If you're in a movie theater, put away your cell phone!

[RoyTheHammer]

I'm not here to bash WG. I'm sure she's a lovely lady. Her looking at her cell phone in the back of the theater is a less flagrant violation, but it's still against the rules. It's still possible it could bother someone. . Again, I don't hate her guts over this or anything. We would probably get along just fine if we met and watched a Cowboy game. This is just what I think.

Im only going to respond to this part of your post, because i feel like the comparison of this to speeding, which endangers people's lives, is a bit ridiculous. Same with your exaggerated scenario of 12 people all checking their phone at the same time.

I appreciate what you're saying here, and i agree with part of it. I agree, some people could very well be bothered by someone checking their cell phone for a few seconds if they miss a text or call to see if there is an emergency or not. Some people could also be bothered by someone in front of them reaching up to scratch their head for a few seconds. They could also be bothered by someone in front of them standing up to go to the bathroom, and thereby impeding their vew of the screen for a few seconds. Or someone in front of them standing up quickly to let someone get by.. also impeding their view for a few seconds.

The point? There's alot of things you COULD get bothered by if you so choose. Does that make what WG is doing disrespectful or anything close to it?

You'll never get me to believe that for one second, and with all the movies i've gone to, i have yet to be bothered by someone checking their phone once around me. I barely even notice it half the time unless the person is doing it constantly. Why?

Maybe im just not as easily annoyed as some of you, maybe i understand that some people may actually have an emergency during a movie, or maybe im just paying too much attention to the movie to really care about such a little petty thing like that.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Yep.

It's just plain discourteous and rude to others.

Nobody is any better than the next person, nor do they deserve special treatment.

The theater asks to turn them off, nothing less.

The theater also requests that you don't talk during the movie.. how many of you have never uttered one word during any movie you've been to?

Say what? YOU DISRESPECTFUL SON OF A MONKEY!

 

[RoyTheHammer]

This is a trick question. There honestly is no defense to the accusation. No matter your reply: I am only checking for a few seconds, I am sitting in the last row, it is on vibrate, YADDA YADDA YADDA.

There is a REASON the theaters have this rule and request of no cellphones - THEY DISTRACT OTHERS. PERIOD.

Go to the movie and turn off your stupid phone and take a break, just what the whole stupid experience is intended for! STOP DISTRACTING ME AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO FOLLOWS THE RULES.

JeeeZ!

YOU ARE NOT ABOVE THE REST OF US.

How many of you actually turn off your phones completely? You put it on silent/vibrate.. don't lie. So already you're breaking the "rule" yourselves.

PS.. a request isn't a rule. Why this is so hard to understand, i have no idea. Alot of grumpy old timers here.

"Back in my day.. we didn't have these pesky little light boxes at all.. let alone in the theatre!"

 

[WoodysGirl]

I'm not here to bash WG. I'm sure she's a lovely lady. Her looking at her cell phone in the back of the theater is a less flagrant violation, but it's still against the rules. It's still possible it could bother someone. Other people sit toward the back too sometimes. That's why I'm recommending to her that she discontinue that practice and instead follow the rules. Again, I don't hate her guts over this or anything. We would probably get along just fine if we met and watched a Cowboy game. This is just what I think.

For clarity, I don't take anyone's opinion on here serious enough to get offended, so I don't feel bashed, at all. None of you live in my city or near me to where whatever I do in a movie theater is actually going to affect you. So what you say really isn't going to make me change my opinion or actions one way or the other.

I think the exaggerated examples from thousands of years ago and this strident, you're breaking a rule and must be flogged tone is ridiculous. But you guys feel the way you feel and I don't feel strongly enough about it to try to convince you otherwise. I'm conscious of my actions so really that's all most of you should really hope for when dealing with others in your next movie experience.

Oh and another clarity moment, since I looked it up on youtube and one movie theater's request was to silence your phone, not turn it off..

 

[RoyTheHammer]

For clarity, I don't take anyone's opinion on here serious enough to get offended, so I don't feel bashed, at all. None of you live in my city or near me to where whatever I do in a movie theater is actually going to affect you. So what you say really isn't going to make me change my opinion or actions one way or the other.

I think the exaggerated examples from thousands of years ago and this strident, you're breaking a rule and must be flogged tone is ridiculous. But you guys feel the way you feel and I don't feel strongly enough about it to try to convince you otherwise. I'm conscious of my actions so really that's all most of you should really hope for when dealing with others in your next movie experience.

Oh and another clarity moment, since I looked it up on youtube and one movie theater's request was to silence your phone, not turn it off..

Im sure most people don't actually turn of their phone completely anyway.. so they're already breaking their own made up "rule" to start with.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Im only going to respond to this part of your post, because i feel like the comparison of this to speeding, which endangers people's lives, is a bit ridiculous. Same with your exaggerated scenario of 12 people all checking their phone at the same time.

