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This topic comprises 9 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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Topic: Idiots who text at the movies
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 02-06-2009 02:29 PM
I'm always surprised by the perspective that some here take when the cell phone issue comes up. To me, it shows an inability to look outside one's self to realize the perspectives and viewpoints of others.
As a parent, I always give our sitter a number where we can be reached. This is just common sense, and I don't know of any parents that do not do the same. If one of my kids went to the hospital because of an accident of some kind, I sure as hell don't want to find out about it two hours later!
Knowing that the sitter can reach us gives us the peace of mind to enjoy the time we have. Lacking that option, the other choice is not to patronize the establishment in question, which would be the case for any movie theater, restaurant, or other venue that intentionally blocked cell phone signals. Going to a movie just isn't that important, and it's cheaper to stay home or go somewhere else instead.
The real issue is appropriate use of the cell phone while in certain public places. Movie theaters, churches, the ballet, and other like circumstances are all places where phone use should be self-restrained by the user. Phones and pagers vibrate for just such a purpose. Even if I forgot to shut off the ringer on my phone, I certainly would not hold a conversation with someone while in a movie theater or at church. It's just not done by decent people.
The problem is with the people that don't have that same attitude and don't think about what they are doing. If it wasn't cell phone usage, it would be talking during the movie, putting their feet up on the seats, or other rude behavior. Such people are not going to be stopped in their carelessness just because you take one of their toys away.
The real solution is to monitor the behavior of the customers and enforce the policies that are supposed to be there for the enjoyment of everyone. Any theater that chooses to ignore one or both of these points is asking for problems and deserve the decreased business as a result.
My dad worked security at plenty of high school functions when I was growing up. We would always hear stories of kids trying to get away with whatever until they figured out that they were being watched, and if they stepped out of line, they were removed from the dance, football game, or whatever the event happened to be. It didn't take long for the problems to be reduced to just about nothing because they knew they wouldn't get away with it.
Why is this such a hard concept for many theaters to understand? If cell phones and texting are a problem in your theater, do something about it! Take care of the trouble-makers and everyone else will appreciate it. Ignore them, and everyone else will eventually find other things to do with their ticket and concession money.
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Joe Tommassello
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 547
From: Coatesville, PA, USA
Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 02-06-2009 02:58 PM
quote: Chris Slycord
Also, for a lot of doctors, saying that they shouldn't go out when on-call is impractical since they're never not on-call. For instance, if a woman is giving birth, the OB/GYN they originally hired is required to come in to do the delivery unless something bad happened (and regardless of whether they just spent all night delivering another). So even if they're wanting a few hours to sleep (and not wanting a few hours alone to watch a movie) it's not an option for them.
Chris - expanding that concept we can assume such a person can NEVER take a vacation because they shouldn't be in Europe when Mrs. Muckenfuch goes into labor.
quote: Scott Jentsch
Lacking that option, the other choice is not to patronize the establishment in question, which would be the case for any movie theater, restaurant, or other venue that intentionally blocked cell phone signals.
Exactly Scott. I have two words for you in that case...Home Theater! When my daughter was young and with a sitter we didn't have cell phones so we went to movies together on rare occasions. I would see them through my work and my ex would go with her sister or friends or - if appropriate - we would go as a family with our daughter.
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Chad Souder
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 962
From: Waterloo, IA, USA
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 02-06-2009 04:39 PM
Scott -
What I am saying is that as a parent, you are assuming inherent responsibilities. You are making a conscious choice to have kids and then what activities you choose to involve yourself in after having those kids come with varying risks. What you are saying is that you chose to have kids and when you choose to patronize a business, the business is obligated to allow you to be contacted at all times. That just does not make sense to me. Now, it may be in the business's best interest to allow you to be contacted, but if the reduction of customers due to a severe cell phone problem is greater than the reduction of customers due to an inability to use your cell phone in an auditorium, then it should absolutely be the theatre's ability to block cell phones.
I understand your point about monitoring auditoriums, but with the ease and speed of cell phones, you would literally have to have an usher in every auditorium for the entirety of each show. The second your guy turned his back, a sly customer could peek at his or her screen to check on a text message, annoying everyone behind him or her that sees the blue light and unless one of those guests are willing to get up and notify your usher, they get away with it. Come to think of it, you would probably need two or three ushers monitoring the movie the entire time once you got in an auditorium above 300 seats or so. That is a lot of payroll! Texting is easier to get away with than talking, putting your feet on seats, or any other bad behavior you can list. If we were just discussing people talking on their phone like 10 years ago, that would be easier to monitor, but texting is so widespread, screens are so much brighter and so many more people are doing it now, that routine theatre checks are just not going to cut it.
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 02-06-2009 05:24 PM
quote: Joe Tommassello
Buzz, get up and out of the theater, take the phone out of your pocket there.
Umm...no. Getting up and leaving the theatre in the middle of a film is distracting and annoying to other patrons (more so if the theatre is crowded and less so if it is nearly empty). It is one thing to do this to take care of bodily functions or to remove a disruptive child, but it is quite another to distract the audience for the purpose of an elective activity such as answering a phone call which might or might not (and probably is not) be for a true emergency.
If I owned a theatre, I would have a "cell phone check" in the lobby that would function like a coat check. Cell phones would not be permitted in the auditorium at all, under any circumstances. If someone truly needed to get in touch with a patron due to a life-or-death situation, he could call the main number and the manager could use his discretion and, if necessary, have the film stopped to alert the patron. Even if this had to happen once or twice per year, it would be less annoying than the ringing phones or text-messaging patrons which seem to be a problem at nearly every presentation now.
The problem with policing the auditorium is that it is reactive; by the time a patron is asked to leave, he would have already disrupted the show.
No one should think that he has a "right" to be disruptive in public, and people who choose to put themselves in the position of "needing" to be available 24/7 need to accept that this choice is not free, and that perhaps they should consider other entertainment options.
Incidentally, I cannot stand people who talk on cell phones in restaurants. If they simply _must_ talk on the phone, they should do so outside of the dining area, but it strikes me as extremely rude that anyone would take or make a telephone call from a restaurant table.
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Chris Slycord
Film God
Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 02-07-2009 12:01 AM
quote: Mike Blakesley
Unless they're in a small town (like the one I'm sittin' in), most Docs aren't on call 24/365. They can get a break to go to a freakin' movie.
Non sequitur. I came up with a pretty good example of someone who would, in fact, have a harder time with it.
If you missed it: Depending on the state, OB/GYN's are becoming non-existent because of rising malpractice insurance rates and move to other states. So the ones who do have patients, have a shitload of them. And if you had a patient deliver a baby you must stop whatever you are doing to do that. In fact, this can go so far as to being forced to cancel other people's appointments just to do the delivery per lots of the hospital rules. And if it happens that she goes into labor at any random time you have to go and stay with them the whole time regardless of any "break" you had wanted (including even sleep).
Of course, this is all second-hand information. But I trust the info as my mom now is an RN working in an OB clinic.
But I think I'm through with this.
If you guys want to install Faraday cages or something, be my guest. Treat the symptom rather than the problem all you want. To me, this is like looking at the school shootings of the recent past and concluding that the problem was a lack of metal detectors.
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