is actually any content.

I'm not yet powerful enough to get out of the fraud/shit-show entirely :P

> I'm not yet powerful enough to get out of the fraud/shit-show entirely :P

In many organizations, the 'more powerful' are even more greatly hamstrung by mandatory (and fruitless) meetings.

We don't always have the luxury of being able to decline without repercussions.