At the moment, I’m sitting at the airport waiting for my flight, killing time by going over my entertainment options. A thought occurs to me, suppose I get seated next to a child for this very long flight. Would I have an obligation to refrain from watching TV or movies with particularly explicit scenes?
Let’s imagine there’s a 7 year old next to me and I want to watch a Tarantino flick or Dexter or something along those lines. My laptop doesn’t have any sort of privacy filter, so I wouldn’t really be able to stop the kid from looking over during gratuitous sex or vicious disembowelments. Is it okay for me to watch what I want, or should I limit myself to PG fare?
The example mentioned was Dexter and (I think) disembowelments. That is not an event that happens everyday, I’d not call keeping kids from seeing those images artificially sheltering them from reality.
If it was a nomral action movie with a fistfight or even a gunfight, ok, kids are already exposed to that type of stuff on “normal” television.
You’re a Doper.
The first rule of this site is “don’t be jerk”
So I assume you follow that rule on airplanes, too.
You’re not at home, and you surely know that on a plane you don’t have any private space. Showing respect for others is just plain common sense.
Your computer may not have a privacy filter, but your brain does. Use it.
(And not just for kids. Suppose you have an adult sitting next to you. Would you watch a hard-core porn movie?)
Because when you’re on a plane, you’re stuck there next to that specific person for as long as the flight lasts. In almost any other public situation, people can choose to leave if they don’t like something, and even if they can’t it won’t last very long.
Yes, watch the sex/violence movie. If you’re lucky, the parents will complain to the flight attendants, and they will move the child to another seat elsewhere. Success!
In case you doubt know this, violent imagery gives a lot of small children nightmares for days or weeks. Giving a kids nightmares about violent death flee weeks is not helping them comes too terms with reality.
If I had a child, I would probably prefer that everyone else accommodate me and my offspring in every way possible, regardless of how reasonable or unreasonable an imposition it would be.
I tend to be much too groggy while traveling to read. Thank you for your judgment, though.
It was really just a hypothetical question, though, as I don’t go to the theater very often and usually just try to catch up on whatever pop movies are available on the in flight entertainment.
Personally, I would refrain in such a situation, but I tend to be very self-conscious about these things.
If a parent cares what their kid is watching it’s up to them to police it not you. I wouldn’t watch anything you wouldn’t want to watch in public but if you want to marathon game of throwns and if the parents object they can move the child. I say all if this as a parent.