I appreciate what you're saying here, and i agree with part of it. I agree, some people could very well be bothered by someone checking their cell phone for a few seconds if they miss a text or call to see if there is an emergency or not. Some people could also be bothered by someone in front of them reaching up to scratch their head for a few seconds. They could also be bothered by someone in front of them standing up to go to the bathroom, and thereby impeding their vew of the screen for a few seconds. Or someone in front of them standing up quickly to let someone get by.. also impeding their view for a few seconds.

The point? There's alot of things you COULD get bothered by if you so choose. Does that make what WG is doing disrespectful or anything close to it?

You'll never get me to believe that for one second, and with all the movies i've gone to, i have yet to be bothered by someone checking their phone once around me. I barely even notice it half the time unless the person is doing it constantly. Why?

Maybe im just not as easily annoyed as some of you, maybe i understand that some people may actually have an emergency during a movie, or maybe im just paying too much attention to the movie to really care about such a little petty thing like that.

The speeding thing is a totally appropriate analogy. The rules are the rules are the rules. What don't people understand about that? The rule these theaters make is "No cell phone use in the movie theater." That covers talking, texting, or just turning it on and looking at it. It does not cover having it set to vibrate and then going to use it in the lobby when you get a call or text. Using it in the lobby is NOT against the rules, so if someone is an emergency doctor or is waiting for important news or whatever, they're covered.

And my example of a lot of people looking at the phone for a few seconds is not absurd at all because it happened to me. It wasn't 12 people. I exaggerated some, but it was 5 people and that was enough to be an annoyance.

There's no rule against scratching your head (now that's a ridiculous comparison). There's no rule against getting up to go pee. People have biological needs. There is no biological need to use a cell phone during a movie. I have a medical condition which means I'm usually going to have to go to the restroom at least once during a movie. So I make sure to get there early and choose an aisle seat. I'm not required to, but I do because I have respect for others. That's the bottom line: respect for others. It's sorely lacking today. It's not up to someone to decide, "Well, this is against the rules, but I don't think it will bother anyone, so I'll do it real quick." That's a violation of the rules. It's disrespectful. Just because you think it won't bother anyone does not give you the right to break the rules. People have different temperaments. What bothers one person may not bug someone else. Granted, not everyone notices the glowing light of a cell phone. If that's you, don't assume everyone is like you. I had an eye operation two years ago. The glowing light of a phone is exaggerated by halos from the operation. Everyone else doesn't have the same temperament as you or the same eyesight as you.

The theater owners think cell phone use will bother their customers. And they're right. I know a guy who runs a local theater in Colorado, and he's had to refund tickets to customers who were upset by people using phones during a show. They made the rule for good reason. Respect it or don't go to the movies.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Im sure most people don't actually turn of their phone completely anyway.. so they're already breaking their own made up "rule" to start with.

Nice try, but it's not against the rules to have it set on vibrate. And it's not a "rule" in quotes. It's a real rule made by the theater owners and put up on the screen before shows. It's: No cell phone use in the theater. And the theater means the room they show the movie in, not the lobby.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Nice try, but it's not against the rules to have it set on vibrate. And it's not a "rule" in quotes. It's a real rule made by the theater owners and put up on the screen before shows. It's: No cell phone use in the theater. And the theater means the room they show the movie in, not the lobby.

There is no rule, real or made up by grumps, that states "no cell phone use in the theater." There is a request before the movie begins to please silence all cell phones and electronic devices.. that is all.

Of couse, that is in the movie theaters i go to.. maybe its different where you live.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

The speeding thing is a totally appropriate analogy. The rules are the rules are the rules. What don't people understand about that? The rule these theaters make is "No cell phone use in the movie theater." That covers talking, texting, or just turning it on and looking at it. It does not cover having it set to vibrate and then going to use it in the lobby when you get a call or text. Using it in the lobby is NOT against the rules, so if someone is an emergency doctor or is waiting for important news or whatever, they're covered.

And my example of a lot of people looking at the phone for a few seconds is not absurd at all because it happened to me. It wasn't 12 people. I exaggerated some, but it was 5 people and that was enough to be an annoyance.

There's no rule against scratching your head (now that's a ridiculous comparison). There's no rule against getting up to go pee. People have biological needs. There is no biological need to use a cell phone during a movie. I have a medical condition which means I'm usually going to have to go to the restroom at least once during a movie. So I make sure to get there early and choose an aisle seat. I'm not required to, but I do because I have respect for others. That's the bottom line: respect for others. It's sorely lacking today. It's not up to someone to decide, "Well, this is against the rules, but I don't think it will bother anyone, so I'll do it real quick." That's a violation of the rules. It's disrespectful. Just because you think it won't bother anyone does not give you the right to break the rules. People have different temperaments. What bothers one person may not bug someone else. Granted, not everyone notices the glowing light of a cell phone. If that's you, don't assume everyone is like you. I had an eye operation two years ago. The glowing light of a phone is exaggerated by halos from the operation. Everyone else doesn't have the same temperament as you or the same eyesight as you.

