# Why are you always late? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631 "2021-05-21T16:28:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 41
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/803 "2023-01-16T22:01:03Z")
And you have a valid point. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/804 "2023-01-17T00:08:15Z")
That they’d encountered people clearing their throats rather than saying things like “Get out of my way, you lowlife n$%^&\*” when they saw the same people politely saying “Excuse me” to some fellow white people. Is that a sufficient explanation? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/805 "2023-01-17T00:19:49Z")
Lateness is not acceptable when other people are depending on you being on time. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/806 "2023-01-17T00:19:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Even as a total outsider, i think that professor was unreasonable and unkind, and i have sympathy for their immediate family. Wow. Just wow. When I was in college, I was very aware of how much I was paying for each class. I worked hard for that money and to be able to have the time to take college classes. I always resented losing MY class time that I paid for due to latecomers. It’s not just _you_ coming in late and disrupting the class, every class I ever attended had people wandering in and out all the time which was highly disruptive…except for the few instructors who locked the door at the start of class. I loved those guys, they started on time and spent every minute teaching instead of standing around shooting the shit for 10 minutes to be sure that everyone was there. As I and my fellow prompt students were paying a LOT of money for all of those wasted minutes, I wished all of my instructors locked the door at the start of class. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/807 "2023-01-17T00:23:55Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I might have failed that class. If i had, i would resent that professor to this day. It was one class a quarter. The professor’s rationale was that projects were due at 11:00. I guess he felt it was unfair that people would finish late and wander in at 11:15 or 11:20. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/808 "2023-01-17T00:29:41Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > It’s not just _you_ coming in late and disrupting the class, every class I ever attended had people wandering in and out all the time which was highly disruptive I never took a class with a locked door, and i never felt the class was disrupted by students arriving late or leaving early. Classes started and ended on time, and kids who came late quietly took seats in the back and tried to catch up. Were students loudly announcing their arrival? Standing between the seated students and the professor? I’m clearly missing something. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/809 "2023-01-17T00:43:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > i never felt the class was disrupted by students arriving late or leaving early. I’m glad that sort of thing didn’t bother you. It bothered me. It also bothers me when people come in late to movies and theater performances. I think it is disruptive and rude to distract people and break their concentration by walking in late. Latecomers aren’t silent and invisible to me and I would think they were rude and inconsiderate. Again, that is just me. I am in the “always on time” camp. You are not, so you are much more tolerant to being interrupted in the middle of a good part of a lecture or movie. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/810 "2023-01-17T00:47:14Z")
In big lecture classes, that was fine. In smaller, 20-person classes, with one door at the front of the class, it was a disruption. Thankfully, I don’t recall any habitual lateness from any students in any of my classes. I know several of my professors would have not stood for it. Stuff like business and school – to me – is a context where habitual lateness comes across as a bit selfish to me. Meeting up with friends and stuff like that it’s not something I really care too much about. Those are done flexibly with my friends. I would expect a professor or manager to be annoyed if people routinely shuffled in 5-10 minutes late to classes and meetings, and if they have a simple, draconian solution, I’m not going to fault them for it. My elementary school kids get marked late if they’re in after the bell. There’s no grace time. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/811 "2023-01-17T00:49:13Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I never took a class with a locked door, and i never felt the class was disrupted by students arriving late or leaving early. My uncle told me that when he went to UCLA he had one professor that on the first day announced no one was late to his class then walked over and lock the door. A few minutes later someone knocked a few times and then left. This was the 1960s. My experience was it was just the last class of the quarter and like I said, it was to ensure everyone was ready with their project/presentation at 11:00 sharp. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/812 "2023-01-17T03:49:57Z")
My boss is usually 5 minutes late to meetings. He told us that he was first to our huddle last week, and thought he’d joined the wrong (on line) meeting because no one was there. We all showed up starting a few seconds after that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/813 "2023-01-17T04:52:18Z")
It’s funny – my wife is not an on-time person, but when it comes to morning stands, she’s there on-the-dot. Her bosses for the last few jobs were punctual types. Gotta be careful. Know your audience. Or your boss. Or whatever. Once again, context. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/814 "2023-01-17T05:12:25Z")
I’m there on the dot for the morning stand up. It’s late enough in the morning that I’m awake, and early enough that i haven’t gotten engaged in anything that might make me lose track of time. So my computer bings to tell me it’s time, and i click in. I’m literally there within seconds of when it’s scheduled to start. My boss isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/815 "2023-01-17T05:19:54Z")
Like I said, context. You clearly have a boss that is looser about time. It’s been a damned long time since I had a boss, but at my college job, if you were one minute late, you didn’t split the tips with the other employees. Probably illegal, but that was the rule. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/816 "2023-01-17T05:31:19Z")
Yeah, i wouldn’t do well in a job where punctuality is critical. My deadlines are measured in days, not minutes. I’ve managed an entire career where punctuality wasn’t terribly important. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/817 "2023-01-17T06:30:47Z")
woops must have hit a wrong button. Carry on ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/818 "2023-01-17T06:33:18Z")
Nvm……. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/819 "2023-01-17T06:34:43Z")
Damn, hoped I’d get rid of it before anyone caught it. It was supposed to be a new thread. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/820 "2023-01-17T13:01:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > and early enough that i haven’t gotten engaged in anything that might make me lose track of time This is what many of us here has us scratching our heads. Or at least me for sure. Lose track of time? Sure, once in a blue moon. But if that’s habitual, there are LOTS of tools to prevent that from happening. Since there all those tools, how are on time people supposed to interpret the actions of those that are always late? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/821 "2023-01-17T13:04:53Z")
Seriously, you never lose track of time? That’s an awesome super power. Yes, there are tools. my phone bings at me all the time. I place even minor errands on my calendar. These are imperfect, and if you overuse them they are less effective. I lose track of time at least once pretty much every day. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631/822 "2023-01-17T13:07:48Z")
I’m always late because if I show up on time there’s a chance I’ll be first and then I’ll have to talk to someone one-on-one, and I don’t need that kind of stress. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631.md?page=40) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-always-late/942631.md?page=42)