When did I **ever **say I have my phone on during a movie? I always turn my phone off during a film. People who look at their phone even to check the time during a movie should be kicked out immediately.
Read the post I actually quoted.
But 50%+ say no talking or phones and you don’t seem to care for that.
I think a good compromise view perhaps is to consider trailers like SuperBowl commercials. I have been to numerous SuperBowl parties and one thing I know for sure is you don’t want to be yapping during those commercials. So yes, they are ads, but they are quite a bit more than ads as well (just like trailers, people share SuperBowl commercials online and have discussions based on them - unlike your normal commercials)
You said “There are many situations where I am gathered with several people and I need to have my phone on.”
WOOKINPANUB was curious (as was I) what situations you had in mind.
Particularly since you can turn off your phone for a couple of hours while watching a movie: what are the situations where you absolutely cannot turn off your phone for a couple of hours?
Yeah, what **ThudBo **said :o
Well, if you have kids, it happens a lot. Specifically if you’re going to a party/dinner/etc, and have left them home with either a sitter or the oldest in charge. Sure, pre-cell phone days you’d do stuff like leave the number of the restaurant/house you’ll be at, but now that cell phones do exist, that’s obviously more convenient & reliable.
I said after the lights go down.
(bolding mine)
I guess that answers that!
Or perhaps, since your particular position is in the minority (16% and falling last I checked), you’ll acknowledge that your demands that everyone else be in their seats, silent and attentive, 20 to 30 minutes before the actual feature film begins is an unreasonable expectation on the rest of humanity.
Again, I was responding to a post that said that **anytime **two or more people get together, phones should be turned off. Any time. Nothing whatsoever to do with a movie. You don’t see that as unreasonable? You can’t think of at least one situation where you’re with someone and someone else may need to contact you?
You turn your phone off every single time you have a conversation?
I realized after looking back that you were not referring to having your phone on in the movies; apologies for that. That changes the context in which I understood your comment. I personally don’t look at my phone when I’m with other people (in a social setting) but I supposed I could see there being rare situations where it might be necessary.
Here is one situation from last week. I was working a large event for 1200 people and in a meeting beforehand in a team of 20 to coordinate. We all had to have phones on in case any of the bigwigs in charge needed anything/the schedule changed/get running updates from people in other locations.
But according to Annie, we should have turned our phones off because more than two people were meeting. :rolleyes:
Or: two friends get together for dinner and are waiting on a third. Oops, we turned our phones off so we didn’t get the message that they were running late and wouldn’t make it and to start without them.
Yes. Stop it. You are annoying others.
Makes sense;definitely in a work situation. I think **Annie **may have only been referring to social situations(?)In the instance you gave, I think I would have my phone on vibrate and if something was up - third friend had not arrived yet- I’d be inclined to check it and see if it’s them. To me it’s not all black and white but I lean to far less phone usage than most. But I digress; this is about movie phone etiquette and yours is impeccable 
Here’s the deal: a ‘phone’ is an all-purpose gadget that, incidentally, one can also make phone calls on, useful as address book, appointment book, calendar, camera, calculator, clock, gizmo to play games on, photo album, texting device, emailing device, web browser, a whole bunch of other random stuff, and occasionally you actually use it to talk with people who aren’t in the same room with you.
Most people nowadays, including Medicare-eligible types like me, just carry their ‘phones’ with them everywhere. They may be in our pockets most of the time, but we’ve got them with us. It’s not a matter of ‘why would we need to take a phone here’ as ‘why would we need to leave it at home or in the car in this particular situation.’
Well, I don’t want to do any of that at a movie either. Not even in the 20 minutes while I’m waiting for the movie to start. But you do you.
I probably don’t. It’s just that it would take a special effort to remember to not have it with me in time to have left it somewhere else where it would be safe.
People have told you that what you do bothers them. You double down and still do it, and are making excuses. You’re going to keep doing it despite knowing it bothers people.
And poll option 2 also says “phones off”. So the totality of “phones off and be quiet (as possible)” is 67%. A solid majority.
Why is it so hard to respect other people? Why is not acting like a jerk “an unreasonable expectation”?
People who say you should be completely seated even during the previews.
What happens when we eventually start airing the national anthem before every movie screening, should people who get out of their seats to kneel be immediately kicked out?
For me, OK to use a phone during the ads, it should be entirely away during trailers. No, it doesn’t matter if you’ve seen that particular trailer a hundred times, the other people in the theater haven’t.
Besides, it’s a slippery slope, and if you think it’s OK during the trailers, it will be OK to “just check it” during the film, and then we’re in Hell.
If that day ever comes, I’ll move to Canada or some other rational country.