The theater owners think cell phone use will bother their customers. And they're right. I know a guy who runs a local theater in Colorado, and he's had to refund tickets to customers who were upset by people using phones during a show. They made the rule for good reason. Respect it or don't go to the movies.

Let me state for the record, that i am giving my opinions from the perspective of someone who doesn't use his cell phone during the movie.. not as someone who thinks its ok to use it whenever you want in the movies.

Also, if you had an eye operation, i don't understand how the incredible glow from a 600 inch movie screen viewed from such a relatively close distance doesn't bother you, but a little cell phone screen popping on behind you for a few seconds causes you such pain. Im not trying to be mean in saying that, just doesn't seem to make much sense.

 

[Rack]

There is no rule, real or made up by grumps, that states "no cell phone use in the theater." There is a request before the movie begins to please silence all cell phones and electronic devices.. that is all.

Of couse, that is in the movie theaters i go to.. maybe its different where you live.

Yes, it is a rule. The theater I went to today (btw World War Z was awesome) states before the movie "No cell phone use during the movie. If you use your phone, you WILL be removed from the theater".

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Yes, it is a rule. The theater I went to today (btw World War Z was awesome) states before the movie "No cell phone use during the movie. If you use your phone, you WILL be removed from the theater".

Which is exactly why i said, maybe its not the same where some of you go to the theater.

I actually went and saw WWZ on Monday.. pretty good movie, i agree.

 

[Gemini Dolly]

In yalls movie theatre, is it against the rules to bring an infant child to a rated R movie? Crying babies annoy me just as much as cell phone chit chatters.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

In yalls movie theatre, is it against the rules to bring an infant child to a rated R movie? Crying babies annoy me just as much as cell phone chit chatters.

Im not really sure on that, but if i can't imagine many people would bring a baby to an R rated movie in the first place.

 

[Kevinicus]

Alamo Drafthouse theaters have an actual strict rule about this and it is their right to do so, but most theaters make a suggestion/request, they don't have a rule that many of you are talking about. Are you guys so gung ho about the "silence is golden" rule? I hope you have never laughed in a movie theater before. The spirit of these "rules" or suggestions is what is important. Yes, a lit up phone in front of you can be distracting and annoying, especially if the user has it held in front of them making it more visible. Anyone with a phone behind you should not be a bother at all unless it isn't silent or they're shining it around like a flashlight. So someone who is in the very back and makes an effort to hold the phone at a discreet angle isn't being rude to anyone, nobody is going to be bothered, so there is no reason to care.

 

[Stash]

Rules are enforced.. hence, its not a rule. Its a suggestion. I've yet to see someone complain to an usher or theatre employee about someone's cell phone lighting up or someone being told to turn it off. Now if someone is making a call during a movie or texting the entire time.. that's different.

That being said, i was responding to the notion that the majority of people consider what WG does to be "disrespectful". I think that's laughable.

Ok.

Count me as one who feels the practice is disrespectful.

 

[dez_for_prez]

Wouldn't it be more annoying if when someone wanted to check their phone they would stand up and get in everyone's way to try and get out. Look at their phone for 2 seconds then walk back up and get in the way again?

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I think the bigger problem is for all of us who are "married" to our technology. I think it keeps like squirrels in a cage– constantly running on the wheel and not progressing because we can't concentrate on any one thing long enough to see it through to completion or string together enough completed tasks that propel us to a much higher level of success.

I think the term "multi-tasking" ought to be stricken from the dictionary and who-ever suggests that it is a good thing be strung-up... OK, maybe that's a bit harsh... maybe we just egg their house.

All it seems to do is make time go by that much quicker and instead of us being able to work on the one true product or business that is most important to us (the business of being the best we can be) we end up being dragged into someone else's distraction, which becomes our distraction.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Now, what really pisses me off is a crying baby brat on an airplane right in front of or in back of me that just won't stop crying! I want to just open the Emergency Exit, IN MID FLIGHT, and toss that brat and the mom right out of the plane, WITHOUT A PARACHUTE!

The Airlines should make the baby brat ride under the plane in the baggage area where they put animals, like dogs or snakes that have to go on a flight!

Wow, just WOW!! .. you do realize that some small children are dealing with physical or mental handicaps that affect them when inside the pressure of an airplane, or in crowded areas, or when stuck in a small confined area for long periods, when around strangers, on and on, ... oh never mind, you must not.

 

[Denim Chicken]

The butthurt is strong in this thread.

If any of the complainants have ever whispered in the ear of their dates during the movie (and you know you have), then they are found guilty of being accusatory hypocrites.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Nope. I've never had this problem because when I'm at the movie I'm not bothered by or worrying about what other people are or are not doing.